The 20 Best Politician Beards And Mustaches

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of William Howard Taft leaving office as the 27th President of the United States. Why is that significant? Because Taft is the last sitting president to have facial hair of any sort. Since then, we’ve been beleaguered by baby-faced politicians who fail to realize how many votes they are losing by shunning the beard and mustache crowd every four years.

And with the recent re-election of President Barack Obama, it looks like we’ll have to wait at least another four years until we have a Commander-in-Chief who shuns typical Washington politics by growing a bitchin’ beard that gains the respect and fear of the entire world. The good news, though, is that the release of Steven Spielberg’s new biopic Lincoln brings to life one of the most memorable examples of presidential facial hair in our nation’s 236-year history. Hopefully this leads to a beard and 'stache renaissance.

To refresh your memory on the history of facial hair in the political realm, have a look at The 20 Best Politician Beards And Mustaches.

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Written by Jason Serafino (serafinoj1)

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Position held: 23rd President of the United States
Facial hair style: Beard

Benjamin Harrison is best known for signing the Sherman Antitrust Act into law, which would go after monopolies and corrupt corporations. But we like him simply because he looks like Obi-Wan Kenobi with that lush, white beard.

Position held: 21st President of the United States
Facial hair style: Stachburns

Before Motörhead’s Lemmy became a heavy metal god by connecting his sideburns to his mustache, Chester A. Arthur was rockin’ the stachburns. Though some say Arthur's presidency is most memorable because of his ability to pass astonishing amounts of legislation, we think his chops are the real reason why he's so highly regarded by historians.

Position held: German Emperor; King of Prussia
Facial hair style: Handlebar mustache

It’s hard to argue with the Kaiser’s choice of facial hair here. The handlebar mustache is always a sign of virility and importance among politicians, and Wilhelm pulled it off beautifully, despite running his country into the ground during WWI.

Position held: Prime Minister of Canada
Facial hair style: Beard

Even though he's still one of Canada’s least popular prime ministers of all time, Sir Mackenzie Bowell sported facial hair that could not be denied back in the day. We’re usually not fans of incompetence in politics, but, honestly, who can stay mad at that beard?

Position held: Vice President of the United States
Facial hair style: Sadness beard

After Al Gore lost the 2000 presidential election, he went into self-imposed exile for a bit and reemerged some years later sporting a full beard that would make Grizzly Adams look on with envy. Our opinion? If he had this stellar growth during the campaign, Gore probably would have been on the receiving end of all 538 electoral votes.

Position held: Vice President of the United States
Facial hair style: Mustache

No, that's not an old-timey photo of William H. Macy. Thomas R. Marshall served as the vice president under Woodrow Wilson and brought one of the great mustaches of all time to the White House. This is about as close as we're ever going to get to seeing Ned Flanders in the political realm.

Position held: Roman Emperor
Facial hair style: Beard

During the height of the Roman Empire, facial hair was seen as a sign of nobility and strength, and no one displayed that more than Hadrian, one of the era's most well-regarded politicians. Chances are that history would have forgotten him long ago if not for that stylish beard that helped him govern so supremely.

Position held: Governor of Maine
Facial hair style: Mustache

You just have to take one look at Joshua Chamberlain’s mustache to know that this dude meant business. Universally, he's best remembered for his Civil War heroics. We, however, think his contribution to the field of facial hair badassery is a much more memorable feat.

Position held: Mongolian Emperor
Facial hair style: Various interpretations

Though paintings have given Genghis Khan’s facial hair different looks over the years, one thing that's certain is that he always looked stylish, no matter which version was true. Do you really think opposing armies would have feared a clean-shaven military man facing off at them across a battlefield?

Position held: 27th President of the United States
Facial hair style: Handlebar mustache

For one, William Howard Taft lands on this list because his mustache needs to be preserved for all time. Also, he’s the last president to have any facial hair at all. Even if his politics have mostly been forgotten, his nose tickler should always remain in the public's collective consciousness.

Position held: 19th President of the United States
Facial hair style: Beard

Rutherford B. Hayes didn’t just have a beard—he had three beards in one. His mammoth piece of presidential facial hair was easily the largest on record, not to mention one of our personal favorites. Despite only serving one term in office, Hayes, with his unique face forest, could have been crowned king of America if given the opportunity.

Position held: 20th President of the United States
Facial hair style: Beard

James Garfield was another in a long line of presidents who brought epic facial hair to Washington in the wake of the Civil War. Unfortunately, both he and his beard were assassinated a mere 200 days after taking office.

Position held: Chancellor of Germany
Facial hair style: Toothbrush mustache

It sickens us to compliment a monster like Hitler in any way, but we would be remiss not to include his famous mustache here. It was an extremely popular style at the time in Germany, even worn by film actors like Charlie Chaplin and Oliver Hardy in the early 20th century. Since WWII, though, this 'stache variation has all but disappeared due to its association with Hitler. That's definitely for the best.

Position held: General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party
Facial hair style: Mustache

It’s impossible to gaze upon the face of Stalin and not be impressed by his efficient communist mustache. While we disagree with pretty much everything he did when he was in power, his decision to grow the stache isn’t something we'll contest. This strong piece of facial hair helped give Stalin an imposing appearance in portraits and controlled video footage, even though he was only barely over five-feet-tall.

Position held: Revolutionist, diplomat, militarily strategist
Facial hair style: Beard/mustache combo

Nobody wants their revolution to be led by a clean-cut pretty boy. When Che Guevara burst onto the political scene, his scruffy beard and scraggly hair became the symbol of an entire movement. Even today, on the various Guevara T-shirts and posters that line the dorm rooms of naive college kids everywhere, his beard still stands as the official facial hair of rebellion.

Position held: Rhode Island Senator
Facial hair style: Stachburns

Ambrose Everett Burnside earned his place in history through his heroics during the Civil War, his political career, and, most importantly, his legendary facial hair, which inspired the term "sideburns." Burnside’s thick mutton chops didn’t just stop on the side of his face either—they actually connected to his mustache. That's facial hair engineering at its finest.

Position held: Premier of the Soviet Union
Facial hair style: Van Dyke beard

There's something about communist leaders and unique facial hair that goes together like peanut butter and jelly. The most famous example is Vladimir Lenin. It's one of the reasons why we're so pleased his body is still perfectly preserved: Now, future generations can see how facial hair is supposed to look.

Position held: President of Cuba
Facial hair style: Beard

Keeping in line with the grooming habits of his communist forefathers, Fidel Castro has sported one of the most memorable beards in political history for over five decades. As he has gotten older and more reclusive, the beard has stayed intact, proving that you can’t keep good facial hair down.

Position held: 26th President of the United States
Facial hair style: Walrus mustache

When he wasn’t hunting elephants or breaking up monopolies, Teddy Roosevelt would probably just stare into the mirror and admire his fierce mustache for hours on end. This lip broom was just as memorable as the man’s politics, and it's notable for being the only 'stache featured on Mount Rushmore.

Position held: 16th President of the United States
Facial hair style: Chin curtain, or “Lincoln”

Honest Abe grew a beard so iconic that in the years since his death people actually named the style after him. “The Lincoln” is one of the most enduring features of one of our nation’s greatest leaders. Teamed up with his trademark stove pipe hat, Lincoln had a style that nobody has been able to duplicate since.