It’s been over a century since a bearded man sat in the Oval Office — Benjamin Harrison was the last to wear a full beard in office, and William Howard Taft the last with any facial hair at all.
But for a stretch of the 1800s, presidential whiskers were practically part of the job. Here are 18 leaders — from U.S. presidents to heads of state around the world — whose beards and mustaches made the history books.
Popular U.S. Presidents with Beards and Mustaches
Many U.S. presidents wore facial hair, with or without a mustache. Here is a list of 18 presidents with notable facial hair.
John Quincy Adams – Mutton Chops
John Quincy Adams served as the sixth president of the United States. Portraits suggest he likely wore modest side-whiskers even while in office, though he became most famous for the large mutton chops of his later years in Congress.
That later look made him one of the most recognizable political figures with facial hair in early American history. Hugh Jackman wore a similar mutton chop style in the X-Men films.
Martin Van Buren – Mutton Chops
Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States, was the first president to make facial hair a real signature in office. He had long sideburns with a clean-shaven upper lip and chin.
Abraham Lincoln – Chin Curtain Beard
Abraham Lincoln became the first U.S. president to wear a true beard. His facial hair is more accurately described as a chin curtain rather than a chinstrap, because the beard framed the jaw and chin while leaving the upper lip bare.
Ulysses S. Grant – Full Beard with Thick Mustache
Ulysses S. Grant was the eighteenth president of the United States. He wore a full beard with a connected mustache, giving him one of the strongest and most memorable facial hair looks of any American president.
Rutherford B. Hayes – Full Beard with Walrus Mustache
Rutherford B. Hayes, the nineteenth president, wore one of the fullest presidential beards in U.S. history. His beard was paired with a heavy walrus mustache, which added to the bold look.
James A. Garfield – Long Curly Beard
James A. Garfield, the twentieth president, wore a long beard that looked thick and slightly curly. It gave him a rugged appearance that stood out even in an era when facial hair was common in politics.
Chester A. Arthur – Friendly Mutton Chops with Thick Paintbrush Mustache
Chester A. Arthur, the twenty-first president, wore a thick, broad mustache with heavy friendly mutton chops. His chin was completely clean-shaven, but his cheeks were heavily covered by thick mutton chops that connected seamlessly to his mustache.
Benjamin Harrison – Full Beard
Benjamin Harrison, the twenty-third president, was the last U.S. president to wear a full beard in office. His beard was neat, full, and instantly recognizable in late 19th-century presidential portraits.
Grover Cleveland – Walrus Mustache
Grover Cleveland served as both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States. He wore a walrus mustache but no beard, which made his facial hair style stand out from the fuller beards of several of his predecessors.
Theodore Roosevelt – Thick Mustache
Theodore Roosevelt did not wear a beard, but his thick mustache became one of the most recognizable features of his public image. It matched the strong, energetic style he projected throughout his presidency.
William Howard Taft – Handlebar Mustache
William Howard Taft was the last U.S. president to have facial hair. His handlebar mustache, with its curled ends, gave him one of the most distinctive presidential looks of the early 20th century.
Presidents and Prime Ministers with Facial Hair Around the World
Here are some presidents and prime ministers from around the world who have been publicly seen with a beard or mustache.
Justin Trudeau – Beard and Mustache
Justin Trudeau, who served as prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025, drew attention in early 2020 when he appeared with a salt-and-pepper beard. Earlier in his public life, he had also been seen with a mustache and goatee.
Narendra Modi – Full White Beard
Narendra Modi is known for his distinctive white beard, which has become one of the most recognizable facial hair styles among world leaders.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy – Wartime Stubble Beard
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has often appeared with heavy stubble since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That tougher, more stripped-down look became closely tied to his wartime image.
Gabriel Boric – Full Beard
Gabriel Boric, one of the youngest modern heads of state, is well known for wearing a thick full beard in office. His beard gives him a more contemporary look than many traditional world leaders.
Nayib Bukele – Short Boxed Beard
Nayib Bukele is often seen with a short boxed beard that is kept sharp and closely outlined. It adds to his polished and highly managed public image.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – Thick Gray Beard
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is instantly recognizable for his thick gray beard and mustache. He has worn some version of this look throughout much of his political career.
Fidel Castro – Revolutionary Full Beard
Fidel Castro wore one of the most famous political beards of the 20th century. His full beard became closely associated with the Cuban Revolution and the image of the barbudos, or “bearded ones.”
Modern U.S. presidents are usually clean-shaven, and facial hair is far less common in presidential politics than it was in the 19th century. Even so, beards and mustaches remain popular personal style choices around the world.
