title: Birth order of past presidents and Schlesinger's history cycles: support for Stewart's leadership theory.
abstract: Stewart's hypothesis (1992) that adults who were only-children and first-born children are most suited to lead communities in more turbulent times while adults who were later-born children are most suited to lead in more tranquil times was tested by relating the male birth order of elected presidents to Schlesinger's 1986 public purpose and private interest periods. Consistent with Stewart's hypothesis, candidates who were only-children and first-born children tended to win during public purpose phases, which are characterized by the turbulence of greater political commitment, idealism, and broad social change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Life Sciences, University College of Cape Breton, P.O. Box 5300, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada B1P. mccann@ns.sympatico.ca
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: McCann
mesh_terms: D001722:Birth Order / Q000523:psychology*; D006076:Government; D006663:Historiography; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D011057:Politics; D014481:United States