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America was founded out of rebellion against nobility and inherited status, and yet dynastic families have been conspicuous in national politics from the start, according to a new book that names the top 10 political dynasties in the United States. The book, "
" (Brookings, 2015), contains both famous and not so well known families because the mathematical formula used to determine the dynasties, called "
," focused more on depth and breadth within American political families, and not necessarily their importance. Author Stephen Hess, a senior fellow emeritus in governance studies at The Brookings Institution, served on White House staff during the Eisenhower and Nixon presidencies. He was also an advisor to presidents Ford and Carter. "The Greatness Game measures the importance of the families, not the importance of the individuals, essentially how many generations from a family have been elected to high office, and how many members of a family have been elected, adding my scale for each office," Hess told Discovery News. According to the scale: *A president or chief justice is awarded 10 points. *A vice president, Supreme Court justice or speaker of the House gets 4 points. *A senator or governor gets 3 points. *A representative gets 2 points. *A cabinet member gets 1 point. Hess says an additional point is given for each dynasty member who serves in one of these jobs. A point is also given for each generation represented. Number 10 on the list is the Livingston family. Over five generations, six members held high positions in American government.
Next up is the Breckinridge family. Its patriarch, Alexander Breckinridge, emigrated from Ireland to Bucks County, Pennsylvania in around 1728. His grandson, John Breckinridge, held multiple positions in government, including becoming the fifth United States attorney general. John Cabell Breckinridge, shown here, was the 14th vice president of the United States. Most of us remember the names and backgrounds of past presidents, but vice presidents tend to be forgotten in the history books. Over four generations of Breckinridges, four held noteworthy positions in U.S. government.
The Fish family also produced four American leaders over four generations, tying it with the Breckinridge clan. Hess said that even in such lesser-known families each usually had one key player who merits attention today. "In the Fish family," he said, "this would be Hamilton Fish, who was one of the country's best secretaries of state (1869–1877)."
The Frelinghuysen family over six generations produced six noted U.S. politicians. The family remains important to this day. Hess explained, "Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen is the sixth of his family in Congress and represents the Raritan Valley of New Jersey, where his great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather settled in 1720."
In just three generations, the Adams family produced six American political figures. John Quincy Adams, who became the sixth president of the U.S., was the son of former president John Adams. A science buff, John Quincy Adams became a primary supporter of what would become the Smithsonian Institution. He also worked relentlessly to establish a national observatory, which became the United States Naval Observatory, which is still in operation today.
Over three generations, the Bankhead family produced four noted statesmen. Among them was John Hollis Bankhead, a Democratic senator from the state of Alabama. His son, William Brockman Bankhead (1874–1940), became speaker of the House of Representatives. Actress Tallulah Bankhead was William Brockman Bankhead's daughter. Known for her progressive political activism, she also made headlines frequently with memorable quotes. Hess shared that she once said, "If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."
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These days the Rockefeller name is mostly associated with wealth, but not necessarily politics. Hess points out, however, that over four generations, the Rockefeller family produced seven U.S. politicians. Jay Rockefeller IV is the latest. A long-time senator representing West Virginia, he announced in early 2013 that he would not seek reelection. His term ended on Jan. 3, 2015.
It comes as little surprise that the Kennedy family wound up on this list. Over four generations, the Kennedy clan produced seven well-known politicians. The family has experienced so many tragedies, however, that writers refer to the misfortunes as "the Kennedy curse." These events not only include the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, but also multiple plane crashes and even a lobotomy (Rosemary Kennedy (1918–2005).
Hess admits that few would guess that the Claiborne clan could be placed on such a list, yet over seven generations, the family produced eleven U.S. leaders. "A family like the Claibornes or the Frelinghuysens," he said, "may not be well known because there were no presidents or unusually important politicians, but they were there, always there, perhaps in the U.S. House of Representatives, generation after generation." He added, "You might think of them as the stealth dynasties, or under the radar." When journalist Tom Brokaw read this list and Hess' new book, he remarked that it is important for students of American history to know about these dynasties, which are so often overlooked. "Here, the branches on the American family tree form a fascinating portrait of the familiar and the little known families that so affected our national narrative," Brokaw wrote.
Definitely not under the radar are the Roosevelts. In six generations, the Roosevelts produced seven U.S. leaders, including two presidents. Political commentator Chris Matthews, upon reading the new book, wrote, "We Americans struck gold with Franklin Roosevelt, a fifth cousin of Theodore. Yet too often, the electorate, being taken with the original, grabbed for the faded copy." Time will tell how historians and others will rate some of the still-growing dynasties, such as the Bush family, which wound up in the number twelve spot just after the Harrison clan and before the Taft family, who are in the thirteenth position on the list. "The members of these families ran for office, and could have been defeated at the will of the voters, and many were," Hess said. "So there will always be dynasties in a free country, but they will not always be the same dynasties." He added, "Dynasties are born and dynasties die, as my book tries to illustrate. In general, however, I have found that, on average, the dynasty members have given the nation above-average public service."