The presidency demands strength, but the reality is that many presidents have battled serious health crises — sometimes in secret.
From strokes to heart attacks to assassination attempts, these episodes have tested not only the men in office but also America’s confidence in its leadership.
Some scares shifted history, others were carefully hidden, but all remind us that behind the office’s power is a very human body.
Andrew Jackson
Known as “Old Hickory,” he survived duels, carried bullets in his body for decades, and lived with chronic pain and tuberculosis.
Abraham Lincoln
Beyond his depression, he contracted smallpox while in office, nearly sidelining him during the Civil War.
Woodrow Wilson
A massive 1919 stroke left him debilitated; First Lady Edith Wilson quietly managed presidential duties.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Confined to a wheelchair from polio, his administration worked hard to obscure the severity of his paralysis.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
His 1955 heart attack sparked fears over nuclear-age succession; he later also endured a stroke and bowel surgery.
John F. Kennedy
Suffered from Addison’s disease and severe back pain, conditions masked by careful image management.
Ronald Reagan
Survived a 1981 assassination attempt and later underwent cancer surgery, shaking public confidence both times.
George H.W. Bush
Collapsed from atrial fibrillation in 1991; later revealed to struggle with thyroid disease.
Bill Clinton
Required quadruple bypass surgery in 2004, underscoring the long-term toll of political life.
Joe Biden
Underwent surgeries for brain aneurysms in the 1980s; his age and health remain a frequent campaign storyline.
