Commander-in-Heat II: Is June James Season?

If you’re a president looking to beat the heat this summer, bad news: There’s a good chance you won’t.

ICYMI

Commanders-in-Heat I: A Republic, If It Can Survive You

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Is June James Season?

If you’re a U.S. president named James, June is not just another month on the calendar. It’s a deadline.

Roll call:

• James Madison

• James K. Polk

• James Buchanan

The Name Game: Coincidence or Cultural Quirk?

“James” was one of the most common male names in the 18th and 19th centuries, so its presidential prevalence isn’t shocking.

“James” is the presidential equivalent of “John” at a Starbucks—everywhere, often overlooked, but occasionally the main character in the room. There have been six U.S. presidents named James.

Heights of the Jameses:

The James Club: A Party of (Mostly) One Party

Five out of six Jameses were affiliated with the Democratic or Democratic-Republican parties—a club that dominated early American politics and, later, the South and much of the 19th century:

• James Madison: Democratic-Republican

• James Monroe: Democratic-Republican

• James K. Polk: Democratic

• James Buchanan: Democratic

• Jimmy Carter: Democratic

• James Garfield: Republican

Why Garfield’s Republican Status Matters

Garfield is the only James to break with the Democratic (or Democratic-Republican) tradition. His short presidency marked a shift away from the patronage-heavy, slavery-adjacent politics of earlier Jameses like Buchanan and Polk. He rebranded “James,” if only briefly.

Jameses: The Overachievers, the Expansionist Martyr, the Walking Red Flag, the Outlier:

Alexis Coe and the Carters, 2015

Let’s break them into categories.

The Overachievers

James Madison: Architect of the Constitution, co-wrote the Federalist Papers, shortest president on record. His nickname was “Little Jemmy,” but he cast a long shadow.

James Monroe: Gave us the Monroe Doctrine, which politicians still cite without reading. Presided over the “Era of Good Feelings,” which, if you know American history, is almost certainly sarcasm.

Jimmy Carter: He gets his own section. See below.

The Expansionist Martyr

James K. Polk: Manifest Destiny was his agenda. He expanded the U.S. by a third, micromanaged everything, kept his campaign promises (maybe), and died.

The Walking Red Flag

James Buchanan: The only lifelong bachelor president. His failure to address secession earned him historians’ scorn and the unofficial title of “guy who made Lincoln inevitable.” His relationship with VP William Rufus King scandalized Washington and inspired centuries of speculation.

The Outlier

James Garfield: The only Republican James. He came in hot on civil service reform, tried to clean up corruption, and was assassinated by a guy angry he didn’t get a job. Garfield’s death led to the Pendleton Act.

The Jameses: Events and Scandals

Notably, no James who was president is still alive.

Jimmy Carter: Try Me, June

If June is the Jameses’ expiration date, Carter beat a historical pattern. He outlived three other Jameses combined, built houses, won peace prizes, and dared June to come for him. The man was a living rebuke to presidential pattern-making—proof that sometimes, the best way to govern (and survive) is to keep moving, keep building, and keep June on your heels.

Carter as the Anti-Foreshadow:

• Rejection of Fatalism:
  A rebuke to the idea that history, names, or patterns can dictate one’s fate.

• A New Kind of Legacy:
  Defined by the work he’d done since leaving office.

• Hope Over History:
  Carter’s survival, activism, and optimism stand in contrast to the fatalistic foreshadowing that haunted the other Jameses.

So Is June James Season?

Not really. The clustering is likely a statistical hiccup. With only 46 presidents, six June deaths isn’t wildly improbable—especially when the name “James” was practically a prerequisite in the early 1800s. Still, it's hard to ignore how many of them signed off just as the weather heated up.

Maybe it’s poetic. Maybe it’s historical noise. But if you're named James and hold elected office, maybe take it easy come June. Avoid overexertion. Stay hydrated. Don’t annex Oregon.

On a Related Note:

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