Fun fact! A beard scholar is also called a pognologist. (I just learned that!) It’s a real thing! Beard Historian Allan Peterkin was quoted in The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth by Matthew Algeo:

“The beard has been the kiss of death for Western politicians ever since.”

Although the doodles of them I used in my presentation showed modest chops, I stand by my answer.

Van Buren’s bushy chops (shown here) and Adams’ very serious but extended chops (shown here) surely count. And dare I say, they extend far enough to be mutton chops. Neither extended far enough to be considered “friendly mutton chops.”

President Grant’s granddaughter becoming a princess absolutely blew my mind. (When Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice turned down a party invitation because she wasn’t going out much anymore, 94-year-old Julia scoffed: “She’s only 86!”)

The soccer club named after Rutherford B. Hayes is pretty cool, too.

I recently learned that Abe Lincoln bowled, which I didn’t even know was a thing back then. It took me on a whole tangent about bowling and bowling greens. (You can see it here.)

I started in the early 2000s and finished during the pandemic. The first ten years or so were at a glacial pace. Twenty years, give or take. But I haven’t been able to stop. Now I just keep going back and reading more.

To be honest, I couldn’t have come up with the answer if I thought about it all day. Looks like Thomas Dewey was the last one — and you may recall the photo of Harry S Truman holding up the paper announcing “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN”.

“It’s All in the Game”

He wrote the melody; the words were added later. Listen to it here.

To keep the focus on history and avoid politics, the guidance from History Camp is that we don’t go past Richard Nixon. I stopped at LBJ for this presentation, because my grid looked tidier with 36 presidents.

My bibliography shows the books I’ve read for each. Check it out here.

When I first started, I didn’t know anything so I selected the books largely by which cover I liked the best. (Hey, I’m a graphic designer!)

I’m more selective now and much more aware of various biographers. There are certain authors that I will read any book they write.

I also try to circle back to presidents that I read about before I started doodling. Just finished reading about Lincoln again (check out the doodles here).

YES! I am hoping one day to publish a book. It’s all percolating in my head for now.

I mentioned Herbert Hoover in my original answer. He definitely has a certain reputation. But his per-presidency and post-presidency were interesting and impressive. I have a lot of respect for him. And his wife, Lou.

I should have also mentioned William Howard Harrison. I’d found him so fascinating and the stories funny. (There was a bounty on his head for a bunch of beavers.) But the second book completely changed my outlook. He was kind of a monster. (Click here to see what I mean.)

He wasn’t a president, but I had a certain opinion of Roscoe Conkling and I recently realized I need to learn more about him. I think some of my disgust is warranted. But there may be more to him than I realized.

Yikes. I drew a blank with this question!

• Candice Millard — a thousand times yes

• Matthew Algeo — ditto (his books always make me laugh)

• Alexis Coe

• Lindsay Chervinsky

• Louis Picone

• Doris Kearns Goodwin (obviously!)

• Shannon McKenna Schmidt (she has a book coming out soon about Lady Bird Johnson and I cannot wait)

• Catherine Grace Katz

• Jermaine Fowler

• Erik Larson

I could keep going…