Which U.S. president was also an inventor?
Asked by: Leanne Gibson | Last update: January 31, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (69 votes)
The only U.S. President to hold an official patent is Abraham Lincoln, who received Patent No. 6,469 in 1849 for a device to help boats navigate shallow waters (shoals) by inflating bellows, inspired by his experiences as a ferryman. While other presidents like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were prolific inventors and thinkers, Lincoln is the sole president with a federally granted patent for his own invention.
Which presidents were inventors?
Only one President of the United States ever patented an invention. That was Abraham Lincoln, whose bicentennial we celebrate on February 12, 2009.
What president was also an inventor?
(Gilder Lehrman Collection) On March 10, 1849, Abraham Lincoln filed a patent for a device for "buoying vessels over shoals" with the US Patent Office. Patent No. 6,469 was approved two months later, giving Abraham Lincoln the honor of being the only US president to hold a patent.
Which president liked to invent things?
Yet before he became the 16th president of the United States, Lincoln, who had a long fascination with how things worked, invented a flotation system for lifting riverboats stuck on sandbars.
Who is the only U.S. president to own a patent and a saloon?
On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln received Patent No. 6469 for a device to lift boats over shoals, an invention which was never manufactured. However, it eventually made him the only U.S. president to hold a patent.
Abraham Lincoln: The Inventor President
Which president was a self-made millionaire?
Hoover lived in Iowa only for the first decade of his life. Orphaned at nine years old, he began an odyssey that would make him a multi-millionaire, international humanitarian, secretary of commerce, and President of the United States.
What U.S. president had a liquor license?
Abraham Lincoln is, in fact, the only president to have a bartender's liquor license in his name. Before entering politics, he ran a general store in New Salem, Illinois, with his business partner, William Berry.
Who was president for 45 minutes?
Pedro Lascuráin was president of Mexico for only about 45 minutes on February 19, 1913, holding the record for the world's shortest presidency in a calculated move during a coup where he was next in the line of succession and briefly took power to appoint the coup's leader, Victoriano Huerta, as his successor before resigning.
Which president did not use the Bible to take the oath of office?
Several U.S. Presidents did not use a Bible for their oath, including John Quincy Adams (used a law book), Theodore Roosevelt (used no book at his first swearing-in), and Lyndon B. Johnson (used a Catholic missal), with Calvin Coolidge also noting he didn't use one, adhering to Vermont tradition. The Constitution doesn't require a Bible, allowing for these variations, often signifying a belief in secularism or responding to unique circumstances.
Did Thomas Jefferson ever invent anything?
Thomas Jefferson's inventions demonstrated his practical genius, particularly his polygraph (a letter-copying device), improved plow with iron moldboard, and innovative pulley systems at Monticello. His inventive mind focused on improving existing technologies rather than creating entirely new contraptions.
Who was the president who turned 100 years old?
James Earl Carter Jr.
A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served from 1971 to 1975 as the 76th governor of Georgia and from 1963 to 1967 in the Georgia State Senate. He is the longest-lived president in U.S. history and the only one to reach the age of 100.
Who is America's most famous inventor?
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman, who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long- lasting, practical electric light bulb.
Which president was the first to own a car?
"the president FIRST CAR of united states of america" William McKinley was the first U.S. President to ride in an automobile, but it was during Theodore Roosevelt's Administration that the first government-owned car, The White Stanley Steamer 1909 (White Model M), came into use.
Which president was also an inventor?
Abraham Lincoln is the only U.S. president to receive a patent for an invention, so today we celebrate and remember him along with all the other inventors out there. Lincoln was said to have had a long fascination with how things worked.
Did George Washington invent anything?
George Washington is remembered for his military prowess, strong leadership, and social graces - but George Washington the inventor? Yes, he did that too. He created a sixteen sided threshing barn in 1794, an interesting agricultural innovation created to improve the threshing process.
What is Benjamin Franklin's most famous invention?
Invention: The lightning rod (circa 1753).
Franklin used his understanding of electricity to develop a cheap solution to keep houses from burning down. The rod diverted electricity from a lightning strike into the ground near a building.
What Bible did Trump use?
The "Trump Bible" refers to the God Bless the USA Bible, a special edition featuring the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, promoted by Donald Trump and inspired by Lee Greenwood's song. It's not a new translation but a compilation including America's founding documents (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Pledge of Allegiance) alongside Scripture, marketed to promote Christian values in America, with copies printed in China despite Trump's "America First" stance.
Which presidents did not believe in God?
While no president so far has ever openly identified as an atheist, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and William Howard Taft were speculated to be atheists by their opponents during political campaigns; in addition, a survey during the first presidency of Donald Trump showed that 63% of Americans did not believe he ...
What did Trump take out of his Bible?
The Trump Bible was also noted to be missing Constitutional amendments 11–27.
What president ate cherries and milk and died?
President Zachary Taylor (the 12th U.S. President) is widely believed to have died from consuming large quantities of cherries and milk, along with iced water, on a hot July 4th, 1850, leading to severe gastrointestinal distress and ultimately, death by cholera or acute gastroenteritis a few days later. His death sparked rumors of poisoning, though investigations later suggested bacterial contamination from the fruit or milk, rather than deliberate poisoning, was the likely cause, as a 1991 exhumation found only non-fatal levels of arsenic (National Archives.gov).
Which man was president twice but not in a row?
After losing the 1888 presidential election despite being the incumbent, Grover Cleveland returned for another chance at the Presidency in 1892 as the Democratic nominee. Cleveland defeated incumbent President Benjamin Harrison in 1892 to become the first president elected for two non-consecutive terms.
Who ran for president 8 times?
Lyndon LaRouche U.S. presidential campaigns. Lyndon LaRouche's United States presidential campaigns were a controversial staple of American politics between 1976 and 2004. LaRouche ran for president on eight consecutive occasions, a record for any candidate, and tied Harold Stassen's record as a perennial candidate.
What president was a heavy drinker?
Presidents often noted for heavy drinking include Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin Pierce, and Andrew Johnson, considered the primary 19th-century alcoholics, while James Buchanan also purchased vast quantities of whiskey; other notable drinkers include George Washington, John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson, though drinking habits and interpretations vary, with some, like Grant, battling addiction while others, like Buchanan, simply consuming heavily.
What was the worst kept secret of Prohibition?
Prohibition's worst-kept secret was the ubiquitous, openly operating speakeasies (illicit bars) and widespread bootlegging, where alcohol flowed freely despite the law, often with payoffs to police and federal agents, defying the 18th Amendment through blatant defiance, bribes, and widespread consumer demand. The sheer number of these hidden (but not very hidden) establishments and the open commerce in illegal liquor became a defining feature of the era, showing how easily the ban was circumvented.
What is the U.S. president not allowed to do?
A PRESIDENT CANNOT . . .
declare war. decide how federal money will be spent. interpret laws. choose Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices without Senate approval.