The Measure of a President
By OPEN N.Y.
During the Presidential campaign, much has been made of Barack Obama’s slender physique, with some commentators going so far as to argue that he is too thin for most Americans to relate to him. Does candidate
height and weight play a role in electoral success? With Mr. Obama and John McCain set to square off in the second of three presidential debates tomorrow, it seemed worth taking a look through recent history.
An earlier version of this chart incorrectly identified attributes for Jimmy Carter, Thomas E. Dewey and John W. Davis. The correct heights and weights appear below.
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Correction: October 7, 2008 An Op-Chart on Monday, about presidential candidates’ heights and weights, misstated Jimmy Carter’s height. He is 5 feet 9 ½ inches tall, not 6-foot-1. In addition,
the measurements for Thomas E. Dewey and John Davis were reversed: Dewey was 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, while Davis was 6 feet and 190 pounds.
