Since their inception cigars have played a big role in not only the lives of the common man, but also in the lives of the royalty. A who’s who of famous cigar smokers turn up quite a few political names, and a few even have their moniker slapped across the back of cigars (think Churchill and Walter Raleigh). In this article, we will discuss American royalty, specifically famous cigar smokers who have, at one point or another, lived within, or helped create, that most venerable of homes, the White House.

We all saw during the past presidential debates when Obama got called out for smoking cigarettes, vowing to give them up before getting into office. Whether or not he truly has, I cannot say; but he does have the tyrant watchdog Hilary in his cabinet, so chances are that he has.

I bring up Hilary and Obama for a good reason. Hilary’s husband, Bill Clinton, was the last president to smoke a cigar (or use a cigar in any manner) in the White House. Oddly enough, his wife Hillary was the one who imposed the no-smoking rule inside the White House, and it has since been smoke-free. It’s easy to see who wears the pants in that house.

But long before the days of political correctness and non-smokers forcing their will onto smokers, there was a steady stream of American men (and women) who pinched, chewed, smoked, and rolled tobacco in the White House. Running any household, and that one in particular, is a stressful business, and what better way to relax than to light one up?