Abraham Lincoln, JFK, and Richard Nixon were all middle children — take a look at which US presidents were oldest, youngest, and everywhere in between

Wikimedia Commons; Jenny Cheng/Business Insider

• The majority of US presidents were middle children.
• Firstborn kids made up the second largest group among the 44 commanders-in-chief.
• There's hasn't yet been a president who was an only child.
• Take a look at the birth order of all of the US presidents throughout history.

A lot of US presidents may have suffered from middle child syndrome.

Throughout history, the majority of out commanders-in-chief have been middle children. Firstborns make a decent showing as well. As for youngest children, only seven of them have ascended to the highest political office in the country. And no only child has ascended to the White House yet.

But does birth order really make someone more or less likely to become president?

From the looks of it, not really. Still, bragging rights go to all the middle children out there. Next time your siblings bug you, picture how embarrassed they'll be once you're the leader of the free world.

Here's a look at the birth order — and family background — of each of the 44 US presidents:

First borns: 14 American presidents have been firstborn children

Firstborn children may often be natural leaders, but only 14 US presidents were the oldest children in their respective families — or, in the case of James Buchanan and Barack Obama, effectively raised as firstborns.

This might come as a surprise, given recent research into how birth order influences personality. Business Insider previously reported that oldest children often gravitate toward positions of power, and are more likely to become CEOs or found companies than their younger counterparts.

That being said, firstborn children also tend to be more risk-averse than their siblings. And running for the highest office in the land is a pretty big risk.

One of John Adams's younger brothers died in the American Revolution

John Adams was the oldest of three boys born to John Adams Sr. and Susannah Boylston Adams. His two younger brothers were Peter and Elihu.

Peter Adams went on to serve as a captain during during the American Revolution, according to the Smithsonian Museum of Art. According to the website Find A Grave, he survived the war and died in 1823, three years before his older brother.

Elihu Adams, the youngest Adams boy, followed Peter's footsteps and became a militia captain when fighting broke out in the colonies. He died of dysentery along the banks of the Charles River during the Siege of Boston in 1775, according to David McCullough's "John Adams."

James Madison was a leader among his siblings

James Madison may have been the smallest president in history, but he was still a big brother to his large gaggle of siblings.

Madison was the first of 12 children born to James Madison Sr. and Nelly Conway Madison. Six of those siblings survived childhood.

By 1779, Madison was still in close contact with his family, despite being busy with his burgeoning political career.

The future president retained his leadership role among his siblings, and even fretted over how the American Revolution would disrupt the education of his youngest surviving brother William.

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