Random Presidents With Children Who Caused Scandals (14 items)

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  (#6) Theodore Roosevelt's Son Roller Skated Around The White House

  Quentin Roosevelt was very much his father’s son. Like Theodore Roosevelt, Quentin was fearless, and didn’t care what others thought of him. He could often be found roller skating around the White House, and sometimes he did so with pet snakes wrapped around his arms. This no doubt made young Quentin a terrifying sight to many a diplomatic guest, something he often took full advantage of.

  Quentin and his "White House Gang" carved a baseball diamond into the White House lawn, broke furniture, and threw snowballs at Secret Service guards. But Quentin eventually grew out of this troublesome phase, and eventually became a war hero. He died at age 20 during World War I.
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  (#10) Jimmy Carter

  • 94

  Jimmy Carter was a fairly liberal president, but his daughter Amy took liberalism to the extreme. Amy was a young child during her time at the White House, but afterwards she grew into a politically active left-winger. She protested regularly, and took part in several sit-ins aimed at ending apartheid and American intervention in Central America. These activities led to Amy being arrested.
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  (#2) James Madison

  • Dec. at 85 (1751-1836)

  John Payne Todd probably deserves his less-than-great reputation. John was the stepson of James Madison and a child from his mother Dolley Madison’s first marriage. John embarrassed his family with his out-of-control gambling and alcohol addictions. The President and First Lady repeatedly tried to send him to school or find him respectable work, but nothing stuck. John continued to spend money. The Madisons spent their retirement in relative destitution, and the problem was compounded when James died, leaving Dolley a widow.

  The ever-pragmatic Dolley saved herself from bankruptcy by selling some of her late husband's papers to Congress. The agreed upon payment was delivered to her as an annuity, so John couldn't get his hands on his mother's money.
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  (#3) James Garfield's Son Rode His Bicycle Down The White House Steps

  Irvin McDowell Garfield was the son of President James Garfield. Young Irvin wasn’t that much more rambunctious than the average child, but his escapades caused some concern. Irvin was found on multiple occasions riding his bicycle down the White House steps, which was considered a major no-no.

  Irvin apparently grew out of this phase, and later became a lawyer.
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  (#12) Donald Trump

  • 72

  Donald Trump has five children from three marriages; at the time of his inauguration, they ranged in ages from 10 to 40. His oldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., was briefly estranged from his father following his graduation from Wharton, and he spent that time bumming around Aspen, Colorado, skiing, fishing, camping, working as a bartender, and living in a van before moving back to New York and getting involved in his father's business interests.

  An avid hunter, Trump Jr. and his younger brother, Eric Trump, stirred up controversy in 2012 when photos surfaced of Trump on an African hunting safari posing beside an endangered leopard he had shot, and holding the bloody tail of an elephant. The safari was legal, but public outrage led at least one sponsor to drop Celebrity Apprentice, the reality show Trump, Jr. appeared on alongside his father.
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  (#5) John Quincy Adams

  • Dec. at 81 (1767-1848)

  John Adams II was a third generation presidential child, as the son of John Quincy Adams and the grandson of John Adams. Unfortunately, John followed a different path than his famous family members. He gained a reputation as a coward for refusing to fight back when slapped around by a political rival at a White House party, and the constant harassment he received drove him into alcoholism.

  John also battled his brothers for the affections of their first cousin, and when he won, he married her in a White House ceremony that several family members refused to attend.

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