How Did President John Quincy Adams Get Caught Without His Clothes?

President John Quincy Adams, president from 1825 to 1829, got caught nude.

He was an early riser. He was often up at 4 AM while it was still dark outside. He did this so he would have the time to write in his personal diary.

However, on the mornings when it was very warm, the president liked nothing better than to stroll down to the Potomac River and go skinny dipping, and swim without his clothes. He’d hide his things behind an old tree and take a nice refreshing swim.

One morning, while he was in the water, Anne Royall spotted him and grabbed his clothes. She was a reporter for a Washington newspaper. She refused to return President Adam’s clothes, or to leave, unless he promised to give her a personal interview. He made the promise, and she left.

Later, in an article she wrote in the paper, she told about how she’d tricked the president.