Most royal candidate theory
Encyclopedia
The most royal candidate theory is the erroneous belief that, in every presidential election in the United States
, the candidate who won was the one with the most royal blood, counting lineage in European succession terms.
This theory was pronounced "verified" by the late Harold Brooks-Baker
, who, despite claims to the contrary, was never editor of Burke's Peerage
, a publication which tracks royal lineage.
The odds of the most royal candidate winning by accident, assuming a 50/50 chance, 50 times in a row would be something like 2,251,799,813,685,248 to 1. Less than one in two quadrillion.
The proposition is disproven easily by counterexample:
Obviously neither of the candidates in these pairings had acquired "more" royal ancestry in the interval between the elections. And though the notion of "more royal" is nebulous in the extreme, some of these pairings leave no doubt: John Adams has no known royal descent, while Jefferson is a descendant of several kings; Jackson has no known royal descent (in fact, has no known ancestry beyond his great-grandparents) while John Quincy Adams is a descendant of several kings through his mother; and Martin Van Buren has no known royal ancestry, while William Henry Harrison is a descendant of King Edward I of England
.
Even other times, the losing candidate could have more royal genes than the winning candidate. For example, Abraham Lincoln
has no proven royal ancestry, while his rival in the 1860 election, Stephen A. Douglas
, has three royal lines. It is exactly the same with the royally-descended candidates William Taft, Adlai Stevenson, Gerald Ford
, and George H.W. Bush losing to Woodrow Wilson
, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter
, and Bill Clinton
in 1912, 1952 & 1956, 1976, and 1992 respectively.
Brooks-Baker's periodic announcements of the theory were decried by some as laughable, though regularly covered by American and British journalists in articles from the 1980s through the 2004 election. He claimed to have researched each candidate's ancestry himself. Some question his criteria—or indeed whether he even had any systematic method—for quantitation of royal ancestry, and whether he actually accumulated any data.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the candidate who won was the one with the most royal blood, counting lineage in European succession terms.
This theory was pronounced "verified" by the late Harold Brooks-Baker
Harold Brooks-Baker
Harold Brooks-Baker , was an American-British financier, journalist and publisher, and self-proclaimed expert on genealogy....
, who, despite claims to the contrary, was never editor of Burke's Peerage
Burke's Peerage
Burke's Peerage publishes authoritative, in-depth historical guides to the royal and titled families of the United Kingdom, such as Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, and of many other countries. Founded in 1826 by British genealogist John Burke Esq., and continued by his son, Sir John...
, a publication which tracks royal lineage.
The odds of the most royal candidate winning by accident, assuming a 50/50 chance, 50 times in a row would be something like 2,251,799,813,685,248 to 1. Less than one in two quadrillion.
The proposition is disproven easily by counterexample:
- Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
lost to John AdamsJohn AdamsJohn Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
in 1796 - John Adams lost to Thomas Jefferson in 1800
- Andrew JacksonAndrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
lost to John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
in 1824 - John Quincy Adams lost to Andrew Jackson in 1828
- William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
lost to Martin Van BurenMartin Van BurenMartin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
in 1836 - Martin Van Buren lost to William Henry Harrison in 1840
- Grover ClevelandGrover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
lost to Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
in 1888 - Benjamin Harrison lost to Grover Cleveland in 1892
Obviously neither of the candidates in these pairings had acquired "more" royal ancestry in the interval between the elections. And though the notion of "more royal" is nebulous in the extreme, some of these pairings leave no doubt: John Adams has no known royal descent, while Jefferson is a descendant of several kings; Jackson has no known royal descent (in fact, has no known ancestry beyond his great-grandparents) while John Quincy Adams is a descendant of several kings through his mother; and Martin Van Buren has no known royal ancestry, while William Henry Harrison is a descendant of King Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
.
Even other times, the losing candidate could have more royal genes than the winning candidate. For example, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
has no proven royal ancestry, while his rival in the 1860 election, Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
, has three royal lines. It is exactly the same with the royally-descended candidates William Taft, Adlai Stevenson, Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, and George H.W. Bush losing to Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 1912, 1952 & 1956, 1976, and 1992 respectively.
Brooks-Baker's periodic announcements of the theory were decried by some as laughable, though regularly covered by American and British journalists in articles from the 1980s through the 2004 election. He claimed to have researched each candidate's ancestry himself. Some question his criteria—or indeed whether he even had any systematic method—for quantitation of royal ancestry, and whether he actually accumulated any data.
External links
- Clinton vs Dole Brooks-Baker opines that Clinton has more "royal genes" than Dole - though in fact there is no proved Clinton royal descent.
- Bush vs Kerry - Brooks-Baker informs us: "Because of the fact that every presidential candidate with the most royal genes and chromosomes has always won the November presidential election, the coming election - based on 42 previous presidents - will go to John Kerry"