Middle Names of U.S. Presidents Quiz

Answer: Delano

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the President of the United States during what perhaps was one of the most difficult times for the country. Roosevelt, who had been Governor of New York before taking over as Commander-in-Chief, became president in March 1933, a few years after the beginning of the Great Depression. FDR immediately implemented changes to combat the dramatic economic situation that the U.S. was facing. One of the most notable actions he took was the New Deal, a set of programs and policies that aimed to stabilize and recover the American economy from the tremendous difficulties it was in. The New Deal enacted social programs that supported agricultural and industrial workers. It also introduced the Social Security Act of 1935, under which a retirement program for old-age Americans was put in place, significantly reducing poverty among the elderly population.

FDR served a record-breaking 4 terms in office, during which he also presided over the beginning of World War II and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. FDR unsuccessfully pushed to expand (or "pack") the Supreme Court by allowing the appointment of additional justices. He was paralyzed from the waist down for much of the second half of his life. Official accounts say he was diagnosed with polio, but competing experts believe he may have had Guillain-Barré syndrome. He died in office on April 12, 1945, upon which Harry S. Truman assumed the presidency.

Answer: Baines

Lyndon Baines Johnson, popularly known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States. Having served as a U.S. Representative, and then U.S. Senator from Texas, he became U.S. Vice-President in 1961 when John F. Kennedy was elected into office. When JFK was shockingly assassinated in 1963, LBJ took over and was sworn in aboard Air Force One. Johnson completed what would have been Kennedy's term, and then won the 1965 election resoundingly.

As president, LBJ served during the Civil Rights Movement, a time of great tension in the U.S. Johnson enacted comprehensive legislation, which he characterized as the "Great Society" program, that supported civil rights, medical care, and public transportation. LBJ privately collaborated with Martin Luther King Jr., in whose presence he signed the historic 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. LBJ's presidency is also remembered as a time when, despite his support for the aforementioned laws, racial tensions continued to rise around the country.

Answer: Milhous

Richard Milhous Nixon is arguably one of the most controversial political figures in 20th-century American history. Born in California in 1913, Nixon held multiple powerful posts in government during his lifetime. Nixon was a U.S. Representative between 1947 and 1950, after which he became a U.S. Senator. Three years later, he would be elected into office as the 36th Vice President of the United States, serving with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. After his vice presidency, Nixon suffered two painful electoral losses: the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy, and the 1962 California gubernatorial race to Pat Brown.

Then, in 1968, Nixon returned to the spotlight and was able to defeat Democrat Hubert Humphrey and American Independent candidate George Wallace to become the 37th President of the United States. Nixon's years in office were marked by successes like the 1969 moon landing, diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions with China and the U.S.S.R., and pushing for the eventually successful ratification of the 26th Amendment. The Amendment guaranteed the right to vote for all people over 18 in state and local elections, a right that had previously been denied by the Supreme Court in Oregon v. Mitchell. Of course, Nixon's presidency is perhaps best remembered for the Watergate scandal, in which Nixon helped cover up his campaign's involvement in breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. These acts led to his historic resignation from the presidency in 1974, although he was subsequently officially pardoned by President Ford later that year.

Answer: Earl

James Earl Carter, Jr., who is much better known as Jimmy Carter, was the 39th President of the United States. Born and raised in the State of Georgia, Carter worked in his family's peanut farm before becoming a politician. Carter's career in government began in 1963 when he joined the Georgia State Senate. Only a few years later, he would serve as Governor of Georgia between 1971 and 1975. In 1976, Carter won the Democratic presidential primaries over prominent figures in the party, such as Mo Udall and Jerry Brown. He would then defeat Gerald Ford in the general election.

Carter's term in office saw significant developments in the international stage play out, such as the Camp David Accords, and the Iran hostage crisis. Domestically, Carter's administration helped create millions of jobs and oversaw a national park system expansion that afforded protection to hundreds of acres of land in Alaska. Carter also established an independent Department of Education in 1980, one which future President Reagan would unsuccessfully try to abolish. President Carter reached 99 years of age on October 1, 2023.

Answer: Wilson

Ronald Wilson Reagan is perhaps one of the most revered American presidents in recent history, and certainly an enormously popular figure within the Republican party. Before becoming a politician, Reagan was a prolific entertainer who worked as a sports broadcaster and actor during the first half of the 20th century. Reagan's extensive film credits include "Santa Fe Trail" and "Kings Row". In 1967, he became Governor of California, a role that would launch him into the national spotlight. Reagan continued to be an important figure in the conservative movement and overwhelmingly won the Republican nomination in 1980. The Reagan-Bush ticket resoundingly defeated incumbent president Jimmy Carter winning 489 electoral votes. Reagan's re-election in 1984 would be even more impressive, as he carried 49 out of the 50 states and won in a landslide.

As president, Ronald Reagan endorsed "Reaganomics", a set of economic and fiscal policies that were characterized by the reduction of taxes and government spending. The economy under Reagan was strong, although opponents of his "trickle-down economics" policies claim that the U.S. national debt became much larger as a result. Reagan's Tax Reform Act of 1986 lowered federal income tax brackets and changed the standard deduction, among other important changes.

Answer: Jefferson

William Jefferson Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas in 1946. Clinton served as Attorney General and then as Governor of his home state (a time when he was nicknamed "Slick Willie"). He quickly rose to national attention and his charisma propelled him to the top of the Democratic ticket in 1992. Clinton decisively defeated incumbent President George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot, therefore becoming the 42nd president of the United States. He served two consecutive terms after winning re-election, alongside Vice-President Al Gore.

Clinton oversaw one of the most economically successful eras in American history. He also spearheaded important crime and law enforcement projects like the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Clinton also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law in 1993, even though the primary negotiation process for the treaty occurred during the Bush Sr. administration. Clinton is also remembered for his role in mediating international affairs, such as the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at the Camp David Summit, and his appointment of Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. He is also remembered for his impeachment following the scandal that involved his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Answer: Walker

George Walker Bush, born in Connecticut in 1946, was the Governor of Texas between 1995 and 2000. Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, served as Vice-President between 1981 and 1989, and then as President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. The presidency of George W. Bush, who defeated then-incumbent Vice-President Al Gore in a hotly contested election (particularly in Florida), was marked by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The events of 9/11 would affect almost every action Bush took during his first term in office, including the invasion of Iraq and the deployment of American soldiers to Afghanistan.

In response to 9/11, the Bush administration created the Department of Homeland Security in 2002. The DHS has broad powers over multiple security-related issues, such as immigration, transportation security, and emergency management. The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, is also under the DHS umbrella and was created to address safety issues in air travel.

Answer: Hussein

Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961, making him the first American president to have been born outside of the 48 contiguous states. Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991, after which he would become a civil rights attorney and law school professor. Obama's political career began in 1996 with his election to the Illinois State Senate. Between 2005 and 2008, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Illinois. Then, he launched what would be a successful campaign for president, in which he first defeated Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries, and then John McCain in the presidential elections.

Obama served two terms as president, following his re-election win against Republican Mitt Romney. Perhaps one of the better-known accomplishments of the Obama administration is the signing into law of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The piece of legislation lowered insurance costs on government-sponsored health insurance programs, hence increasing the number of insured Americans. However, the bill was also heavily criticized (especially by members of the Republican party), and particularly its "individual mandate" that forced those who opted not to have insurance to pay a penalty. That penalty was upheld as a constitutional tax by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of NFIB v. Sebelius.

Answer: John

Before his foray into politics, Donald John Trump was better known for managing his father's real estate business, which he turned into a conglomerate called the Trump Organization. Trump was also a recognizable figure in popular culture because of his millionaire image, his hosting of the TV show "The Apprentice", and even occasional appearances in Vince McMahon's WWE wrestling shows. Trump would frequently comment on U.S. politics (often changing his public party affiliations) and even hinted at running for president in the 1980s and 1990s. Some in the media believe that a White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2011, where President Obama mocked him, was the point where Trump decided to run for office.

Though Trump's 2017-2021 term was controversial and unusual for many reasons (particularly its end, where Trump refused to accept his electoral defeat to Joe Biden), his administration helped push laws to combat money laundering and was responsible for appointing three Supreme Court justices. He also oversaw the signing of the Abraham Accords, an agreement where the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel, a move that allowed the countries to establish diplomatic relations. The Accords were signed at the White House on September 15, 2020.

Answer: Robinette

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., better known as Joe Biden, devoted most of his life to politics and government. An alumnus of the University of Delaware and Syracuse University College of Law, Biden got involved in politics very early in his career. His long story in the American government started in 1972 when he was elected to represent Delaware in the Senate. That would be the beginning of a more than 30-year tenure as a U.S. Senator from Delaware. Biden is also well-known for wearing aviator sunglasses when he's outdoors.

Between 2009 and 2017, Biden served as the 47th Vice President of the United States, with Barack Obama as the Commander-in-Chief. In 2019, Biden launched his fourth presidential campaign in what he repeatedly characterized as a "battle for the soul of the nation" following Donald Trump's presidency. Biden won the 2020 election with former U.S. senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. In 2022, Biden fulfilled his campaign promise of nominating a Black woman for the U.S. Supreme Court. He chose federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was confirmed by the Senate in April 2022.