I was just reading The Political Graveyard’s cool list of Politicians Named for Other Politicians. Many of the politicians on the list were named for U.S. presidents, but others were named for figures who aren’t as well-known today. Some examples:
- 67 politicians were named after Henry Clay (1777-1852).
- 48 politicians were named after DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828).
- 43 politicians were named after Winfield Scott* (1786-1866).
- 21 politicians were named after Abraham Gallatin (1761-1849).
- 18 politicians were named after Francis Marion (1732-1795).
- 17 politicians were named after John Jay (1745-1829).
- 17 politicians were named after John Marshall (1755-1835).
- 16 politicians were named after Patrick Henry (1736-1799).
- 14 politicians (and the term “gerrymander”) were named after Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814).
- 13 politicians were named after Edward Everett (1794-1865).
- 7 politicians were named after John Calhoun (1782-1850).
Some of those numbers are impressive. Makes me wonder how many baby boys nationwide were named after these men.
*Winfield Scott lost to Franklin Pierce in the 1852 presidential election. One of his namesakes, Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886), lost to James Garfield in the 1880 presidential election. Not a lucky name for White House hopefuls, I’d say.
[Latest update: June 2023]