The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders
Last updated October 31, 2026
By Doug Wead
In this follow-up to All the Presidents' Children, Doug Wead examines the childhoods of American presidents and the parents who raised them. Looking at family circumstances, birth order, the early loss of a parent and the influence of strong mothers and demanding fathers, he searches for patterns in how leaders such as Washington, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Kennedy, Reagan and the Bushes were shaped long before they entered politics.
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