Might it be the case that a lack of sons among most of the early presidents led to a more orderly transition of power? Washington established the peaceful handoff, but the lack of sons may have aided in keeping the tradition going.
Founding Fathers
George Washington had no children of his own. Martha had been widowed at age 26 and brought 2 children with her when she married Washington: John and Martha. John became ill during the Siege of Yorktown (1781) and died shortly after the British surrendered. Had Washington become a monarch, he had no progeny to benefit.
By contrast, John Adams had three son who survived to adulthood. The eldest, John Quincy Adams, pursued a career in government and eventually became president during his father's lifetime.
Thomas Jefferson had only daughters.
Like Washington, James Madison had no children. However, his wife, Dolley Payne Madison, had a child from her previous marriage. John Payne impoverished his mother after James Madison died.
James Monroe's only son died in infancy. Monroe is the last of the Founding Fathers to serve as president.
Antebellum Presidents
Almost 50 years after the Declaration of Independence, John Quincy Adams became the first to follow his father's footsteps into the White House. Like his father, he had three sons. Two died tragically and young (suicide and alcoholism), but Charles Francis Adams sought the Vice Presidency in 1848.
Andrew Jackson had no children, nor did his wife, Rachel, who had been previously married. They adopted a nephew who proved to be a lot of trouble.
Martin Van Buren had two sons: Abraham and John. Abraham served as personal secretary while his father was president. John became the Attorney General of New York, an office his father had held.
William Henry Harrison had 10 children, but only 1 son outlived him. Interestingly, that son, John Scott Harrison, was the father of President Benjamin Harrison.
John Tyler had the most children of any president, but he and his sons joined the Confederacy during the Civil War.
James Knox Polk had no children.
Zachary Taylor had one son, Richard, who went on to be a general in the Confederate Army.
Millard Filmore had one son, also named Millard, who a became a lawyer.
Franklin Pierce had 3 sons, all of whom died before he was inaugurated.
James Buchanan never married, earning his title as the bachelor president.
Abraham Lincoln had 4 sons, only 2 of whom survived him. Of those, only Robert lived beyond the age of 18. Robert became Secretary of War for President Garfield and Minister to the UK under Benjamin Harrison.
Post Civil War Presidents
Andrew Johnson had 3 sons, 2 of whom predeceased him and all of whom died of alcoholism. Yikes.
Ulysses S Grant had three sons. The eldest followed his father's footsteps by going to West Point and joining the military. The younger two did pursue politics but without success.
Rutherford Hayes had 4 sons who survived him, none of whom pursued politics.
James Garfield had 3 surviving sons, one of whom went on to be Secretary of the Interior for President Theodore Roosevelt.
Chester Arthur had two sons, only one of whom made it to adulthood. Chester Jr. proved to be a playboy, a man who lived a life of leisure.
Grover Cleveland had 2 sons by his wife. As he married late in life, the boys were only 11 and 5 at the time of his death.
Benjamin Harrison's only son, Russell, became the US Consul for Mexico and Portugal. Though he did become a politician, it was only at the state level in Indiana.
William McKinley had only two daughters, both of whom died by the age of 3.
20th Century Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt had four sons. The youngest was shot down during WWI. Two others died (heart attack & suicide) while in the military during WWII. The last lived until 1979. None followed their father into politics.
William Howard Taft had two sons. Robert Taft became a noted Senator and sought the nomination for president several times but never won it.
Woodrow Wilson had only daughters.
Warren Harding had no children with his wife but did have a daughter by his mistress.
Calvin Coolidge had 2 sons, one of whom died during his presidency. When Coolidge's father said that the business of government is business, his son, John, took it to heart and became a businessman.
Herbert Hoover had 2 sons, neither of whom pursued elective office.
FDR had several sons. Two pursued elective office but never achieved anything close to their father's success. The youngest son, John, did not seek office but he did become a Republican. Yes, the youngest is usually the rebel.
Harry Truman had only one child, a daughter.
Dwight Eisenhower had two sons. One died of scarlet fever at the age of three. The other, John, followed his father example by joining the military but not politics. John's son, David, would go on to marry Richard Nixon's daughter.
JFK had one son survive to adulthood. JFK Jr. died in a plane crash when only 38.
LBJ had only daughters.
Richard Nixon had only daughters.
Gerald Ford had 3 sons, none of whom pursued politics. Steven Ford is an actor.
Jimmy Carter had three sons. Jack Carter was the nominee for the Senate from Nevada but lost to the Republican. The other sons have not pursued politics.
Ronald Reagan had two sons. Michael was adopted with his first wife. He followed his father into entertainment, notably talk radio. I listened to his show a few times when I lived in Southern California. Ron Jr. is his son with Nancy. Ron is the rebellious son who became a Democrat. Though he went into entertainment like his father, he didn't parley that into political office.
George Bush had four sons, two of whom became governors of major states (Texas and Florida). George W Bush became the first son of a president since John Quincy Adams to become president. JEB sought the Republican nomination in 2016. George Bush himself was the son of Senator Prescott Bush. Yes, here is the makings of a family dynasty to rival the Adams. That's not a good thing, BTW.
Bill Clinton has only a daughter.
21st Century Presidents
George W Bush has only daughters.
Barack Obama has only daughters.
Donald Trump has three sons, 2 of whom followed their father into business. Both Donald Jr. and Eric have also become activists since their father jumped into politics. His third son, Barron, is still in college.
Joe Biden had two sons. The older son, Beau, died while his father was Vice President. The younger son, Hunter, has been on long source of scandal for his father.
One thing to note is how many of these presidential sons became alcoholics or drug abusers. Several committed suicide. It must be quite hard to live in the shadow of a presidential father.
