Happy Presidents Day! Celebrate With Parade’s Presidential Covers

Our covers have featured every sitting president from 1941-2016.

Parade has a long tradition of featuring presidents on our cover and in our pages. There is Harry Truman lounging in a snappy white ensemble (the first president to be on our cover), Richard Nixon and JFK sharing their pre-election messages and LBJ being greeted by his dogs “Him” and “Her.” We have Barack Obama on the challenges for working families and Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush each dispensing health advice. With a Washington Bureau Chief like Jack Anderson on duty at Parade, it’s no wonder the 1970s alone had more than a dozen presidential covers.

Related: Read Former President Harry Truman’s 1988 Parade Feature

Launch the gallery below to see 80+ presidential Parade covers.

And for a look inside the issues, here are some of our favorite quotes by—and about—presidents that have appeared in Parade over the years.

Feb. 23, 1947

“The personal appearance of our Commander in Chief is that of the perfect gentleman and accomplished warrior. He is remarkably tall, full six feet, erect and well-proportioned. The serenity of his countenance and majestic gracefulness of his deportment, impart a strong impression of that dignity and grandeur which are his peculiar characteristics. No one can stand in his presence without feeling the ascendency of his mind.”

—Dr. James Thatcher of the Continental Army on George Washington

July 2, 1961

“When we think of liberty in 1961, let us not be content with the stately periods of the Fourth of July orations. Let us not just talk of liberty: let us act for it. Let us translate our devotion into deeds.”

—John F. Kennedy

Dec. 4, 1983

“In my view, every exercise program should have an outdoor element to it—whether jogging, bicycling, skiing, hiking or walking. I prefer horseback riding and, whenever possible, hard manual labor at the ranch.”

—Ronald Reagan

May 16, 2010

“At times like these, when the future seems unsettled and uncertain, it can be easy to lose heart. When you turn on the television or read newspapers or blogs, the voices of cynicism and pessimism always seem to be the loudest. Don’t believe them.”

Story continues

—Barack Obama

July 15, 2012

“We’re called the greatest generation, but I think that’s not [giving] fairness to the present generation, people who are abroad, an all-volunteer army, all there because they wanted to serve their country.”

—George H.W. Bush

Harry Truman’s schedule was painstakingly described in this profile of a day in a president’s life—from his early morning shave, oatmeal and walk (120 steps per minute for approximately two miles in 30 minutes) to his retiring (sometimes with a detective novel) at 11. In between, it’s all work, which Truman called “endless.” His doctor had prescribed small trips for his health, and the cover photo was taken in Key West during one of those jaunts.

In honor of our first president’s 215th birthday, then-President Truman placed a wreath on George Washington’s tomb in Mt. Vernon and publications, including Parade, celebrated him. If you’re a stickler about such things, Washington was really born on February 11, 1731, according to the Julian calendar, which was then in use. When the Gregorian Calendar was adopted in 1752, Washington’s birthday moved a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732.

President Ronald Reagan penned this article about his fitness regime, telling readers to “get out there and enjoy some exercise!” “The doctors say I am now in better shape than when we came to the White House,” Reagan said. He does the calisthenics and weightlifting he started as therapy after the assassination attempt by John W. Hinckley Jr. in March 1981 and swims laps. He likes to perform a “back jack” dive that makes Nancy nervous. On his ranch, he enjoys horseback riding with Nancy and cutting, hauling and stacking wood. “It’s productive work that gives you a very satisfying sense of accomplishment,” he said.” A friend says I ought to write a fitness book called ‘Pumping Firewood.’”

In 2004, former president Bill Clinton suffered chest pain severe enough to send him to his doctor, where heart blockages were discovered. After recovering from heart surgery, Clinton vowed to help the American Heart Association spread the word about healthy eating and exercising—something he realized he needed to be better about. Beyond his personal health makeover plan, he decided to work to help the 9 million children and adolescents who were overweight or obese by targeting the food industry to create healthier kids’ meals and using his story to highlight the health dangers of carrying around too much weight.

George W. Bush was just a few months into his presidency when he sat down with Parade in the Oval Office. “I love this country. I want to do my best to make it a compassionate country,” he said. “It’s so important for the President to lift the spirit of the country. And that spirit is embodied in the common acts of love and compassion and decency that take place on a daily basis in spite of government. They happen because somebody cares about a neighbor in need.”

Less than six months later, post-9/11, he would be called upon to collectively raise the country’s spirits in a way he never imagined.

Before September 11th, President George W. Bush was on the April 29, 2001 cover saying, “I Want to Lift the Spirit of the Country.” Last year, he and former first lady Laura Bush spoke to Parade about the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which had just opened.

After a health care proposal (steered by First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton) was unsuccessful, and a bruising midterm election booted democrats, President Bill Clinton and Rodham Clinton met with Parade to talk about the future. Two years into his first term, he was gaining a better understanding of the press and politics of Washington, D.C. “We’ve learned a lot from the things we did right, and we learned a lot from the mistakes we made,” said Clinton, who was still enthusiastic about his plans for the future. Parade writer Peter Maas was reminded of what Washing Bureau Chief Jack Anderson once said: “It’s a bad mistake to write off Bill Clinton. Every time he’s been knocked down, he’s remade himself.”

In this essay in Parade, President Barack Obama wrote of his struggles balancing work and family. He admitted that he even though he was so glad that he now lived right above where he worked, he still sometimes felt like an “imperfect father.” He wrote, “I have lost count of all the times, over the years, when the demands of work have taken me from the duties of fatherhood.” He encouraged others to do as he was doing on this, his first Father’s Day in the White House: recommitting to building a foundation for his children’s dreams.

Nearly 10 years after the president’s assassination, military aide Maj. Gen. Chester Clifton and White House photographer Cecil Stoughton published an intimate book about the president and his family, The Memories JFK 1961-1963. The book captured how hard the Kennedys worked to care out family time. The president, who couldn’t lift Caroline, 5, and John, 2, because of his bad back, read to them told them many stories, and the children often visited the Oval Office during his time there.

Before Barack Obama was leader of the free world and Michele Obama was a champion for kids, they were a couple with student loans and mortgage debt. On the eve of the White House Summit on Working Families, the first couple shared some of their early struggles and their hopes for every family. The President and the First Lady told Parade about the value of hard work (before they got those Ivy League degrees, he worked at Baskin Robbins and she was employed at a book bindery) and about how they were teaching their daughters the value of hard work and how to stand up for themselves. “I advise young women,” the First Lady said, “to negotiate hard and know your worth.”

“I tried to portray that he has a joyful spirit as he ages,” former president George W. Bush says about his father in this story about his new book profiling President George H.W. Bush. The story led with an anecdote about Bush Sr.’s parachute jump at 90. His father’s “risk taking,” Bush Jr. said, came from his early experiences. “This is a man who at age 17 decides to join the navy and not go to college. He wanted to serve. Then he get shots down—and, by the way, flying off of carriers was very risky—and survives. To me, the rest of the risks that he took in his life were minor compared to that.”

There were many, many Parade covers with President Lyndon B. Johnson as the focus—covering his decisions about Viet Nam, how poorly he was aging and his many female fans. But this one celebrated “Him” and “Her,” his devoted beagles who would greet him on the White House lawn.

Inspired by the publication of a tell-all book about President Roosevelt and his mistress, Lucy Mercer, Parade pondered the question of whether a president’s private life should be revealed to the public. The article concluded that secrecy was less necessary these days since the decade’s more tolerant readers probably didn’t care what presidents got up to anyway.

The president’s mental health was fairly good and he could endure a lot of stress, but an “obsession for control” made him tape his conversations, said psychiatrist Eli Chesen, author of the 1974 book, President Nixon’s Psychiatric Profile. Chesen never met Nixon but came to these conclusions from reading his books and watching the Watergate hearings.

Ronald Reagan was married to his No. 1 fan. A few months before the Republican convention, wife Nancy, 53, couldn’t say enough good things about her husband. “When I look at Ronnie and assess the kind of man he is, the kind of qualities he has, I think he’s wonderful and I think he’d be great for the presidency,” she said. Called “a woman of considerable chic and iron discipline” by Parade and “Mommy” by Reagan, Nancy was credited in this article for helping the former governor get where he was—on the cusp of become a serious presidential candidate.

Parade looked at past presidents’ lifespans to calculated that President Jimmy Carter had 21 years and 146 days left in his life after his 1977 inauguration. (Given that Carter was 52 when he became president and is 98 now, the calculations were a bit off. He is our oldest living president and the longest-lived.

In a rather snarky story about presidential daughters (“they don’t stay unmarried very long”), it was revealed that Tricia Nixon, 23, wasn’t as conservative as once thought. Although Barry Goldwater Jr. was her date for a party she threw in the White House (“They didn’t hit it off, Parade said), she had two “non-conservative” bands play: The Turtles (“a quintet of long hairs and long sideburns from Los Angeles”) and the Temptations from Detroit, whose Parade description I don’t feel comfortable repeating here, other than to say they were “great-playing.” The Turtles did cause some disruption: A ticking metronome in their band equipment had the secret service in a tizzy.

Were presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore man enough to hire a woman for vice president, Parade asked? No, as it turned out. They weren’t. Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro was the first female VP candidate in a major party in 1984, running with Walter Mondale. In 2008, John McCain ran with Governor Sarah Palin. The first female VP that was part of a winning ticket was Kamala Harris in 2020. She was also the first woman of color to serve as VP.

On the eve of the presidential election, candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy encouraged Parade readers to get out there and vote! “If you are told that in 60 or 70 million votes yours is of no importance, don’t believe it!” JFK said. “This is the most important election of the century and perhaps of our whole history. In previous elections there has been talk of “saving the country.” In this election the question is the preservation of civilization. YOU will make the decision.” Pointing out the value of every single vote, Nixon wrote, “Om 1916, less that one vote in each precinct in California lost the presidential election for Republican Charles Evans Hughes to Woodrow Wilson.

A patriotic Ronald Reagan posed for our June 28, 1981, issue revealing what Independence Day truly means to him.

Our Nov. 3, 2013, issue featured former President Jimmy Carter with wife, Rosalynn, as they discussed their lives post-White House and hopes for the future.

A portrait of Harry Truman comprised the cover of our June 6, 1984, issue featuring a story on the unexpected successes of his presidency—12 years after his death.

President Barack and Michelle Obama posed for our Sept. 2, 2012, cover on the eve of the Democratic National Convention, then unaware that Barack would soon be elected into his second term.

An inaugration day story featuring Dwight D. Eisenhower and wife, Mamie, was our Jan. 20, 1957, cover feature, where Americans shared why they liked Ike.

Lyndon B. Johnson is greeted by a gaggle of adoring females on our Jan. 1, 1967, cover.

A then vs. now photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson appeared on our Jan. 12, 1969, cover, highlighting the taxing effects of the presidency.

A dashing John F. Kennedy appeared on our July 2, 1961, cover featuring his July Fourth message for the people of America.

A photo of President Barack Obama speaking at the Univeristy of Notre Dame commencement was our May 16, 2010, cover image, along with a message from the President to the class of 2010.

Former president George H.W. Bush and wife, Barbara, discussed life post-presidency in our July 15, 2012, issue.

Michael Satchell gives readers an exclusive on how President Carter was beefing up the dollar on the Feb. 25, 1979 cover.

Former President Richard Nixon and wife, Pat, appeared on the cover of our Jan. 11, 1970, issue that featured details of his first year in office.

George H.W. Bush was the subject of our July 2, 1989, cover, delivering a Fourth of July message about the American family.

Our May 1, 1977, issue featured a busy Jimmy Carter in the oval office in honor of his first 100 days as President.

On April 4, 1982, former President Gerald Ford voiced his opinion on what he believed to be Reagan’s wrongdoings.

The same image of John F. Kennedy that appeared on our July 2, 1961, cover was featured again on Nov. 20, 1977. This issue, published just two days before the 14th anniversary of his tragic death, pondered how the world would be different if the beloved President had not been assassinated.

A newly elected Richard Nixon appeared on the cover of our Jan. 19, 1969, issue, one day before his presidential inauguration.

In this July 4, 1993 address, President Bill Clinton talks about what Independence Day means to him.

An image of late President Harry S. Truman appeared on the cover of our April 3, 1988, issue that featured an excerpt he had written on the makings of a successful president.

Two years after he left the White House, Dwight D. Eisenhower showed Parade around the Gettysburg Battlefield in our May 12, 1963, issue.

On our May 12, 1968, cover, exactly five years following the Gettysburg Battlefield tour, a now 77-year-old Eisenhower posed for the issue.

President Richard Nixon hugs his family and discussed his new found religion in the April 6, 1969 issue.

Writer Jack Anderson takes a look at how former president Jimmy Carter was doing for the Jan. 14, 1979 cover story.

In an interview with Edward Klein, former president Ronald Reagan looks back at his time in the White House on the cover of the Aug. 12, 1990 issue.

A rememberance of Franklin D. Roosevelt was our cover story on Jan. 31, 1982, in which his successors reflected on the accomplishments of the former president.

An image of a fit former president George H.W. Bush—on the Jan. 5, 1992 cover—encourages us all to get active.

A special photograph of the former president graces the cover of the Jan. 5,1964 issue.

Brother to JFK, Senator Edward M. Kennedy urges readers on the July 3, 1988 cover to remember JFK’s life, not relive his death.

On the June 5, 1983 cover, writer Liz Carpenter looks into the private moments of Johnson’s presidency.

Writer Lloyd Shearer gives readers an inside look at the friendship between former president Eisenhower and his personal secretary Kay Summersby on the Jan. 2, 1977 cover.

On the March 3, 1968 cover, writer Jack Anderson takes a look at another president, Lyndon B. Johnson.

Lyndon B. Johnson makes another appearance on the Jan. 30, 1966 cover and the writer wonders if the president is always able to tell the truth.

On the April 8, 1962 cover of Parade, in an exclusive report by Fred Blumenthal, the writer shows readers what former president Kennedy does on his weekends.

Writer Lloyd Shearer asks readers on the cover of the July 3, 1966 what they would do about Vietnam.

Dotson Rader talks with former president Jimmy Carter for the July 19, 1981 cover story.

On the Jan. 16,1949 cover, former president Truman smiles for the camera with former vice president Alben W. Barkley

President Richard Nixon’s look-alike James LaRoe smiles for the Feb. 27, 1972 cover.

Parade looks into former president Carter’s anti-limousine policy in the March 27, 1977 issue.

On the cover of the April 19, 1970 issue, former president Nixon and Secret Service Director James Rowley talk plans of protection.

Former president Nixon looks over his notes in preparation for his meeting with Mao Tse-tung on the April 30, 1972 issue of Parade.

On the May 1, 1977 cover of Parade, readers take a look at the questions experts want to ask former president Carter after his first 100 days in office.

Lloyd Shearer investigates former president Johnson and whether he can find happiness in Johnson City on the July 7, 1968 cover.

The “perfect” presidential candidate is featured on the cover of the July 13, 1980 issue of Parade, which was created by a famous fashion designer.

Long before he became president in 1953, Parade celebrated General Eisenhower, focusing on his role in the dramatic events of the 26 days between the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the capitulation of the Germans in World War II.

Lyndon B. Johnson—during his time as vice president—gives a special address to readers of the Aug. 13, 1961 issue of Parade.

President Eisenhower was photographed with White House visitor Glen Bayless, Jr. for the cover of the Aug. 17, 1958 issue of Parade.

The Nixons walk through the grounds of their San Clemente home on a Sept. 1971 cover.

President Ford grins for the cover of the Sept. 15, 1974 issue of Parade.

A stunning picture of the White House graces the cover of the Sept. 23, 1962 issue that featured a message written by JFK.

On the Sept. 25, 1977 cover, Japanese Premier Takeo Fukuda stands with former president Carter.

The hope for a good relationship between the U.S. and Mexico is highlighted on the cover of the Oct. 4, 1981 issue featuring President Reagan and Lopez Portillo.

A rare interview with former president Nixon in the Oct. 5, 1980 issue, he says America is now number two.

Our cover story for Oct. 11, 1970 discusses the former presidents that were sick while in office.

Parade wonders if former president Ford can be protected in the Oct. 12, 1975 issue.

President Carter encourages all Americans to go out and serve their community on the cover of the Oct. 21, 2001 issue.

Former presidents Ford and Carter are featured on the cover of the Oct. 31, 1976 issue of Parade.

The Nov. 4, 1956 issue of Parade encourages all Americans to go out and vote for their next president.

The candidates of the 1972 presidential election are shown making the final rounds of campaigning on the cover of the Nov. 5, 1972 issue.

In the Nov. 7, 1999 issue of Parade, writer Gail Sheehy asks the big question, “Why did Hilary stay with her husband?”

Writer Jack Anderson investigates the real Jimmy Carter for the Nov. 13, 1977 issue.

In the Nov. 30, 1986 issue, Parade editors probe whether or not Nixon’s papers should be public.

President Kennedy was photographed by renowned photographer, Yousuf Karsh for the cover of the Dec. 3, 1978 issue.

On the Dec. 8, 1963 issue of Parade, we ponder whether candidates have to be rich in order to win the presidency.

Many of our presidents appear on the Dec. 15, 1974 cover kicking off Jack Anderson’s analysis.

Then president and first lady Clinton give the readers of the Dec. 19, 1993 issue a holiday message.

Former president and first lady Clinton appear on Parade’s annual roundup on the Dec. 27, 1992 issue.

On the Dec. 29, 1974 cover of Parade, Lloyd Shearer pondered President Ford’s potential for his upcoming term.

Approximately six months prior to his assassination, Kennedy (here, with his Joint Chiefs of Staff) was on the cover of our April 7, 1963 issue.