American politics features many prominent families that have influenced government considerably. Does their existence make our political system less democratic than it would be otherwise?

The dynasties

It all began with John Adams, the 2nd U.S. President (1797–1801) and his son John Quincy Adams, the 6th U.S. President (1825–29). John Adams was one of the Founding Fathers, and both father and son were leaders of the Federalist Party. Neither man was a popular leader, and each served as President for only one term.

The Roosevelt family produced two twentieth-century presidents, one a Republican and the other a Democrat. Theodore Roosevelt (1901–09) was a "progressive" Republican well known for social reform and aggressive foreign policy. His fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933–45), led the United States through the Great Depression and World War II and established a new era of domination by the Democratic Party that lasted well beyond his death.

The Kennedy family forms a more recent political dynasty that has been a bulwark of the modern Democratic Party. The dynasty began with Joseph Kennedy, Sr., who built the family fortune and served as U.S. Ambassador to England. One son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was the 35th President (1961–63), and another, Robert Francis Kennedy, was the U.S. attorney general under his older brother and later was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York. Both brothers were assassinated—John in 1963, during the third year of his presidency, and Robert while campaigning for the presidency in 1968. Younger brother Edward Kennedy is currently the senior senator from Massachusetts, and several third-generation Kennedys have held elected political offices.

The Bush family is only the second family in U.S. history to produce a father and son who both became Presidents. Republican George Herbert Walker Bush had a long career in public service before serving a one-term presidency (1989–93). George Walker Bush became President in 2001, replacing Democrat Bill Clinton, who had defeated the elder Bush eight years earlier. George W.'s brother Jeb is currently governor of Florida.

Influential wives

The Roosevelt family also produced Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. She was both Theodore Roosevelt's niece and Franklin Roosevelt's wife, but she made her own contributions as a champion for the poor during the Great Depression, an important voice for rights for minorities and women, a much admired author and newspaper columnist, and a special ambassador to the United Nations. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton—a great admirer of Eleanor Roosevelt—was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001.

Does it help?

Does belonging to a prominent political family help one get elected? A famous political family can mean strong party connections, fund-raising ability, and name recognition. As one of George W. Bush's Texas opponents put it, Bush was a man "born on third base."

Peter Collier. The Roosevelts: An American Saga (1994).
Arthur F. Ide. The Father’s Son: George W. Bush, Jr. (1998)
Doris Kearns Goodwin. No Ordinary Time (1994).
Richard D. Mahoney. Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy (1999).

All of the following are biographical sketches of former Presidents linked to the official White House government site.