Presidents Who Said Strange Things Before Death

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the original "Odd Couple." Jefferson was charming, secretive, and quiet. Adams was "pompous," "neurotic," and talkative. They were also diametrically opposed, politically speaking. But despite their differences, they were best friends. Adams and Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence together, and became such good pen pals, Adams claimed their friendship was one of the most agreeable events in his life. And whenever they got together, they spent time touring English gardens or visiting Shakespeare's house.

The two also spent a lot of time in the White House together. Adams was America's first Vice President, and Thomas Jefferson was the original Secretary of state. And when Adams won the presidency, Jefferson was his VP. But their friendship fell apart during the 1800 election. Both guys were running for president, and their camps hurled wild insults back and forth. Even worse, after Jefferson won the election, Adams appointed a bunch of Jefferson's political enemies to important government positions. As a result, the two didn't speak for over ten years.

It wasn't until 1812 that their buddy, Benjamin Rush, convinced them to let bygones be bygones. With their friendship rekindled, the two statesmen spent the rest of their days writing letters to each other. But the correspondence ended in 1826. On the 50th anniversary of the Fourth of July, Adams lay dying in bed, and that's when the 90-year-old president whispered, "Thomas Jefferson survives." Even at the end, Adams was thinking about his best friend, though contrary to popular belief, those weren't his last words. According to historian David McCullough, before Adams died, he turned to his granddaughter, Susanna, and said, "Help me, child! Help me!" Then, at 6:20 AM, the second president of the United States passed away.

Adams and Jefferson weren't the only Founding Friends. James Madison and James Monroe were also pretty tight. As young men, Jefferson introduced these future presidents by telling Madison, "The scrupulousness of [Monroe's] honor will make you safe in the most confidential communications. A better man cannot be." Monroe and Madison soon struck up a friendship, and they spent years writing letters back and forth. Even when they ran for the same Congressional seat in 1789, they remained friends. They traveled across Virginia together, giving speeches and even sharing a bed in whatever inns they could find.

Even though Monroe lost to Madison, they remained close throughout the election. Madison would later write, "There was never an atom of ill will between us." But in 1808, both men wanted to become the Democratic-Republican candidate for President. This time around, feelings were hurt, and after Madison scored the nomination, the two didn't speak to each other for years. In 1810, Thomas Jefferson encouraged the guys to patch things up. Friends again, Madison picked Monroe to be his secretary of state. That proved to be a good move on Madison's part. In 1814, Monroe was the guy who actually spotted British troops advancing on Washington DC. Thanks to his heroics, Madison escaped before the city was ransacked.

After serving two terms as president, Madison said goodbye to the White House, leaving the door wide open for Monroe. Over the next few decades, the two presidents remained on good terms, visiting one another and writing letters until Monroe passed away on (believe it or not) July 4, 1831. As he lay dying, Monroe couldn't help but think about his good friend, Madison. Before passing away, Monroe declared, "I regret that I should leave this world without again beholding him."

In 1840, a 68-year-old William Henry Harrison became the oldest person ever elected president at the time. That wasn't the only record Harrison set. In 1841, the war hero-turned-politician delivered the longest inaugural speech in presidential history ... and it might've killed him.

March 4, 1841, was a pretty dismal day. It was wet and cold, and Harrison delivered a speech that was two hours long. For some reason, the ninth president had neglected to wear a coat or hat, and shortly after the speech, Harrison found himself in bed with pneumonia. Unsure of what to do, his doctor tried everything from opium to enemas. (Sources disagree on whether or not he tried "bleeding.") Unfortunately, those crazy cures didn't work, and Harrison became the first president to die in office. However, some people have cast doubt on the pneumonia story. According to one theory, Harrison actually died of typhoid fever. Back in 1841, Washington DC didn't have a sewer system. Instead, a lot of human waste was dumped a few blocks away from the White House water supply. It's theorized Harrison drank contaminated water and came down with gastroenteritis which, in turn, led to sepsis.

Whatever killed Harrison, he had the shortest presidency ever, passing away one month after he swore in. On April 4, 1841, dying and delirious, Harrison passed a bit of wisdom on to his vice president, John Tyler. "Sir," he said, "I wish you to understand the true principles of government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more."

Unfortunately, Tyler didn't hear Harrison's advice because he was in Virginia.

There's no denying Abraham Lincoln had a difficult presidency. He was running the country during a bloody civil war, all while coping with the loss of two children. Naturally, all that pressure took a toll on his marriage to Mary Todd Lincoln, a woman who often suffered from intense bouts of depression. But things were looking up on April 14, 1865. The Civil War was over, and to celebrate, the Lincolns decided to check out a new comedy, Our American Cousin, at Ford's Theatre. Everybody knows what happened next, but what did Lincoln say before John Wilkes Booth shot him? Well, there's a bit of debate. According to some sources, Lincoln leaned over to Mary Todd and—following up on earlier conversation—whispered, "There is no city in the world that I should like to see as much as Jerusalem." But others say that Lincoln took hold of Mary Todd's hand, prompting his wife to tease, "What will Miss Harris [one of their guests] think of my hanging on to you so?" Lincoln answered, "She won't think anything about it."

We also have a good idea of what the last words Lincoln ever heard were. Before Booth fired, an actor on stage delivered the old-timey insult, "You sockdologizing old mantrap!" The line sent the audience into hysterics, and their laughter muffled the sound of Booth's gun.

Tragically, Lincoln passed away at 7:22 AM on April 15. As for John Wilkes Booth, he was cornered in a barn a few days later and shot. As he lay dying in the snow, Booth looked down at his hands and muttered his own final words: "Useless. Useless."

Woodrow Wilson wasn't exactly America's healthiest president. In 1918, Wilson had trouble breathing, so he had to have surgery on his nose. In 1919, he came down with a devastating case of influenza. On top of that, the man was working nonstop to end World War I. When the war finally ended, Wilson began working on the League of Nations, a proto-United Nations that would allow different countries to discuss their problems and prevent future conflicts.

While most of the world liked his plan, America wasn't on board. Determined to prove his case, Wilson traveled across the country in 1919, giving speeches and championing his idea. Unfortunately, the tour destroyed Wilson's health. At one point, his wife Edith found him on the floor, muscles twitching like crazy. His personal physician, Cary Grayson, noticed that Wilson's face was drooping to one side. Eventually, the tour was cancelled, but after returning to DC, Wilson suffered a major stroke, leaving him blind in his right eye and paralyzed on his left side. The stroke was followed by a near-fatal urinary tract infection, and another bout of influenza. (Adding insult to injury, Congress rejected his plan for the League of Nations.) However, Wilson kept his troubles secret from almost everyone. As he struggled with his health, his wife Edith basically became the de facto president, helping Wilson run the country and controlling who could see him and when. She even helped mask his sickness from both the public and key politicians.

Unfortunately, Wilson never recovered, and his condition only grew worse. On February 2, 1924, Wilson acknowledged his situation by saying, "I am a broken piece of machinery. When the machinery is broken—I am ready." The next day, the machinery shut down forever.