30 Presidential Ties to Kansas City

In honor of Presidents Day and KC Parent’s 30th anniversary, we’ve put together a list of 30 connections between U.S. presidents and Kansas City.

• Harry S. Truman spent part of his childhood in Grandview, attended public schools in Independence, moved to Kansas City as a young adult and returned to Independence after his presidency.
• Theodore Roosevelt visited Kansas City in 1903 as part of his tour of the West. Crowds lined the Paseo to greet him, and he spoke to more than 15,000 people at Convention Hall.
• Liberty Memorial, which houses the National World War I Museum, was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1926, by President Calvin Coolidge.
• McKinley Elementary School in Kansas City, KS, was named for President William McKinley.
• In July 2014, Barack Obama ate at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque with four locals who had written him letters, then enjoyed an order from Oklahoma Joe’s on the plane trip back to Washington.
• Bill Clinton often dined at Gates Bar-B-Q when he visited KC during his presidency. The Presidents’ Tray is one of the restaurant’s menu items.
• On Oct. 22, 1960, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy landed at Richards-Gebaur air base at the end of a long day of campaigning. He spent the next several hours speaking at rallies at Truman Corners Shopping Center, the Hotel Muehlebach, Municipal Auditorium and Shawnee Mission East High School. Just 17 days later he won the election.
• In October 2014, Barack Obama welcomed Sporting Kansas City to the White House in honor of the team's 2013 MLS Cup championship win.
• The Republican National Convention was held in Kansas City in 1928 (at Convention Hall, with Herbert Hoover nominated as the presidential candidate) and in 1976 (at Kemper Arena, with Gerald Ford nominated).
• The took place the week of July 4 at Convention Hall in Kansas City, and William Jennings Bryan was nominated for president.
• In 1978, President Jimmy Carter addressed the 51st National FFA Convention in Kansas City.
• President Obama’s press secretary, Josh Earnest, grew up in Kansas City and attended Barstow School.
• When the Kansas City Royals visited the White House after their 1985 World Series win, Ronald Reagan apologized to relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry for mistakenly calling him “Jim” in a call to the clubhouse after the win. Quisenberry quipped, “That’s okay, Don.”
• In 2010, former president George W. Bush spoke to a sold-out crowd at Unity Temple on the Plaza during a stop promoting his book Decision Points.
• Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton both received the Truman Good Neighbor Award in Kansas City after their presidencies. The annual award honors Harry S. Truman and is given to a prominent citizen for service to his community and country.
• In October 1887, President Grover Cleveland and his wife, Frances, attended the first Priests of Pallas parade in KC. Ornate floats, parades, concerts and masked balls highlighted the weeklong event, held annually until 1912.
• In 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower founded People to People International, which is headquartered in Kansas City and “promotes international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities.”
• Harry S. Truman was a regular at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque, and Jimmy Carter and his entourage showed up unannounced in 1979.
• The second 1984 presidential debate between Ronald Reagan and former vice president Walter Mondale was held at Municipal Auditorium in KC.
• The war on terror was the topic of George W. Bush’s speech at Oak Park High School in June 2002.
• In 2014, Hallmark Cards, Inc., and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library partnered to present dual exhibits showcasing Wilson memorabilia and Hallmark Mother’s Day cards from the past century. In 1904 Wilson signed the proclamation to declare Mother’s Day a national holiday. The Hallmark Visitors Center in Crown Center was the location of the KC exhibit.
• Harry S. Truman worked in the Kansas City Star mailroom wrapping newspapers for two weeks in August 1902, earning $7.00 the first week and $5.40 the second. He left to take a job as timekeeper for a construction company working for the Santa Fe Railroad.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt stopped in Olathe on Oct. 13, 1936, during his whistle-stop train trip in which he campaigned for reelection. He defeated Kansas governor and Republican presidential nominee Alf Landon on Nov. 3.
• Kessler Park in Kansas City is the site of a memorial to John F. Kennedy. It was donated in 1965 by the Campo-Manfre-Barbieri Legion Post No. 151. An eternal flame, donated by Joseph Jr. and Michael Cirese, is mounted on top.
• On Jan. 11, 1970, Richard M. Nixon placed a call to New Orleans congratulating Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram and quarterback Len Dawson on their Super Bowl IV win, beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 at Tulane Stadium.
• In June 1945, a parade was held in Kansas City to honor General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the allied armies in Europe, after his return to the United States following the end of WWII. Eisenhower, who was raised in Abilene, KS, gave a speech at Liberty Memorial. He was elected president in 1952.
• Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are among the famous visitors to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
• On Dec. 7, 2006, Buck O'Neil, former first baseman and manager of the Kansas City Monarchs and later a scout for the Kansas City Royals, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.
• Walt Disney, who spent his youth and early career in Kansas City, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
• Abraham Lincoln made one trip to our area in his lifetime, in 1859, when he was campaigning for president. Though he didn’t make it to young Kansas City, he passed through St. Joseph, Atchison and Leavenworth.

Tisha Foley loved uncovering these presidential facts and sharing them with her children. She writes from her home in Belton.