Our little Baptist school in the middle of Texas has surprisingly seen its fair share of U.S. presidents throughout the years.
In 1947, Harry Truman visited Baylor — the first president ever to do so. During his visit, he was awarded an honorary law degree and spoke to students and faculty about peace and economics on the heels of World War II.
The next president to set foot on Baylor grounds was Dwight Eisenhower. He was the first U.S. president ever to be born in the state of Texas. He spoke at the 1956 spring commencement and compelled Baylor students to work together to help build a better world.
Lyndon B. Johnson visited in 1965, as his Baylor family roots ran deep. His great-grandfather, George Washington Baines, served as the third president of Baylor, so of course he had to make an appearance at the University during his time in the White House.
Next was Gerald Ford in 1976. During his visit, President Ford strolled the Baylor campus, meeting students and faculty along the way, before holding a Q&A session in Waco Hall.
That same year, Ronald Reagan visited Baylor as part of his campaign tour. He must have had a great time because he returned to the University in 1988 when he opened the new Ferrell Center just weeks before the 1988 election. It was there that he was presented with the Alumnus Honoris Causa.
In 1993, Jimmy Carter delivered a speech to Waco citizens as part of the Robert L. Reid Distinguished Lecture Series. During the same trip University President Herbert H. Reynolds awarded Carter an honorary doctorate degree.
Like Reagan, one visit was not enough for former U.S. President George W. Bush. He is the only president to ever visit Baylor twice during his time in the White House. In 2002, he hosted the President’s Economic Forum, and in 2005, he returned for a meeting with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. Even after his time in office came to a close, he still visited Baylor for the occasional football game — and the opening of McLane Stadium in 2014. He is the fourth U.S. president to hold an honorary degree from the University.
Finally, the most recent president to visit Baylor was Barack Obama. With him came former first lady Michelle Obama. The two visited Baylor in 2013 in honor of the first responders who lost their lives in the West explosion.
As a bonus – there is one more president who, while he never stepped foot on the Baylor campus, did visit Waco and met several Baylor students. That was President Theodore Roosevelt! Roosevelt gave a speech at Katy Park, and all Baylor students were given a half-day so they would be able to attend.
