Sitting U.S. Presidents Love To Visit SF, but It Doesn’t Always Go Well
Written by Astrid Kane, RJ MickelsonPublished Feb. 19, 2023 • 12:00pm
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U.S. Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy speaks to the audience during a campaign event at the Cow Palace in Daly City on Nov. 2, 1960. | OpenSFHistory
No president of the United States was born in San Francisco, but Warren G. Harding died here. One hundred years ago this August, the scandal-plagued Harding was on a tour of the West when he suffered a cardiac event in the Palace Hotel. Decades later, in September 1975, Sara Jane Moore fired two shots at Gerald Ford outside the St. Francis Hotel—a mere 17 days after another attempt on Ford’s life.
Not every president has a brush with the Grim Reaper when they visit the Bay Area, however. Richard Nixon took a ride on a brand-new BART. Ronald Reagan hosted a dinner for Queen Elizabeth II at the de Young Museum. Bill Clinton campaigned on a cable car. And while running for reelection in 2012, Barack Obama famously made a pit stop at Chinatown dim sum palace Great Eastern Restaurant, dashing in to get some takeout dumplings.
View their visits in pictures.
Astrid Kane can be reached at [email protected]
RJ Mickelson can be reached at [email protected]
