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0 / 31 Fotos
Charles Adams
- Charles Adams was the son of President John Adams (and the brother of John Quincy Adams). He was an alcoholic and known for having a number of extramarital affairs. His erratic behavior led his father to disown him.
© Public Domain
1 / 31 Fotos
John Payne Todd
- John Payne Todd was the stepson of President James Madison. Todd liked to party a bit too much. He was an alcoholic and gambling addict and would often end up in jail for his shenanigans. Things got so bad that his mother, Dolley Payne, had to sell the family’s Montpelier plantation to pay off his debts.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Irvin McDowell Garfield
- Irvin McDowell Garfield was the son of President James Garfield. As a child, he was known to ride his bicycle down the White House steps. This may sound like normal childish behavior, but it was a big deal back then.
© Public Domain
3 / 31 Fotos
Tad and William Lincoln
- Tad and William were President Abraham Lincoln’s two youngest sons. They were known troublemakers in the White House, known for pulling pranks on guests. Sadly, William Lincoln died at age 11, but his brother continued their troublemaking legacy. An example includes Ted trying to sell his parents’ clothes in a yard sale in front of the White House.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Tad Lincoln
- On another occasion, Ted is said to have had goats pull him on a sled through an official reception in the White House.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Robert Todd Lincoln
- Robert Todd Lincoln was President Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son. He was heavily criticized at the time for his controversial decision to attend university instead of fighting in the Civil War. After much pressure, Robert Todd Lincoln eventually joined the Union Army.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
John Adams II
- John Adams II was the eldest son of President John Quincy Adams. First, he was expelled from Harvard for being involved in protests. Then, while working for his father, John Adams II was accused of cowardice during a fight that took place in the Capitol Rotunda.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
John Adams II
- John Adams II ended up marrying his cousin, Mary Catherine Hellen, who had previously dated both of his brothers. This caused a rift between the siblings and they refused to attend the wedding. John Adams II later struggled with alcoholism.
© Public Domain
8 / 31 Fotos
John Van Buren
- John Van Buren was the son of President Martin Van Buren. Before he became Attorney General of New York, John Van Buren had a bit of a reputation as a party animal, which included lots of drinking and gambling.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
John Van Buren
- John Van Buren also earned the nickname “Prince John” for dancing with Queen Victoria during her 1838 coronation.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. She displayed rebellious behavior such as smoking and swearing in public.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth also attended horse races and placed bets. And perhaps more bizarrely, she was known to take her pet snake to parties.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter was once banned from the White House too. Why? Because when the Roosevelt family had to move out of the White House, she buried a voodoo doll of President Taft’s wife Nellie in the front yard. Alice’s father once famously said, “I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.”
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
Quentin Roosevelt
- Quentin Roosevelt was the son of Theodore Roosevelt. While he wasn’t as scandalous as his sister, Quentin also had pet snakes and roller-skated around the White House.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Quentin Roosevelt
- Quentin Roosevelt’s mischievousness included breaking furniture, carving a baseball diamond into the White House lawn, and throwing snowballs at Secret Service guards.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
James Roosevelt
- James Roosevelt was the eldest son of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was accused of taking advantage of his family connections to make millions in the insurance business.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
James Roosevelt
- Years later, Jimmy Roosevelt’s organization ‘National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare’ was investigated for questionable fundraising practices.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Elliott Roosevelt
- Elliott Roosevelt was another son of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1934, he was accused of receiving cash in connection to the sale of bombers to the USSR during an embargo. Elliott Roosevelt’s love life was also a troubled one. He married a total of five times and divorced four times.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Amy Carter
- Amy Carter is the daughter of President Jimmy Carter. She was known for her left-wing activism. So much so that she was arrested for protesting a number of times, including in 1985, in front of the South African Embassy in D.C. (pictured).
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Patti Davis
- Patti Davis is the daughter of President Ronald Reagan. She was never fond of her parents’ conservative stance. So much so that in the 1970s she moved in with her boyfriend before marriage. Davis’ mother, Nancy Reagan, disowned her because of that.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Patti Davis
- Patti Davis went on to participate in a number of protests, reveal a number of family secrets in her autobiography, and posed for Playboy in 1994.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
George W. Bush
- The son of George H.W. Bush had a pretty successful political career, but before he settled down, Bush was a bit of a wild child. As a 1999 article from the Washington Post put it, “As the war and the youth culture of the 1960s rocked America, Bush partied and dated with gusto, dabbled half-heartedly in business and politics, and flew jets part time. Apart from his Guard commitment, he was unemployed for stretches that lasted for months.”
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
George W. Bush
- George W. Bush also struggled with heavy drinking and was involved in a number of drunken incidents as a result, including being arrested for DUI.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Neil Bush
- Neil Bush is also one of the sons of President George H.W. Bush. He too liked to party a bit too much, but his big scandal was violating conflict of interest regulations by serving on the board of directors for Silverado Banking Savings and Loan Association.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Neil Bush
- The company went bankrupt in 1988, and their "gross negligence" was estimated to cost the Federal Government around US$1 billion. Neil Bush and other directors were sued for promoting "unsafe and unsound" practices "designed to achieve the appearance of growth at the expense of the long-term health of the association." They settled for US$49.5 million.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Jenna Welch Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
- When they were 19, the daughters of George W. Bush were busted for underage drinking and using a fake ID to buy alcohol. They were also known to do everything they could to lose their Secret Service detail.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Jenna Welch Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
- “Jenna would purposely try to lose her protection by going through red lights or by jumping in her car without telling agents where she was going,' wrote author Ronald Kessler in his 2009 book 'In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect.'
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
Donald Trump Jr.
- Donald Trump Jr. is the eldest child of President Donald Trump. He faced allegations of cooperating with Russia regarding their interference in the 2016 presidential election.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Donald Trump Jr.
- Donald Trump Jr. didn’t win any brownie points by participating in an African hunting trip either. In fact, as a result, some sponsors dropped out of his father’s reality show, ‘The Celebrity Apprentice.’
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Ivanka Trump
- Ivanka Trump is the second child and oldest daughter of President Donald Trump. Her fashion line came under fire after she was accused of copying the work of designer Derek Lam. The use of rabbit fur in some of her fashion items also proved to be unpopular. Sources: (Biography) (Ranker) (Washington Post) (The New York Times) (Daily Mail) (BBC)
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 31 Fotos
Charles Adams
- Charles Adams was the son of President John Adams (and the brother of John Quincy Adams). He was an alcoholic and known for having a number of extramarital affairs. His erratic behavior led his father to disown him.
© Public Domain
1 / 31 Fotos
John Payne Todd
- John Payne Todd was the stepson of President James Madison. Todd liked to party a bit too much. He was an alcoholic and gambling addict and would often end up in jail for his shenanigans. Things got so bad that his mother, Dolley Payne, had to sell the family’s Montpelier plantation to pay off his debts.
© Getty Images
2 / 31 Fotos
Irvin McDowell Garfield
- Irvin McDowell Garfield was the son of President James Garfield. As a child, he was known to ride his bicycle down the White House steps. This may sound like normal childish behavior, but it was a big deal back then.
© Public Domain
3 / 31 Fotos
Tad and William Lincoln
- Tad and William were President Abraham Lincoln’s two youngest sons. They were known troublemakers in the White House, known for pulling pranks on guests. Sadly, William Lincoln died at age 11, but his brother continued their troublemaking legacy. An example includes Ted trying to sell his parents’ clothes in a yard sale in front of the White House.
© Getty Images
4 / 31 Fotos
Tad Lincoln
- On another occasion, Ted is said to have had goats pull him on a sled through an official reception in the White House.
© Getty Images
5 / 31 Fotos
Robert Todd Lincoln
- Robert Todd Lincoln was President Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son. He was heavily criticized at the time for his controversial decision to attend university instead of fighting in the Civil War. After much pressure, Robert Todd Lincoln eventually joined the Union Army.
© Getty Images
6 / 31 Fotos
John Adams II
- John Adams II was the eldest son of President John Quincy Adams. First, he was expelled from Harvard for being involved in protests. Then, while working for his father, John Adams II was accused of cowardice during a fight that took place in the Capitol Rotunda.
© Getty Images
7 / 31 Fotos
John Adams II
- John Adams II ended up marrying his cousin, Mary Catherine Hellen, who had previously dated both of his brothers. This caused a rift between the siblings and they refused to attend the wedding. John Adams II later struggled with alcoholism.
© Public Domain
8 / 31 Fotos
John Van Buren
- John Van Buren was the son of President Martin Van Buren. Before he became Attorney General of New York, John Van Buren had a bit of a reputation as a party animal, which included lots of drinking and gambling.
© Getty Images
9 / 31 Fotos
John Van Buren
- John Van Buren also earned the nickname “Prince John” for dancing with Queen Victoria during her 1838 coronation.
© Getty Images
10 / 31 Fotos
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was the daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. She displayed rebellious behavior such as smoking and swearing in public.
© Getty Images
11 / 31 Fotos
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth also attended horse races and placed bets. And perhaps more bizarrely, she was known to take her pet snake to parties.
© Getty Images
12 / 31 Fotos
Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter was once banned from the White House too. Why? Because when the Roosevelt family had to move out of the White House, she buried a voodoo doll of President Taft’s wife Nellie in the front yard. Alice’s father once famously said, “I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.”
© Getty Images
13 / 31 Fotos
Quentin Roosevelt
- Quentin Roosevelt was the son of Theodore Roosevelt. While he wasn’t as scandalous as his sister, Quentin also had pet snakes and roller-skated around the White House.
© Getty Images
14 / 31 Fotos
Quentin Roosevelt
- Quentin Roosevelt’s mischievousness included breaking furniture, carving a baseball diamond into the White House lawn, and throwing snowballs at Secret Service guards.
© Getty Images
15 / 31 Fotos
James Roosevelt
- James Roosevelt was the eldest son of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was accused of taking advantage of his family connections to make millions in the insurance business.
© Getty Images
16 / 31 Fotos
James Roosevelt
- Years later, Jimmy Roosevelt’s organization ‘National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare’ was investigated for questionable fundraising practices.
© Getty Images
17 / 31 Fotos
Elliott Roosevelt
- Elliott Roosevelt was another son of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1934, he was accused of receiving cash in connection to the sale of bombers to the USSR during an embargo. Elliott Roosevelt’s love life was also a troubled one. He married a total of five times and divorced four times.
© Getty Images
18 / 31 Fotos
Amy Carter
- Amy Carter is the daughter of President Jimmy Carter. She was known for her left-wing activism. So much so that she was arrested for protesting a number of times, including in 1985, in front of the South African Embassy in D.C. (pictured).
© Getty Images
19 / 31 Fotos
Patti Davis
- Patti Davis is the daughter of President Ronald Reagan. She was never fond of her parents’ conservative stance. So much so that in the 1970s she moved in with her boyfriend before marriage. Davis’ mother, Nancy Reagan, disowned her because of that.
© Getty Images
20 / 31 Fotos
Patti Davis
- Patti Davis went on to participate in a number of protests, reveal a number of family secrets in her autobiography, and posed for Playboy in 1994.
© Getty Images
21 / 31 Fotos
George W. Bush
- The son of George H.W. Bush had a pretty successful political career, but before he settled down, Bush was a bit of a wild child. As a 1999 article from the Washington Post put it, “As the war and the youth culture of the 1960s rocked America, Bush partied and dated with gusto, dabbled half-heartedly in business and politics, and flew jets part time. Apart from his Guard commitment, he was unemployed for stretches that lasted for months.”
© Getty Images
22 / 31 Fotos
George W. Bush
- George W. Bush also struggled with heavy drinking and was involved in a number of drunken incidents as a result, including being arrested for DUI.
© Getty Images
23 / 31 Fotos
Neil Bush
- Neil Bush is also one of the sons of President George H.W. Bush. He too liked to party a bit too much, but his big scandal was violating conflict of interest regulations by serving on the board of directors for Silverado Banking Savings and Loan Association.
© Getty Images
24 / 31 Fotos
Neil Bush
- The company went bankrupt in 1988, and their "gross negligence" was estimated to cost the Federal Government around US$1 billion. Neil Bush and other directors were sued for promoting "unsafe and unsound" practices "designed to achieve the appearance of growth at the expense of the long-term health of the association." They settled for US$49.5 million.
© Getty Images
25 / 31 Fotos
Jenna Welch Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
- When they were 19, the daughters of George W. Bush were busted for underage drinking and using a fake ID to buy alcohol. They were also known to do everything they could to lose their Secret Service detail.
© Getty Images
26 / 31 Fotos
Jenna Welch Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
- “Jenna would purposely try to lose her protection by going through red lights or by jumping in her car without telling agents where she was going,' wrote author Ronald Kessler in his 2009 book 'In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect.'
© Getty Images
27 / 31 Fotos
Donald Trump Jr.
- Donald Trump Jr. is the eldest child of President Donald Trump. He faced allegations of cooperating with Russia regarding their interference in the 2016 presidential election.
© Getty Images
28 / 31 Fotos
Donald Trump Jr.
- Donald Trump Jr. didn’t win any brownie points by participating in an African hunting trip either. In fact, as a result, some sponsors dropped out of his father’s reality show, ‘The Celebrity Apprentice.’
© Getty Images
29 / 31 Fotos
Ivanka Trump
- Ivanka Trump is the second child and oldest daughter of President Donald Trump. Her fashion line came under fire after she was accused of copying the work of designer Derek Lam. The use of rabbit fur in some of her fashion items also proved to be unpopular. Sources: (Biography) (Ranker) (Washington Post) (The New York Times) (Daily Mail) (BBC)
© Getty Images
30 / 31 Fotos
The most controversial children of US presidents
Some were involved in serious scandals
© Getty Images
Being a child of the President of the United States can be a heavy burden to carry. Living constantly under the spotlight, having access to some privileges while being deprived of others, can indeed be challenging. Some presidential children were pretty mischievous as young kids, while others were quite rebellious during their teenage years. Some, however, grew up to become controversial figures for a number of reasons.
In this gallery, we look at the most controversial children of US presidents. Click on to get to know them.
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