A Movember reflection on the US Presidential election

Every November since 2007 I have taken part in the annual facial hair fest that is Movember. I do this because men’s health matters – on average we die 4.5 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. If you enjoy this and want to support my efforts this year then I, and the causes Movember supports, would be very grateful. You can donate using this link.

In the aftermath of the US elections plenty of talking heads are providing razor-sharp analysis about the reasons Trump won and Harris didn’t. But I doubt anyone is giving you analysis about the sharpness of razors and their role in the race. So, let me plug that gap.

In becoming Donald Trump‘s Vice President, J. D. Vance becomes the first successfully bearded Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate to win over the American public in almost 100 years.

You have to go back to 1929 and the election of Charles Curtis as the baby-faced Herbert Hoover‘s pick for the Vice Presidency to find the last facial hair on the Presidential ticket.

When it comes to the Office of the President itself, the US hasn’t had a sitting President with whiskers in well over 100 years. The 27th President, William Howard Taft (1909-1913) had a truly fantastic Mo. And I think he’d have backed #Movember.

Taft’s predecessor is probably one of the most mainstream PresiMoBros on this list thanks to Robin Williams and the Night at the Museum series of films. You can’t argue with the quality of moustache worn by Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) but is it me or is that moustache actually lop-sided?

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You’re most at risk of testicular cancer before you reach 35. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among young men. So, chaps, know thy nuts!

Next up is Grover Cleveland who is both the 22nd (1885-1889) and 24th (1893-1897) President. He and Donald Trump now have at least one thing in common: they are the only Presidents to serve non-consecutive terms. 

Unlike Trump (who went with the clean shaven Mike Pence in his first bid for re-election), Cleveland sought the power of the beard to complement his moustache with Allen Thurman sporting an excellent contribution that warrants remembering.

But unlike Trump whose defeat in 2020 involved no facial hair, Grover Cleveland was beaten by a clearly magnificent beard. 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) might not have had a mo but we can’t hold that against him.

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Tackling it is all about early detection. Catch it early and there is an over 99% chance of survival beyond 5 years.

So, when you’re 50 talk to the doctor about prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. 

If you’re black, do it at 45. 

If you have a family history, do it at 45.

We now come to the very first of the PresiMoBros. Chester A. Arthur is the 21st President (1881-1885) and demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the StacheBurns. He earned the nickname of ‘Gentleman Boss’ over his lifelong fondness for scrupulously tailored clothing, and that comes across in this portrait as a young man. However, he’s showing off an altogether more wild and unkempt style after actually becoming responsible for a whole country.

And so 1881 marks the last of the Presidential Moustache. But there are Four! More! Beards!

First up is James A. Garfield the 20th President (1881). After serving nine terms in the House of Representatives he was elected President, the only sitting member of the House to ever do that.

Sadly Garfield was in office for only 200 days before he was assassinated. That is the second shortest of all Presidential terms (the shortest was the 32 days in office before, the 9th President, William Henry Harrison (1841) died).

Just as a cautionary tale, 50% of assassinated American Presidents had facial hair.

Sponsor my Mo to help Movember raise money to work towards a world where men take action to be mentally well, and are supported by those around them.

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Garfield succeeded Rutherford B. Hayes the 19th President (1877-1881). As a young man he didn’t have a beard but boy did he make up for that.

Though I wouldn’t be at all surprised if serving under George Crook in the Army of West Virginia served as a bit of inspiration. He’s not a President or a Vice President but I’d argue this is the most impressive facial hair of all.

When Ulysses S. Grant was elected as the 18th President (1869-1877) with this understated offering little did he know that he was kicking off 30 years of unbroken beards and moustaches in the Oval Office.

If Andrew Johnson had been hirsute then there would have been an unbroken 38 years of facial hair. But, alas, he wasn’t.

And so it falls to his predecessor, a certain Abraham Lincoln to provide the very first Presidential facial hair. Given his outsized influence in my conception of US politics this feels quite fitting.

There’s a lovely little story about how the 16th President (1861-1865) apparently only grew it after an 11 year old wrote to him and told him “if you let your whiskers grow…you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin”. She wasn’t wrong.

And that’s that:

• It took 72 years before the first member of the Executive Branch had facial hair. As of 2024, the President hasn’t had facial hair in 111 years, and counting
• 9 out of 47 American Presidents have had facial hair
• 4 have had moustaches 

In 2024 J. D. Vance brought a beard to the Vice Presidency after a break of 91 years. When will the USA see a moustache back in the Executive Branch?

For now, you can see the evolution of my Mo (and donate if you feel so inclined) on my MoSpace. And if you’ve enjoyed reading this, feel free to share it and subscribe.