14 Famous Presidents With Beards and Mustaches
It has been over a century since we had a president with beard. The last bearded president was Benjamin Harrison. In the 1840s, the Victorian Style for men was to have a beard. It was a symbol of masculinity and male courage.
There were many renowned presidents with elegant beards. You may think, what difference does it make whether our presidents have a beard or a mustache or are cleanly shaven?
Some people feel that a mustache and a beard make you look more mature and fuller. Others believe that men with beards have something to hide and are unhygienic.
Having a president that is cleanly shaven would show that the person is clean and tidy, bear with nothing to hide. This would make him look more trustworthy thereby winning over more votes. Yes, the subconscious mind plays a big role no matter we accept it or not!
Popular US Presidents with Beard and/or Mustaches
There were many popular bearded presidents with or without a mustache. Some only had a little beard or a mustache and some had them both. Here is a list of 11 presidents with classy facial hair.
1. John Quincy Adams – Mutton Chop Sideburns
President Adams was the sixth president of the USA. He was the first Us president to have notable facial hair with his Muttonchop sideburn beards. The beard looks like a piece of chopped mutton. To achieve the mutton chop beard, you need to grow sideburns which are cut along your lower jawline and extended to the chin area.
The chin area is shaved clean. To maintain this look you will have to comb your sideburns from top to bottom. Hugh Jackman wears a mutton chop beard in The X-men.
The Celebrity Beard Styles We Love
2. Martin Van Buren – Mutton Chops
Martin also had facial hair shaped in the mutton chop style. He was the eighth president of the United States. President Van Buren had long sideburns that were all combed out. To achieve this look you would have to grow out your sideburns and shave your mustache and chin area.
3. Abraham Lincoln – Chinstrap Beard
President Lincoln was the first president who had a beard without any mustache. He was the sixteenth president of the United States but the first Us president to have a true beard. To achieve the chinstrap beard, you would need to grow a full beard but shave off your mustache.
4. Ulysses S. Grant – Full Beard Connected with Thick Mustache
He was the eighteenth president of the United States. The first president with a rocking full beard. To achieve this look you would grow out all your facial hair. For maintenance you have to comb down your sideburns and beard. The mustache must be trimmed neatly over your upper lip.
5. Rutherford B Hayes – Garibaldi Beard and Bushy Walrus Mustache
The president with the longest beard. He was the 19th president of the United States. This look will require no shaving! The facial hair is grown out freely. President Hayes didn’t use to trim his walrus mustache.
6. James A Garfield – Long Curly Beard
He was the 20th president of the United States. President Garfield had a long beard. His beard was thick and curly. This look will be easily achieved by growing out your facial hair.
7. Chester A Arthur – Sideburns with Thick Paint Brush Mustache
He had a pyramid shape mustache. He was the twenty-first president of the United States. President Arthur had patchy sideburns. He exposed his cheek area and his chin. If you would want this look then you would have to shape it as you would the mutton chop beard.
8. Benjamin Harrison – Grey Boxed Beard
He was the twenty-third president of the United States. One of the classiest bearded presidents in US history. He had a grey-boxed beard.
9. Grover Cleveland – Walrus Mustache
He was the twenty-second president and he came back to be the twenty-fourth president. President Cleveland had walrus mustache but did not have a beard. To achieve this mustache style, shave your beard area and grow out your mustache only. Your mustache will need to be trimmed neatly.
10. Theodore Roosevelt– Chevron Mustache
The twenty-sixth president had no beard. He had a mustache that was long at the sides and his sideburns were short and neat. His mustache style can be referred as a chevron mustache, and it was a popular style during the early 20th century.
11. William Howard Taft – Handlebar Mustache
William was the last president to have facial hair. He had a mustache that was long and curled upwards which is now known as a handlebar mustache. Achieving this means that you would have to grow out your mustache.
Then trim the bits of hair above your upper lip neatly and curl the sides outward. Combing your mustache down would help to ensure that it grows down neatly.
Table: US presidents and their facial hair styles, including sideburns/beards and mustaches.
| President | Sideburns/Beard | Mustache | Facial Hair Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Quincy Adams | Sideburns | No | Mutton chop sideburns |
| Martin Van Buren | Sideburns | No | Mutton chops |
| Abraham Lincoln | Beard | No | Chinstrap beard |
| Ulysses S. Grant | Beard | Yes | Full beard connected with thick mustache |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | Beard | Yes | Garibaldi beard and bushy walrus mustache |
| James A. Garfield | Beard | Yes | Long curly beard and mustache |
| Chester A. Arthur | Sideburns | Yes | Sideburns with thick paint brush mustache |
| Benjamin Harrison | Beard | Yes | Grey boxed beard |
| Grover Cleveland | No | Yes | Walrus mustache |
| Theodore Roosevelt | No | Yes | Chevron mustache |
| William Howard Taft | No | Yes | Handlebar mustache |
Presidents/ Prime Ministers with Facial Hair Around the World
Here are some prime ministers and presidents publicly showed up with a beard or mustache around the globe.
Justin Trudeau- Prime Minister of Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sported a beard and mustache in 2020. After returning from winter holidays, Trudeau was photographed with a salt-and-pepper beard. Prior to becoming the Liberal leader and prime minister, he had grown a mustache and goatee combination for the Movember prostate cancer charity. Later he shaved it.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan – President of Turkey
Erdogan is known for sporting a well-groomed, dark mustache that complements his overall appearance.
Narendra Modi – Prime Minister of India
Modi is known for his distinctive white beard, which gives him a wise and experienced appearance in line with his political stature.
The Story of Abraham Lincoln’s Beard
The story of Abraham Lincoln’s beard is an interesting one. In October 1860, a few weeks before the presidential election, 11-year-old Grace Bedell from Westfield, New York, wrote a letter to Lincoln suggesting that he would look better with a beard. She believed that a beard would make his face look less thin and would help him gain more votes from the ladies, who would encourage their husbands to vote for him.
Lincoln responded to Grace’s letter, saying that he appreciated her advice but was unsure whether to follow it, as people might find it odd that he would change his appearance for the election. However, Lincoln ultimately decided to grow a beard, and by the time he took the inaugural train journey from Illinois to Washington, D.C., in February 1861, he had a full beard.
During one stop of his journey, Lincoln met Grace Bedell and showed her his new beard, acknowledging that he had followed her advice. The beard became an iconic part of Lincoln’s image and has been a prominent feature in most of his portraits and depictions ever since.
Some Popular Questions on Bearded President (FAQs)
Q. Can the president have a beard?
Ans: Yes, Presidents can have a beard. We have had five well-known bearded presidents in the past. Other presidents were more comfortable in sideburns or just a mustache.
Q. Which President had the best beard?
Ans: On a poll taken on the Constitution center website, Ulysses S. Grant became the winner of ‘The President With The Best Beard’ with 96 votes. Chester Arthur came in second with 78 votes. Last was Grover Cleveland with 6 votes.
Q. Who was the first US president with facial hair?
Ans: John Quincy Adams was the first Us president with facial hair.
Q. Who was the last US president with a beard?
Ans: Benjamin Harrison was the last Us president to have a beard. He was the fifth president to have a beard and he wore it for the four years of his staying in the White House.
These days, our presidents sport their cleanly shaven fresh-looking faces with pride. Currently, less than 5% of the US Congress have facial hair. It has been 100 years since the president has had facial hair so it’s now seen as part of the image of being president.
Beards are still in fashion. Many men and actors sport their mustaches and beards with great pride. It is believed that in the 1960s the hippies wore their beards with tremendous pride making them unpopular in the political world. A recent study showed that voters worry that presidents with beards are more masculine and might be sexist.
