What Do 33% of the United States Presidents Have In Common?

We know that 100% of the Presidents of the United States have been men, and all but one of the forty five men who have served as president have been married.

But what many people don't know is one third of them, fifteen out of forty five, grew up without a father or a mother.

One president, Herbert Hoover, lost both his parents by the time he was 9.

Three others, Abraham Lincoln, John Tyler and Calvin Coolidge lost their mothers at young ages (9, 7 and 12 respectively).

Two presidents, Gerald Ford and Barack Obama, had parents who were divorced when the future presidents were very young, and both of them grew up without regular contact with their fathers.

Another six presidents were 16 or younger when their fathers died. George Washington was 11, Thomas Jefferson 14, James Monroe 16, Andrew Johnson 4, James Garfield 2, and Grover Cleveland 16.

Perhaps the most startling fact is that 3 presidents never had fathers at all, their fathers dying before they were born. Andrew Jackson's father died 3 weeks before Jackson was born, Rutherford B. Hayes' father died 10 weeks before Hayes was born, and Bill Clinton's father died 3 months before Clinton was born.

It could be this is a statistical fluke. It could be that growing up in a single parent household makes a boy either more ambitious or more accustomed to responsibility at a young age, and either of these possibilities could lead to an interest in politics and a willingness to serve.

But whatever the reasons behind that 33%, one thing is clear. Love and support and caring doesn't have to come from a traditional Mom and Dad family for a person to succeed.

The Children's Enrichment Committee was founded in 1911, when William Howard Taft was president. 18 presidential administrations later, the CEC is still offering the support and caring that helps children in Orange County succeed.