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Anything Left-Handed Famous Left-Handers, History
Famous Left-Handers History

Famous left-handers - History

If you are left-handed then you are in very good company. Throughout history left-handers have excelled as leaders, sportsmen, artists, musicians and in many other fields. This is our list of famous left-handers in history.

Click here to return to the full index to our famous left-hander sections

The list is based on our research and reports from Club members, but we know we are not perfect. If you spot any errors in our list, can provide any further information or have any famous left-handers we should add to our list, please add your information as comments to these pages.

Biblical
Criminals
Leaders
Philosophers
Royalty
Politics - UK
Politics - US
Politics - Other
Saints
Miscellaneous
Historical figures who some suggest may have been left-handed

History - Biblical
Name Nationality Description DOB
No entries currently verified for this category on their own merits — see our historical folklore section below.
       

History - Criminals
Name Nationality Description DOB
Bonney, William USA Billy the Kid 23-Nov-1859
DeSalvo, Albert Henry The Boston Strangler
Dillinger, John (Decd.) USA Bank Robber 28-Jun-1902
Hardin, John Wesley Gunslinger
Roach, Tony USA Murderer - on Death Row 11-Sept-1976
Strangler, Boston Infamous Murderer!
       

History - Leaders
Name Nationality Description DOB
Baden-Powell, Lord UK Founder of the Scouting Movement 22-Feb-1857
Bolivar, Simon Venezuela President of Bolivia 24-July-1783
de Beauharnais, Josephine Wife of Napoleon
Forrest, N.B. USA Confederate General USA 13-Jul-1821
Ireland, Patricia USA (IL) Feminist Leader - President of "Now" 19-Oct-1945
Nelson, Horatio UK Admiral of English Fleet 1758
       

History - Philosophers
Name Nationality Description DOB
Nietzsche, Friedrich philosopher
Serre, Michel philosopher
       

History - Royalty
Name Nationality Description DOB
George II, King UK Royalty (UK)
George IV, King UK Royalty (UK) 12-Aug-1762
George VI, King UK Royalty (UK)
King VIII, Edward UK Royalty (UK)
Louis XVI, King French King
Queen Mother UK Royalty (UK) 4-Aug-1900
Prince William UK Royalty (UK) 21-Jun-1982
Rhys-Jones, Sophie UK Countess of Wessex (wife of Prince Edward) 20-Jan-1965
Queen Victoria UK Royalty (UK) 24-May-1819
Willem Alexander, Prince Dutch King of the Netherlands (acceded 30-Apr-2013; was Crown Prince) 27-Apr-1967
       

Politics - UK
Name Nationality Description DOB
Bevan, Aneurin (Nye) UK Politician 15-Nov-1897
Brittan, Leon UK Politician - Euro MP 25-Sep-1939
Callaghan, James UK Prime Minister (ex) 27-Mar-1912
Cameron, David UK Prime Minister (ex) - signs, throws & volleys left-handed; bats right-handed 9-Oct-1966
Churchill, Winston (Decd) England Prime Minister 30-Nov-1874
Hayward, Robert Politician - Euro MP
Jenkins, Roy
Kaufmann, Gerald
Mitchell, Austin MP
Waite, Terry Church Envoy
       

Politics - United States
Name Nationality Description DOB
Adams, Sam USA Statesman 27-Sep-1722
Bader Ginsberg, Ruth USA (NY) US Supreme Court Justice 15-Mar-1933
Bradley, Bill USA US Politician/ Basketball Player 28-Jul-1943
Bundy, McGeorge USA US Presidential Advisor 2-Apr-1905
Bush, George USA (Mass) US President - 41st 12-Jun-1924
Campbell, Ben USA Senator - Colorado 13-Apr-1933
Clinton, Bill USA 42nd. US President 14-Aug-1946
Dole, Bob USA Senator - to left after accident 22-Jul-1923
Forbes, Steve Businessman/ Publisher
Ford, Gerald USA US President - 38th 14-Jul-1913
Frankllin, Benjamin USA Scientist,Publisher & US Statesman 17-Jan-1706
Garfield, James A (Dec'd) USA (OH) 20th US President - assasinated 1881 19-11-1831
Hoover, J. Edgar (Dec'd) USA Director of FBI 01-Jan-1895
Hoover, Herbert (Dec'd) USA (IO) President 10-Aug-1874
Inouye, Daniel US Senator
Jefferson, Thomas USA 3rd President of the USA 13-April-1743
Kennedy, Anthony USA US Supreme Court Justice
McNamara, Robert S. US Secretary of Defense
North, Col. Oliver USA White House Aid
Obama, Barack USA 44th US President - photographed & filmed writing/signing left-handed throughout his presidency; confirmed it himself on signing his first executive order in 2009 04-Aug-1961
Perot, H Ross USA (Texas) US Presid. candidate 27-Jun-1930
Perry, William US Secretary of Defense
Powell, Colin USA Secretary of State 05-Apr-1937
Reagan, Ronald USA (IL) 40th US President. (Converted to right) 06-Feb-1911
Robertson, Pat Politician
Rockefeller, Nelson Dec'd USA US Vice President 08-Jul-1908
Schwarzkopf, Norman USA US General/Stormin' Norman! 22-Aug-1934
Scott, Hugh US Senator
Snowe, Olympia USA (ME) US Senator from Maine 21-Feb-1947
Straub, Franz Josef Politician
Truman, Harry S. USA (Missouri) US President - 33rd 08-May-1884
Wagner, Robert New York Major
Wallace, Henry US Vice President
       

Politics - Other Areas
Name Nationality Description DOB
von Bismarck, Otto German Chancellor 01-April-1815
Ahern, Bertie Irish Prime Minister - Ireland 12-Sep-1951
Castro, Fidel Cuban Leader of Cuba 13-Aug-1926
Charest, Jean Canadian Politician 24-Jun-1958
De Klerk, FW S. African Politician 18-Mar-1936
Donner, Jörn Finnish MEP
Froidevaux, Jean-Marc Swiss Politician
Gandhi, Mahatma India Leader 02-Oct-1869
Netanyahu, Benjamin Prime Minister of Israel (current, previously 1996-99 & 2009-21) 21-Oct-1949
Hsien Loong, Lee Singapore Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
Loon, Brig. Gen. Lee Hsein Deputy PM of Singapore
       

History - Saints
Name Nationality Description DOB
No entries currently verified for this category on their own merits — see our historical folklore section below.
       

History - Miscellaneous
Name Nationality Description DOB
Dionne, Marie One of the Dionne quintuplets
Engles, Marty Comedian or American Football?
Gibbons, Euell Naturalist
Keller, Helen (Dec'd) USA (AL) Advocate for the blind 27-Jun-1880
Prudhomme, Paul Chef
Reagan, Ron Son of Ronald Reagan
Thomas MD., Chip Bicycle Explorer
       

Historical figures who some suggest may have been left-handed

The handedness of historical figures from before the era of photography and detailed written records is very hard to verify with confidence. The names below are commonly claimed to be left-handed in popular tradition or historical anecdote, but the evidence is thin, disputed, or simply unrecoverable. We list them here because they're a fun part of left-handed folklore — not because we can stand behind them as verified fact, the way we can for the more recent names elsewhere on this page.

Name Nationality Description DOB
Ehud, Son of Gera Biblical From the Bible (Judges 3:15–21) — explicitly described as left-handed in the text itself, one of the oldest surviving handedness claims of any kind, though obviously not independently verifiable c. 1300–1200 BC
Caesar, Julius Italian Historical conqueror 100 BC
Great, Alexander the Historical conqueror 356 BC
Bonaparte, Napoleon French Historical military leader — genuinely contested; several historians argue he was right-handed and the left-handed claim comes from a small number of disputed anecdotes 15-Aug-1769
Charlemagne, Emperor King of the Franks & Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (previous listed DOB of 2-Apr-1742 was a data error, roughly 1,000 years out — corrected below) c. 747–748 AD
Ramses II, Egyptian Egyptian pharaoh c. 1303 BC
Thothmes III, Egyptian pharaoh c. 1481 BC
Tiberius, Roman Emperor 42 BC
Yapanqui, Lloque Sth. American Inca monarch, traditionally known as “The Unforgettable Left-handed One” — the epithet itself is the entire basis of the claim —
Aristotle, Thrace Philosopher 384 BC
of Arc, Joan French Christian Saint / French heroine c. 1412
Edward III, King UK Royalty (UK) — traditionally said to have become left-handed after a late-life stroke; we could not find a source corroborating this, so it is listed here as an unverified claim rather than fact 1312
       

Why are Stormtroopers no longer left handed?

Left handed presidents of the United States

Prince William wants George to be left-handed

Comments 15

  1. Kenneth Davis
    Wondering if there’s ever been a study on left handers in prison . They say it’s the same as the general population 10% Not true . I believe it’s over 50% There should be a study on it
  2. Rose Grube
    Thanks for having such good info on us lefties! I was at a family gathering once and they started the "where are you sitting" when it was time to eat. Half of us were left handed!!!!
  3. Vishesh Malhotra
    The greatest Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan is left handed
  4. Alexis Tarr
    Was Guido Fawkes left handed?
  5. Mrs. A.J. Millington
    As a huge fan of animated movies, let's not forget Hiccup of How To Train Your Dragon and Merida from Disney's Brave. Although I didn't watch much of it, there's a character in Frozen who's also a lefty.
  6. KIMBERLY A ENGLISH
    Well I'm very glad I came across this site it's interesting to find out all the historical people that were left-handed maybe I'm wrong but I was always under the impression or was told that Einstein was also left-handed I could be wrong
    now there's absolutely nothing wrong with being left-handed we are very interesting people with that being said throughout my young life I was told I was a freak it was disgusting I was beaten teachers were told to force me to write right-handed until and I repeat until a teacher do it up and said she's left-handed let her be again I'm proud to be a left-handed person as far as I'm concerned we don't live in a backwards world the right-handers live in a backwards world
    1. Kenneth Davis
      Wondering if there’s ever been a study on left handers in prison . They say it’s the same as the general population 10% Not true . I believe it’s over 50% There should be a study on it . Being honest I got into trouble in my younger days and got sent to prison Most dorms are ground 65 people and most are 50%. Every time I sat at the table (4) at least 3 we’re lefties
  7. Randy Bridges
    Alan Turing
  8. Ijikelly
    There are left handed people of repute in Africa like Mr Babatunde Fashola Senior Advocate of Nigeria,former Excecutive Governor of Lagos State in Nigeria, current minister of three portfolio. Power,Works and Housing.He uses left hand.
  9. John M Berryman
    I've been left out.How under-handedly sinister.
  10. Christopher Cerillo
    George Washington was also Left Handed as well.
  11. Gail Morgan
    Leaders:
    Tony Abbott, the current prime minister of Australia is left handed
  12. Gillian Bergh
    Simon commented on Club Verified.in response to David:Has anyone ever asked for a left handed fish knife at a restaurant? in my experience, the waiting staff look at you as though you are some sort of freak.---------------------- Aparantly, the posh way to eat fish is with 2 forks! That's what royalty do.
  13. Ian from Oz
    Greetings from Australia. Great website. My daughter sent me the link otherwise I would not have known it existed.
    Two of my sisters-in-law are lefties but no one else in my immediate family are. I was born just after WW2 but I don't recall getting a hard time from the teachers as some did.
    An interesting observation; the current Prime Minister of Australia is a leftie as is the President of the USA.
    1. John M Berryman
      I was born 9/46 and my public school teach whacked my left hand with a ruler if l used it learning cursive.l faked a right hand slant but kept on lefty,though a left drags through ones carbon and ink- cursive was my curse! l was the brightest but smallest and won by wit.Not a happy path to travel, I'll assure you...

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