We haven’t had a Trojan in the White House — yet — but USC had has more than its share of presidential moments. In honor of Presidents Day, here’s a look at some memorable visits by U.S. commanders in chief — past, present and future.
William Howard Taft
The 27th president of the United States — who later served on the Supreme Court as its 10th chief justice — toured the USC campus in 1911 during a visit to Los Angeles.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The 32nd president of the United States visited campus in 1935 during his first term in office; it was his first visit to Los Angeles as president. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, stopped by the USC administration building where the president was given an honorary degree. His motorcade then headed to the Coliseum, where he gave a speech to the assembled crowd.
Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy
The 1960 campaign brought two future presidents to USC as candidates participating in the university’s First-Time Voter Convocation.
U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy spoke to a crowd of some 15,000 students from USC and 27 other colleges and universities; one week later, he was elected.
A few weeks before the Kennedy visit, Vice President Richard M. Nixon spoke to supporters on campus. Nixon, a Southern California native, was elected to the nation’s highest office eight years later, defeating Hubert H. Humphrey in the 1968 election.
Gerald R. Ford
As 38th president of the United States, Ford visited the USC campus during his 1976 campaign against Jimmy Carter.
A few weeks after Ford lost the election, he suffered another defeat: the University of Michigan, where he had been a football standout during his college days, lost to USC in the 1977 Rose Bowl. Ford sent a $10 bill to USC President John Hubbard to settle a wager over the game. “Seriously, I really thought that Michigan would win, but I must admit that USC has an excellent team,” Ford wrote Hubbard on White House stationery.
After leaving office, Ford returned to USC twice to lecture in a variety of classes.
Ronald Reagan
Los Angeles hosted the 1984 Olympics during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and with USC right in the thick of things the 40th president of the United States visited the campus before officially opening the games.
It wasn’t his first time at USC, though: As a young actor, Reagan had modeled for art students in a sculpture class as an example of the “ideal male physique.”
Barack Obama
The nation’s 44th president visited the University Park Campus in 2010. His speech in front of Doheny Memorial Library — a rally just before the November midterm elections — drew an estimated 37,500 people.
George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush
George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, and former first Lady Laura Bush came to campus in 2013 part of the USC President’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The two addressed students, faculty, guests and Widney Society members in a packed Bovard Auditorium. “It is a rare opportunity to spend this evening in the company of two people who have practiced leadership on such a global stage, at such pivotal moments in human history,” USC President C. L. Max Nikias told the crowd.
Some 13 years earlier, Bush’s father — George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. president — had been a guest of USC President Steven B. Sample as part of the same lecture series. Sample reminded the crowd that President Bush was no stranger to the campus: “We honored him in 1995 with a Julius Award from the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development for his exceptional heroism during World War II and his extraordinary service to the people of the United States.”
Bill Clinton
USC’s most recent presidential moment came just three months ago, when former President Bill Clinton took the Bovard stage at another President’s Distinguished Lecture Series event. “I wish I were your age,” Clinton told students in the audience. “I’d love to see what’s going to happen. We’re entering an age of unprecedented discovery … It’s going to be an amazing time to be alive.”