Random Presidents With Children Who Caused Scandals (14 items)

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  (#1) Theodore Roosevelt

  • Dec. at 61 (1858-1919)

  Alice Roosevelt was the poster child for wild presidential children. Her father Theodore Roosevelt once said, "I can run the country or attend to Alice. I cannot possibly do both." At a time when women had yet to gain many measures of equality, Alice eschewed social standards by smoking, gambling, chewing gum, and playing with guns. She even went about town with a pet snake.

  Alice lived a party-heavy life, but she also cared about politics, as evidenced by the time she supposedly burned a voodoo doll of incoming First Lady Nelly Taft in the White House.
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  (#2) James Madison

  • Dec. at 85 (1751-1836)

  John Payne Todd probably deserves his less-than-great reputation. John was the stepson of James Madison and a child from his mother Dolley Madison’s first marriage. John embarrassed his family with his out-of-control gambling and alcohol addictions. The President and First Lady repeatedly tried to send him to school or find him respectable work, but nothing stuck. John continued to spend money. The Madisons spent their retirement in relative destitution, and the problem was compounded when James died, leaving Dolley a widow.

  The ever-pragmatic Dolley saved herself from bankruptcy by selling some of her late husband's papers to Congress. The agreed upon payment was delivered to her as an annuity, so John couldn't get his hands on his mother's money.
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  (#3) James Garfield's Son Rode His Bicycle Down The White House Steps

  Irvin McDowell Garfield was the son of President James Garfield. Young Irvin wasn’t that much more rambunctious than the average child, but his escapades caused some concern. Irvin was found on multiple occasions riding his bicycle down the White House steps, which was considered a major no-no.

  Irvin apparently grew out of this phase, and later became a lawyer.
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  (#4) Abraham Lincoln

  • Dec. at 56 (1809-1865)

  Despite his serious, presidential demeanor, Abraham Lincoln had a reputation for being a wild youth. Apparently that trait was genetic. Lincoln’s two youngest sons, Tad and William, were known around Washington as troublemakers. The two often pulled pranks on unsuspecting White House guests.

  William died young, and Tad was left to his own devices - but he kept making mischief. In one memorable stunt, Tad had a yard sale out front of the White House, in which he tried to sell his parents’ clothes. In another incident, he tied a bunch of goats to a sled and had them pull him through an official reception.

  He's also credited with beginning the presidential tradition of pardoning a turkey on Thanksgiving each year.
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  (#5) John Quincy Adams

  • Dec. at 81 (1767-1848)

  John Adams II was a third generation presidential child, as the son of John Quincy Adams and the grandson of John Adams. Unfortunately, John followed a different path than his famous family members. He gained a reputation as a coward for refusing to fight back when slapped around by a political rival at a White House party, and the constant harassment he received drove him into alcoholism.

  John also battled his brothers for the affections of their first cousin, and when he won, he married her in a White House ceremony that several family members refused to attend.
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  (#6) Theodore Roosevelt's Son Roller Skated Around The White House

  Quentin Roosevelt was very much his father’s son. Like Theodore Roosevelt, Quentin was fearless, and didn’t care what others thought of him. He could often be found roller skating around the White House, and sometimes he did so with pet snakes wrapped around his arms. This no doubt made young Quentin a terrifying sight to many a diplomatic guest, something he often took full advantage of.

  Quentin and his "White House Gang" carved a baseball diamond into the White House lawn, broke furniture, and threw snowballs at Secret Service guards. But Quentin eventually grew out of this troublesome phase, and eventually became a war hero. He died at age 20 during World War I.
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  (#7) Ronald Reagan

  • Dec. at 93 (1911-2004)

  Patti Davis was so different from her father, Ronald Reagan, that she gave up his name. Patti was a hippie extraordinaire, which did not fit with Reagan’s reputation as a conservative president or Nancy Reagan’s war on drugs.

  Patti spoke out against both of her parents, and even published a tell-all book about her family. She was also heavily involved in anti-nuclear protests, which caused a lot of controversy once her father was in control of the nuclear codes. She posed nude for Playboy at age 58, as well.
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  (#8) George H. W. Bush

  • 94

  One of America’s presidents was once a presidential kid himself. George W. Bush, son of George H.W. Bush, was a controversial figure long before he took office. Bush, Jr. had a reputation as a bit of a wild child, and went through a "nomadic" period in his life where he partied and slept around. If tabloid rumors are to be believed, drug use was involved as well.

  Beyond his extracurricular activities, Bush may have skipped out on his National Guard duties, a controversy that cropped up again when he ran for president.
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  (#9) Martin Van Buren

  • Dec. at 80 (1782-1862)

  Although John Van Buren, son of Martin Van Buren, became a prominent politician in his own right, he also spent some time as a controversial presidential child. John loved to party, and managed to work himself into some impressive social circles. In fact, he gained the nickname "Prince John" after he danced with Queen Victoria in 1838.

  John was a notorious alcoholic, and had to be carried from the horse races on multiple occasions. He was also rumored to be a heavy gambler, and may have lost his own mistresses during a card game.
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  (#10) Jimmy Carter

  • 94

  Jimmy Carter was a fairly liberal president, but his daughter Amy took liberalism to the extreme. Amy was a young child during her time at the White House, but afterwards she grew into a politically active left-winger. She protested regularly, and took part in several sit-ins aimed at ending apartheid and American intervention in Central America. These activities led to Amy being arrested.
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  (#11) Abraham Lincoln's Oldest Son Was Criticized For Not Participating In The Civil War

  Robert Todd Lincoln is perhaps the most unfairly criticized presidential child in history. The Lincoln family had been dogged by tragedy, with both Tad and William dying young, and the president was eager to keep his oldest son safe from the rigors of war. Unfortunately, Robert Todd received heaps of criticism for attending university while the Civil War raged on.

  Eventually, the pressure got to him, and Robert enlisted and fought briefly on the Union side. He made it through the fighting unscathed.
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  (#12) Donald Trump

  • 72

  Donald Trump has five children from three marriages; at the time of his inauguration, they ranged in ages from 10 to 40. His oldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., was briefly estranged from his father following his graduation from Wharton, and he spent that time bumming around Aspen, Colorado, skiing, fishing, camping, working as a bartender, and living in a van before moving back to New York and getting involved in his father's business interests.

  An avid hunter, Trump Jr. and his younger brother, Eric Trump, stirred up controversy in 2012 when photos surfaced of Trump on an African hunting safari posing beside an endangered leopard he had shot, and holding the bloody tail of an elephant. The safari was legal, but public outrage led at least one sponsor to drop Celebrity Apprentice, the reality show Trump, Jr. appeared on alongside his father.
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  (#13) Ivanka Trump Got Into Hot Water Over Her Fashion Line

  Ivanka Trump, the second child and oldest daughter of President Donald Trump, first made a name for herself as a fashion designer, with retail lines that sell clothing, shoes, accessories, handbags, and jewelry. 

  In 2011, desiger Derek Lam sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ivanka for allegedly copying his designers. She was also blasted by PETA for using rabbit fur in some of her fashion items. Later, after her father's election, she stirred up controversy again when she appeared on the TV show 60 Minutes wearing a bracelet from her own fashion line, which her company then marketed after the show.

  Critics claim she was attempting to profit from her father's position, and her company issued an apology. 
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  (#14) George W. Bush

  • 72

  George W. Bush’s daughters, Barbara and Jenna, attracted a fair share of attention during their father's presidency. They were criticized for underage drinking when they were 19 years old. Mostly, though, they got in trouble for their efforts to ditch their Secret Service detail whenever they wanted to party.

  They reportedly ran red lights to escape their escorts, and were once cited for underage drinking while in the company of several Secret Service guards.

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