A surprising number of future U.S. presidents have been captured in photographs with other presidents before they even became president themselves. One such image, posted on the r/Presidents subreddit by user TikiVin, shows then-President John F. Kennedy shaking hands with future President Bill Clinton. This sparked curiosity about which other presidents have been photographed together before reaching the highest office. It turns out, there is a remarkable history of these foreshadowing photographs.
One notable photograph, captured in 1963 by Arnie Sachs and published by NBC News in 2013, shows President Jimmy Carter meeting future President Bill Clinton while Clinton was serving as the governor of Arkansas in 1978. Another significant coincidence caught on camera goes back to April 25, 1865. Author Stefan Lorant discovered a photo of President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession in New York City that featured the house of Cornelius van Schaack Roosevelt, the grandfather of future President Teddy Roosevelt and his brother Elliot. A young Theodore Roosevelt can be seen looking out the window of the house in the image.
Despite being fifth cousins and having a significant influence on Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt was rarely photographed with his cousin. However, their connection played a role in Franklin’s decision to pursue politics. One of the earliest photographs of a sitting president dates back to the 1840s and features Presidents James Polk and James Buchanan, along with Dolley Madison, the widow of President James Madison.
The oldest surviving photograph of a president is of John Quincy Adams taken in 1843, years after his presidency ended. The first president to have his photo taken was William Henry Harrison, although his inauguration portrait has been lost. Lastly, an interesting example of early photo editing is found in an image of a young Lyndon B. Johnson shaking hands with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937. Johnson had Texas Governor James Allred removed from the photo for his 1941 senatorial campaign, showcasing one of the earliest instances of a politician using photo manipulation techniques.
In the end, this exploration of presidential photo coincidences brings the story full circle, linking back to John F. Kennedy’s presidency and Lyndon B. Johnson’s eventual ascension to the presidency after Kennedy’s tragic death.