For only the second time in our country's history, the son of a former president has himself been elected president. Is there something in the presidential gene pool that propels the sons of chief executives into the political fray? Or is it just the learning experiences, connections, and family name that give them an advantage? More of the latter than the former, probably, but surprisingly few presidential "sons of fortune" toss their hat into the political ring. Of almost 90 boys born to presidents, we've found only 18 that have held political office.

(The list below may not be complete, but should be pretty close! Feel free to send in additions, corrections, or updates.)

John Quincy Adams son of President John Adams	1794-1797: minister to the Netherlands 1797-1801: minister to Prussia 1802: MA Senate 1803-1808: US Senate (MA) 1809-1814: minister to Russia 1815-1817: minister to Great Britain 1817-1825: US Secretary of State 1825-1829: US President 1831-1848: US House (MA) 1834: candidate MA Governor
Charles Francis Adams son of President John Quincy Adams	1831: MA House 1834-1840: MA Senate 1848: candidate US Vice President (Free Soil) 1859-1861: US House (MA) 1861-1868: minister to Great Britain 1876: candidate MA Governor
John Van Buren son of President Martin Van Buren	1845-1847: NY Attorney General 1848: proposed candidate US President (Free Soil) ------(declined in favor of his father's nomination)
John Scott Harrison son of President William Henry Harrison	1853-1857: US House (OH) 1856: proposed candidate US President (Whig) ------(declined to run)
David Gardiner Tyler son of President John Tyler	1891-1892: VA Senate 1893-1897: US House (VA) 1900-1904: VA Senate 1904-1927: VA state court judge
Robert Todd Lincoln son of President Abraham Lincoln	1881-1885: US Secretary of War 1884, 1888: candidate for nominataion US President (Republican) 1889-1893: minister to Great Britain
Frederick Dent Grant son of President Ulysses S. Grant	1887: candidate IL Secretary of State 1889-1893: minister to Austria-Hungary
James Webb Cook Hayes son of President Rutherford B. Hayes	?: OH Legislature
James Rudolph Garfield son of President James Garfield	1896-1899: OH Senate 1907-1909: US Secretary of the Interior
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. son of President Theodore Roosevelt	1920-1921: NY Legislature 1924: candidate NY Governor
Robert Alphonso Taft son of President William Howard Taft	1921-1926: OH House (1926-Speaker) 1931-1932: OH Senate 1939-1953: US Senate (OH) 1940, 1944, 1952:candidate for nominataion US President (Republican)
Charles Phelps Taft II son of President William Howard Taft	1952: candidate OH Governor 1955-1957: Cincinnati OH Mayor
Herbert Clark Hoover, Jr. son of President Herbert Hoover	mid-late 1950's?: Undersecretary of State
James Roosevelt son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt	1950: candidate CA Governor 1955-1965: US House (CA) 1965: candidate for nominataion Los Angeles CA Mayor (Democratic)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt	1949-1955: US House (NY) 1954: candidate NY Attorney General 1963-1965: Undersecretary of Commerce 1966: candidate NY Governor
John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower	1969-1971: ambassador to Belgium
George Walker Bush son of President George Bush	1995-2000: TX Governor 2001-present: US President
John Ellis Bush son of President George Bush	1994: candidate FL Governor 1999-present: FL Governor