Did You Know That a Number of Presidents Swam Fairly Frequently, Whether Competitively or for Leisure?

"Believe it or not, the history books recount many presidents who loved to swim, even before the White House had a swimming pool, when the Potomac River served as a great place to take a dip.

According to Swimming World Magazine, the White House now actually has two swimming pools. Franklin D. Roosevelt who suffered from polio, which permanently paralyzed his legs, used swimming as a form of therapy. When he became president the New York Daily News put on a campaign to raise money to build an indoor pool for him at the White House. It officially opened on June 2, 1933. Frequent users of FDR’s pool included Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Baines Johnson. Then in 1975, President Gerald R. Ford, an avid swimmer, installed an outdoor pool on the White House grounds. Ford loved swimming so much that he would often address the press from the pool.

In addition to those that enjoyed swimming for leisure and therapy, two presidents, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, were lifeguards and competed for their respective colleges. During his time as a lifeguard, Reagan saved 77 lives. In 1943, while serving as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy, Kennedy’s ship was sunk by the Japanese. Kennedy used his swimming skills to pull his crew to the “safety” of the wreckage of his boat. The next morning Kennedy led his crew through a three-mile swim to a nearby island all while pulling an injured crew member by biting the rope on his life jacket so his arms were free to swim. After a few days with no food or water, Kennedy made another long swim to another island where they found coconut trees. For his service, Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal (the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism) and the Purple Heart.

It is also a continuing tradition for the U.S. Olympic team to visit the White House following the Olympics. As a result, a number of the United States’s greatest swimmers have had the opportunity to meet with the President. With such a rich history of swimming in the U.S. presidency, one can only be grateful that many of the nation’s highest leaders have such a great understanding and respect for our sport." 

Borrowed from https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/the-presidential-history-of-swimming