Illini 411: How many U.S. presidents have visited the U of I?

Question courtesy of Ellen Curtin, MSW ’19 SSW

President Taft standing on a platform in a field with military cadets President William Howard Taft reviews cadet regiment, 1911. (Image courtesy of UIAA)
Question courtesy of Ellen Curtin, MSW ’19 SSW

By Ryan A. Ross

A: Enough to fill a pickup basketball team—which would no doubt please former president Barack Obama, who gave a post-presidency speech at Foellinger Auditorium, in 2018. Two presidents visited the campus while they were in office: William Howard Taft, who reviewed the University military battalion, in 1911; and Bill Clinton, who spoke at Assembly Hall, in 1998. Two others stopped by the U of I on the campaign trail: John F. Kennedy, in 1960; and Jimmy Carter, in 1976.

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Candidate John F. Kennedy, 1960 (Image courtesy of UIAA); President Bill Clinton, U.S. Senator for Illinois Carol Moseley Braun and Vice President Al Gore exit Air Force One at Willard Airport, 1998 (Image courtesy of Illini Media); and former U.S. President Barack Obama, 2018 (Image courtesy of Illini Media).

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