Presidential Pastimes

Gallery

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This lithograph by A. Ducôte is from a drawing by French illustrator Auguste Hervieu of President Andrew Jackson on horseback from 1829. President Jackson bred horses at his home near Nashville, Tennessee, The Hermitage, and kept a racing stable at the White House. Jackson had horses named Bolivia, Lady Nashville, Emilie, and Busiris.
Library of Congress
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This photograph by A.C. McIntyre shows President Chester A. Arthur fishing at Alexandria Bay, New York. There is a handwritten caption that reads: "President Arthur at Alexandria Bay. Late in September 1882, Arthur went to Alexandria Bay, to do a little bass fishing. It was one of his favorite sports, and he was considered an expert angler. While there, he celebrated his fifty-second birthday." President Arthur was actually celebrating his 53rd birthday.
Library of Congress
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This photograph shows President Theodore Roosevelt on his horse while jumping a fence.
Library of Congress
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In this black and white photograph, President William Howard Taft plays golf in Chevy Chase, Maryland while two unidentified men look on. This photograph taken on June 28, 1909, is stamped with a copyright by George Grantham Bain.
Library of Congress
5 of 16

This photograph of President Herbert Hoover was taken circa 1929-1932. In this photograph, President Hoover throws a baseball at Griffith Stadium, home of the Washington Senators professional baseball team. Standing in uniform to Hoover's left is the Senators' manager and former player, Walter Johnson. The photograph was taken by the National Photo Company, which captured life in Washington D.C. during the administrations of Presidents Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover.
Library of Congress
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This black and white photo is of President Franklin D. Roosevelt fishing in a stream, accompanied by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The presidential retreat during Roosevelt's administration was known as "Shangri-La" but was renamed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after his father and grandson and is still known as "Camp David."
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
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This photograph of President Dwight Eisenhower was taken on July 24 at Quantico, Virginia. Eisenhower is shown wearing golf attire and holding a club. President Eisenhower was at Quantico for a conference of top defense officials and later found time for a round of golf.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
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This photograph shows First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with President Mohammed Ayub Khan of Pakistan. Kennedy is dressed to ride her horse, Sardar, who is also pictured and was a gift from Khan. Khan, the former commander of the Pakistan Army, was the country's second president.
New York World Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)
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This photograph of President Richard M. Nixon and entertainer Bob Hope in the Oval Office was taken on April 20, 1973. Hope was an avid golfer, and in this photo, he putts for an ashtray being held by Nixon.
Nixon Presidential Materials Project, National Archives and Records Administration
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This photograph by Erik Kvalsvik depicts the White House bowling alley. In 1973, President Richard and First Lady Nixon, both avid bowlers, had a one-lane alley built in an underground workspace below the North Portico driveway.
White House Historical Association
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This black and white photograph by David Hume Kennerly shows President Gerald R. Ford and his son, Steve, playing tennis on the White House courts.
National Archives and Records Administration
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This black and white photograph by David Hume Kennerly shows President Gerald R. Ford swimming in the new White House swimming pool for reporters on July 5, 1975. The swimming pool is located on the South Grounds of the White House and is different from the one built in 1933 during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, which was indoors and covered over in 1970 to become the Press Room. President Ford's first swim in the pool came just a few days earlier, on July 1.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
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This photograph shows President Ronald Reagan throwing out the first pitch at a late season baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field in Chicago in 1988. Reagan announced Cubs games over the radio during his career in broadcasting.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
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In this photograph taken on April 4, 1986, President Ronald Reagan feeds a horse at Rancho del Cielo in Santa Barbara, California. The ranch served as Reagan's retreat while in office as governor of California and president of the U.S. Features of the ranch include two homes, one of which earned the name of the "Western White House," Lucky Lake, and a path dubbed Pennsylvania Avenue by Secret Service staff.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
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This is a photograph of President George Bush playing a game of horseshoes on the South Grounds of the White House with James Baker, who served as his Secretary of State and, later, his Chief of Staff. The horseshoe pit was installed in 1989, removed in 1993 during the Clinton administration, and reinstalled during George W. Bush's presidency.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
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This photograph shows President Bill Clinton throwing the first pitch on opening day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 2, 1996. At the time there was no baseball team in Washington, D.C., so the Baltimore Orioles were the closest franchise to the capital.

About this Gallery

Although the presidency is an often all-consuming job, many presidents have found solace in their various hobbies and pastimes. When not shaping the path of our nation, presidents can be found fishing, painting, playing baseball, and riding horses.