The height differences between all the US presidents and first ladies

• Though they've achieved similar heights of political success, some US presidents' and their first ladies' physical heights differ greatly.

• George Washington was more than a foot taller than his wife, Martha, according to historical records.

• Michelle Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Melania Trump are the tallest first ladies at 5 foot 11 inches whose heights are known.

While every American president and first lady have reached the same heights of political office and public service, not all reached the White House at the same physical height.

We found the heights through online research and speaking with presidential historical sites and libraries, but a few first ladies' heights have been lost to history.

John Adams and Abigail Adams were only separated in height by an inch, while Thomas Jefferson was over a foot taller than his wife, Martha Jefferson. Abraham Lincoln was 6 feet 4 inches, and Mary Todd Lincoln was 5 feet 2 inches.

The shortest first lady was Eliza Johnson at 4 feet 9 inches, and Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Obama, and Melania Trump tied for the tallest at 5 feet 11 inches.

Here is the height difference of every US president and first lady we could find.

George and Martha Washington: 1 foot 2 inches

George Washington met his future wife, then a wealthy widow whose maiden name was Martha Dandridge Custis, while he was serving in the military.

The pair were married on January 6, 1759, and were married for 40 years before the first US president died in December 1799.

John and Abigail Adams: 1 inch

John and Abigail Adams were married in 1764, and the couple lived on a small farm in Braintree, while John commuted to Boston to work as a lawyer. During their marriage, they had two daughters and three sons, including John Quincy Adams, who would follow in his father's footsteps and become the sixth US president.

Thomas and Martha Jefferson: 1 foot 2.5 inches

Jefferson was a widower when his presidency began, and his daughter, Martha, acted as first lady, along with wives of the Cabinet secretaries.

James and Dolley Madison: 3 inches

Dolley Madison, then Dolley Todd, was a young widow when she caught the eye of then-Rep. James Madison of Virginia, who was then 17 years her senior. The pair married in September 1794 and were together for more than 40 years until Madison's death in 1836.

James and Elizabeth Monroe: 1 foot

James and Elizabeth Monroe were married in February of 1786, just before she turned 18 years old. They shared two daughters and had a son who died in infancy.

John Quincy and Louisa Adams: 1.5 inches

The younger Adams married Louisa Adams on July 26, 1797 at the Church of All Hallows in London. Two days after their union, John Quincy Adams sent a letter addressed to his father and former US president John Adams and mother and former first lady Abigail Adams back in the states announcing their marriage.

I have now the happiness of presenting to you another daughter," he wrote in the letter, per the Massachusetts Historical Society. "My recommendation of her to your kindness and affection I know will be unnecessary."

He continued: "My sentiment of her merit, will not at this moment especially boast its impartiality, but if there be as I believe an inseparable chain of connection which binds together all the domestic virtues, I have the strongest pledge that she, who has in an amiable and respectable family, adorned the characters of a daughter and Sister, will prove an equal ornament to that of a wife."

Andrew and Rachel Jackson: 1 foot 1 inch

Rachel Jackson died just months before her husband's inauguration. Her niece Emily Donelson and his daughter-in-law Sarah Yorke Jackson acted as first lady in her absence.

Martin and Hannah Van Buren: Unknown

Martin Van Buren was also a widower, and his daughter-in-law Angelica Singleton Van Buren oversaw the duties of first lady.

William Henry and Anna Harrison: Unknown

William Henry Harrison and his wife Anna got married in a secret ceremony on November 25, 1795, as it was done against her father's wishes.

Anna was too ill to accompany her husband to his inauguration, but William Henry Harrison only held office for one month after he died exactly one month later on April 4, 1841.

She became the first First Lady to be widowed while technically serving in the role for just a month.

John and Julia Tyler: 9 inches; John and Letitia Tyler: Unknown

Tyler's first wife, Letitia, died from a stroke while in the White House. He married his second wife, Julia, while still serving as president.

James K. and Sarah Polk: 6 inches

Sarah Polk, whose maiden name was Childress, was 20 years old when she married 28-year-old James K. Polk on New Year's Day in 1824. It's said that former US President Andrew Jackson, who took Polk on as a political protege, encouraged the young couple's romance.

Zachary and Margaret Taylor: Unknown

Margaret was 31 when she met 26-year-old Zachary Taylor in 1809 when he was a lieutenant in the army, and the couple wed just a year later on June 21, 1810.

Serving as First Lady from 1849 to 1850 before her husband's death, Margaret was one of the most elusive in the role with no portrait being made during her lifetime, according to Britannica.

Millard and Abigail Filmore: 3 inches

Millard and Abigail Fillmore met in 1819 while they were both students when he was 19 and she was 21, but the pair did not wed until February 1826. Following Zachary Taylor's death in 1850, the Fillmores moved into the White House, where Millard lasted one term as president.

Franklin and Jane Pierce: 5 inches

Franklin and Jane Pierce had an unusually long courtship by societal standards at the time before they were married in 1834. Jane Pierce had a distaste for Washington and the political scene, despite her husband's service as a US senator, prompting his decision to retire in 1842.

Franklin Pierce went on to serve in the Mexican-American war, and upon his return home, they lived a quiet life in Concord, New Hampshire, before the Democratic Party named Franklin their presidential candidate in 1852.

Their son, Benjamin, wrote to his mother in a letter: "I hope he won't be elected for I should not like to be at Washington and I know you would not either."

James Buchanan and Harriet Lane: 5 inches

Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor. His niece, Harriet Lane, acted as first lady during his term.

Abraham and Mary Lincoln: 1 foot 2 inches

Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln were married for nearly 20 years by the time of his inauguration on March 4, 1861.

The iconic US president acknowledged the couple's large height difference, describing them as "the long and the short of it" — he was 6 feet 4 inches; she was 5 feet 2 inches.

Andrew and Eliza Johnson: 1 foot 1 inch

Andrew and Eliza Johnson were married on May 17, 1827, and had five children together.

Ulysses S. and Julia Grant: Unknown

Ulysses S. and Julia Grant were married in 1844, and the Grant family moved into the White House in 1869 to begin what Julia described as "the happiest period" in her life.

Rutherford B. and Lucy Hayes: 4.5 inches

Rutherford B. and Lucy Hayes met on campus of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware in 1850, later marrying in a simple ceremony on December 30, 1852.

James A. and Lucretia Garfield: 9 inches

James and Lucretia Garfield had a five-year-long courtship from December 1853 to when they were married in November 1858. They had nicknames for each other, with Lucretia calling her husband "Jim," and James calling his wife, "Crete."

Chester A. and Ellen Arthur: Unknown

Chester A. Arthur was a widower when he became president after Garfield was shot, and his sister, Mary Arthur McElroy, served as first lady in his wife's place.

Grover and Frances Cleveland: 4 inches

Grover Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland's two terms were split apart by the presidency of Benjamin Harrison.

He married Frances during his first term, and she took over the duties of White House hostess from his sister, Rose Cleveland.

Benjamin and Caroline Harrison: 5 inches

While she attended the Oxford Female Institute in Ohio, Caroline Harrison met Benjamin Harrison when he was a student at Miami University. They married soon after graduating in October 1853.

William and Ida McKinley: Unknown

William and Ida McKinley married on January 25, 1871, in Canton, Ohio. The couple had two daughters — Kate, who died shortly before her fifth birthday, and Ida, who died at four months old.

The loss of their children coupled with the difficult pregnancy with their second daughter took a toll on Ida, whose poor health impacted her involvement in her husband's political career.

Theodore and Edith Roosevelt: 3 inches

Edith Roosevelt was Theodore's second wife, though the pair knew each other since infancy because she was playmates with the future president's younger sister Corinne.

They married in December 1886 in London after Theodore's first wife died.

William Howard and Helen Taft: 7.5 inches

A year before she met her future husband, whom she referred to as "that adorable Will Taft," Helen "Nellie" Herron Taft visited the White House as guests of then President Rutherford B. Hayes and First Lady Lucy Hayes, who were close friends with her parents.

Helen and William Howard Taft married in 1886, and he described his wife as a "self-contained, independent, and of unusual application," calling her a "treasure."

Woodrow and Edith Wilson: 2 inches; Woodrow and Ellen Wilson: 8 inches

Wilson's first wife, Ellen, died from an illness during her husband's presidency. He then remarried in 1915 to his second wife, Edith.

Warren G. and Florence Harding: 5 inches

Warren G. Harding was Florence's second husband. The pair married in 1891, and throughout the course of their marriage and Warren's political career, Florence was at her husband's side supporting him.

"I have only one real hobby — my husband," she once said.

Calvin and Grace Coolidge: 6 inches

Calvin and Grace Coolidge married in her parents' home in 1905, living a modest life as Calvin's political career took off. Grace Coolidge is remembered for her "fine personal influence exerted as First Lady of the Land."

"For almost a quarter of a century she was borne with my infirmities, and I have rejoiced in her graces," Calvin Coolidge wrote of their marriage in his autobiography.

Herbert and Lou Hoover: 3.5 inches

Herbert and Lou Hoover married on February 10, 1899, the day before the couple left for China where Herbert investigated the conditions in Chinese mines under contract with the country's government.

Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt: 3 inches

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor, his fifth cousin once removed, were married on St. Patrick's Day in 1905. A year after their wedding, former President Theodore Roosevelt, Eleanor's uncle, wrote in a letter to Franklin, saying "you and Eleanor are true and brave, and I believe you love each other unselfishly."

But Franklin and Eleanor had an unconventional marriage, giving "each other space" to having extramarital romantic relationships, according to author Hazel Rowley, who wrote a biography of their marriage titled "Franklin and Eleanor."

Rowley dubbed the Roosevelts' relationship as "one of the most interesting and radical marriages in history."

Harry S. and Bess Truman: 5 inches

Harry and Bess Truman were married in June 1919, and Bess joined her husband's office staff as a secretary when he was elected to the Senate in 1934.

After Harry Truman assumed the presidency following FDR's death, he said his wife was "not especially interested" in the "formalities and pomp or the artificiality which, as we had learned… inevitably surround the family of the President," according to the White House.

Dwight D. and Mamie Eisenhower: 9.5 inches

Mamie met Dwight D. Eisenhower when he was a second lieutenant serving in Texas in 1915. Dwight described her as a "vivacious and attractive girl, smaller than average, saucy in the look about her face and in her whole attitude."

John F. and Jackie Kennedy: 5 inches

John F. and Jackie Kennedy were married on September 12, 1953, in Newport, Rhode Island, with more than 800 guests in attendance.

Lyndon B. and Lady Bird Johnson: 9.5 inches

Lyndon Baines and Lady Bird Johnson met in 1934, where the future president immediately asked her for a date. The couple shared a lightning-fast courtship for less than two months, and they were married in November 1934.

"Sometimes Lyndon simply takes your breath away," she said.

Richard and Pat Nixon: 5.5 inches

Richard Nixon met Pat, whose maiden name was Thelma Catherine Ryan, when they were cast in the same play at a Little Theater Group. The couple married on June 21, 1940.

Gerald and Betty Ford: 9 inches

Betty Ford, whose maiden name was Bloomer, met Gerald Ford in 1947 when he served as a Navy lieutenant in World War II. A year later, the couple married in October 1948, two weeks before he was elected to Congress.

In 1973, Ford replaced Vice President Spiro Agnew, who served in the Nixon administration, before taking up the presidency himself after Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: 4.5 inches

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were family friends before they were married in 1946, first meeting as early as when Rosalynn was a newborn. The couple have been married for nearly 80 years as of 2023.

Ronald and Nancy Reagan: 9 inches

Nancy Reagan was Ronald Reagan's second wife after the pair was married in March 1952. Actor Charlton Heston described the Reagan's relationship as "probably the greatest love affair in the history of the American presidency."

George H.W. and Barbara Bush: 11 inches

George H.W. and Barbara Bush met at a Christmas dance in Greenwich, Connecticut, when they were just teenagers. They were married for more than 70 years.

"I thought he was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on," Barbara said of her husband. "I couldn't even breathe when he was in the room."

Bill and Hillary Clinton: 8 inches

Bill and Hillary Clinton met in 1971 and married four years later in 1975. Their relationship came into a national spotlight following his impeachment after he admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky in 1998.

George W. and Laura Bush: 5.5 inches

George W. and Laura Bush met when they were both 31 years old in 1977, and three months later, they were married. The pair share twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, who were born in 1981.

Barack and Michelle Obama: 2 inches

Barack and Michelle Obama met at a Chicago law firm where she served as the future president's mentor. They married in 1992, recently celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in October 2022.

Donald and Melania Trump: 3 inches

Melania Trump is Donald's third wife and the former president's longest relationship — they started dating in 1998 and later married in 2005.

Joe and Jill Biden: 6 inches

Joe and Jill Biden first met in 1975 after being introduced by the president's brother. At the time, Joe, a widower whose wife and daughter died in 1972, was a 33-year-old US senator, and Jill, a 24-year-old college senior, filed for divorce from her first husband the year prior.

"I was a senior, and I had been dating guys in jeans and clogs and T-shirts; he came to the door, and he had a sport coat and loafers, and I thought, 'God, this is never going to work, not in a million years,'" Jill Biden told Vogue.

"He was nine years older than I am! But we went out to see 'A Man and a Woman' at the movie theater in Philadelphia, and we really hit it off," she continued. "When we came home ... he shook my hand good night ... I went upstairs and called my mother at 1 a.m. and said, 'Mom, I finally met a gentleman.'"

Correction: September 4, 2024 — An earlier version of this story included an infographic that misstated the height of Ulysses S. Grant. He was 5'8", not 6'0".

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