2012 Democratic Presidential Candidates Ancestry comparison

The ancestry of our presidents offers a varied and rich tapestry that reflects our history as a nation of immigrants. While our early presidents are predominantly white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, the majority of our 20th century presidents are of Irish descent.

After President John F. Kennedy’s ascension to the Oval Office in 1961, every president who has occupied the office since has an Irish ancestor somewhere in their genealogical history, with the exception of President Gerald Ford. In fact, according to Gary Boyd Roberts in his book, Ancestors of American Presidents, there have been no less than 20 American presidents with Irish ancestries.

The Pilgrims of the Mayflower also made a notable contribution to the roster, with eight of their descendants becoming president of the country (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses Grant, James Garfield, Franklin D Roosevelt, George H.W Bush and George Walker Bush).

Despite several claims to the contrary, most notably involving former President Matthew Harding, our current president, Barack Obama, is the first African-American to hold the Oval Office.

We also have three presidents with German ancestry (Polk, Hoover and Eisenhower), three Dutch (Van Buren and both president Bush) and one Danish (Johnson).

What about our candidates? Let’s take a look.

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Declared 2012 Democratic Presidential Candidate
Current President of the United States

Barack Obama

Obama Ancestry

Obama is of mixed African and Caucasian parentage. His father, Barack Obama Sr., is an ethnic Kenyan
Luo from the Nyanza province.

His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, is a Caucasian of English, Scottish, Irish, French, Swiss, German
and Welsh descent. Dunham’s great-great-great-great-great grandfather from the maternal line,
Christian Gutknecht Goodnight, was originally from Bischwiller, France, and arrived here in 1749
with his Swiss-German wife, Maria Magdalena Grüholtz (1723- unknown).

Dunham’s eighth generation paternal grandfather, Jonathan Singletary Dunham (1639-1724), is of
English/Scottish stock. His lineage can be traced back to Edward I of England (1239 – 1307) and
William the Lion (1143–1214). Robert Perry (1785-1852), her great-great-great grandfather from her
maternal line, is a Welshmen. Dunham’s paternal great-great grandfather, Falmouth Kearney
(1830-1878), arrived in New York City in 1850 from Moneygall, Ireland.

President Obama and wife, Michelle, greeting Henry Healy, his distant

cousin, during a visit to Moneygall, Ireland, on May 23, 2011.

Obama, through his maternal great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Philip Ament
(1755-1836), is related to Lyndon B. Johnson, the country’s 36th President, who is the great-
great- great-grandson of Ament. He is also the eighth cousin, twice removed, of the 39th President,
Jimmy Carter, through his seventh generation maternal grandfather, Moses Teague (1718-1799).
Interestingly, Obama is the tenth cousin of former presidents Gerald Ford (once removed), George H.W
Bush (once removed) and George W. Bush (twice removed) through his tenth generation paternal
grandfather, Samuel Hinckley (1589-1662). Obama is, additionally, the distant relative of two more
former United States Presidents, James Madison and Harry Truman, as well as former Vice President,
Dick Cheney.