The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-02
COMPOSITE SKETCH OF PRESIDENTS
Comparisons Made Between the Twenty-four Men Who
Have Occupied the White House.

Physically the average president o.
the United States is a magnificent spec
imam of manhood. He is three niche.
taller than the average American. He
weighs $50 pounds-a heavy, broad
shouldefed man, a man Of immense vi
+ tallty. The average presidents fore
head is higk, and there never. has beer
a snub-nosed president.
IN height, our presidents have varied
Ifcm Lincoln, VINO stood feet in his
stockings, 10 Harrison, who was only {
Ieet inches. In weight they range
from Cieveland's 300 pounds to John
ADAMS l4O, giving an average Of $50.
Inc youngest president ever inaugc-
rated was Cleveland, who was only As
when he took Office, while the Oldest
vas w. II. Harrison, who was 50.
Pierce was 40 and Buchanan g. The
average was 90.
THE MOST YOUTHFUL HUSBAND.
The most youthful husband who ever
became president was Benjamin Harri-
son, who married when only 20. The
next youngest was johnson, who mar
ried when only II, ana whose wife
taught him how - read. The oldest
was Cleveland, who did not marry IN
til he was 20. Madison married at 43,
and Tyler married for the second time
was %. Buchanan was the only bach
elor.
John Adams reached the greatest age
of all our presidents, reaching his 91st
year, and dying in the house of repre-
sentatives, Of which he was then
member. Jackson lived until he was
SIS. and Madison to the age of S. Gar
field died younger than any other presi
dent, having been asSassinated by Gut
teau when scarcely 80 years old. Polk
died at "a. The average age attained
by our presidents is great, being a lit
tie more than 20 years, showing that
they must have been men of great vi
tality. This, indeed, we should have
supposed in any case
Several persons were conspicuously
slender, among them Jackson and Ty-
Ter, While others were as conspicuously
stout as Cleveland and Fillmore.
Where any of them had corporation"
is fact carefully omitted by biograph-
ers. The bulk of evidence seems to
show that the average president was
rather solidly built man, with a slight
tendency to enbonpoint.
Jackson, Jefferson. Tyler, John
Adams and Madison had narrow faces,
while Van Buren,, John Quincy Adams,
Taylor, Fillmore and Cleveland had
broad, ones. The rest were of normal
width. Cleveland and ]. Q. Adams
were wider in the jaw than through
the eyes. Monroe and Jefferson had
oval faces. Tyler and Buchanan had
very long faces. A composite picture
would undoubtedly show the average
president to possess an oblong face
with strong jaw and family eXagger-
ated cheeKbones.
LONG. STRAIGHT NOSES.
The average president had a good
ny, 4 cf,s. f-r1,f 81,
president was excellently equipped in
this respect, no possessor of a really
insignificant nose ever having occupied
the White House. Van Buren,, Polk and
Pierce had especially long noses, and
Benjamin Harrison's was probably the
shortest lot.
In another Characteristic, too, our
presidents have been strangely alike.
They have all possessed fine foreheads,
high ana Intellectual. Strange to say,
however the facial angles are not
large, the forehead. as a rule, contin-
uing nearly in the line with the nose,
and in some cases even falling behind
it. This was conspicuous in the case of
the early presidents wore their hair
IL Il peruha. Then came 4 number with
hair fiGffed ont above their ears or
brushed W from their foreheads in a
mon. Last came the close-clipped fash
ion of later DAYS. In nearly every case
the hair was plentiful, or capable of
becoming so if allowed to grow There
WAS little tendency to badness until in
Quite recent times. and what there was
showed itself just above the forehead !
rather than on the crown Of the head. |
Jackson had n mass Of iron-gray hair. |
while John Quincy Adams and Van
Suren were nearly bald. Most of the |
presidents kept the color Of their hair |
until cutie late in life. few of them |
showing more than a sDrinkIing of I
gray. The average hair was dark /
brown in color. though jefferson had J