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Anything Left-Handed Famous Left-Handers, Leaders
Famous Left-Handers Leaders

Left-handed leaders

There seem to more than a fair share of left-handed presidents and political leaders so we have started compiling a list of them.   If you know any more or have additional information about any of these, please add comments to this page or use our contact form to send details and attach images.

Click the logo to see our Pinterest Board on left handed leaders and pin any images you have of more left handed leaders

[Updated August 2026] This page had drifted badly out of date — every entry except Netanyahu was for someone no longer in office. We've moved those to “Past leaders” below with corrected dates, and left their successors un-added until we can verify their handedness properly rather than guess from their being in office.

Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's current Prime Minister (in office since December 2022, and previously 1996-99 & 2009-21), is left-handed.

  

Past leaders

Costa Rica

Laura Chinchilla was President of Costa Rica from May 2010 to May 2014 (hook-style writer, like President Obama). The current president (since May 2026) is Laura Fernández Delgado — not yet checked for handedness.

This is Laura Chinchilla. She is the President of Costa Rica since May 2010 for a term of 4 years (and by the looks of it another hook-style writer like President Obama).

  

Ireland

Brian Cowen was Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) from 2008 to 2011 and was left-handed, as was his predecessor, Bertie Ahern. The current Taoiseach (since January 2025) is Micheál Martin — not yet checked for handedness.

Ireland's Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, is
left-handed, as was his predecessor, Bertie Ahern! (centre in this picture)

  

Kenya

Uhuru Kenyatta was President of Kenya from 2013 to September 2022 and was a left-handed writer. The current president (since September 2022) is William Ruto — not yet checked for handedness.

Uhuru Kenyatta was elected President of Kenya in March 2013 and is a left-handed writer.   He is pictured here  signing the certificate of inauguration at Kasarani Stadium during his inauguration ceremony.

  

Nigeria - Lagos

Raji Babatunde Fashola was Lagos State Governor from 2007 to 2015, then served two terms as a Federal Government Minister (Power, Works & Housing) until May 2023. He has since moved into private-sector and non-profit work.

Here is Lagos State Governor, Raji Babatunde Fashola, signing a bill into law. Lagos is in the South West and is one of 36 states in Nigeria. Fashola is the executive of an estimated population of 9m.

  

Singapore

Lee Hsien Loong was Singapore's Prime Minister from 2004 to May 2024 and is left-handed. The current Prime Minister (since May 2024) is Lawrence Wong — not yet checked for handedness.

Singapore's Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong is also left-handed.   Here he is signing the Bali Declaration on ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations, or the Bali Concord III, in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 17, 2011.

  

United Kingdom

David Cameron was Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016 and is left-handed (signs, throws and volleys left-handed; bats right-handed). The current Prime Minister (since July 2026) is Andy Burnham — not yet checked for handedness.

Prime Minister David Cameron

  

United States

Barack Obama was the 44th US President (2009-2017) and is one of the most well-documented left-handers on this whole site — consistently photographed and filmed writing and signing left-handed, and confirmed it himself on camera.

President Barack Obama

  

Mexico

President of Mexico Felipe Calderon.

Felipe Calderon completed his term as President on 30th September 2012 and was succeeded by Enrique Pena Nieto, a right hander.

  

Venezuela

President of Venezuela Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was left handed.  He was President from 1999 until he died on 5 March 2013.

  

 

 

Why are Stormtroopers no longer left handed?

Left handed presidents of the United States

Prince William wants George to be left-handed

Comments 52

  1. Joyce
    Many, many others American presidents, including recent ones, were left-handed!!!
  2. Michael O'Callaghan
    There is a longer list of left handed US presidents.
    James A. Garfield (20th President): He was considered ambidextrous and was rumored to be able to write in Latin with one hand and Greek with the other simultaneously.

    Herbert Hoover (31st President)

    Harry S. Truman (33rd President): A natural left-hander who was forced to write with his right hand as a child.

    Gerald Ford (38th President)

    Ronald Reagan (40th President): A natural left-hander who was also forced to write with his right hand in school.

    George H. W. Bush (41st President)

    Bill Clinton (42nd President)

    Barack Obama (44th President)
    This recent run suggests to me it is not a coincidence. There is something about being left handed that is helping them to be president. I would assume it is brain structure. Left handers have a stronger connection between the two brain hemispheres.
  3. Mary Randolph
    Left handers are able to write backwards. I was Valedictorian in every graduating class in which I was privileged to take part. Including higher education.
  4. Aussie bob
    Add to the list Australian PM Tony Abbott
  5. kiya
    I'm an Ethiopian,I'm left handed and I'm proud of it.I think we are special
  6. Will
    Chavez was
  7. john
    tony abbott - australia's prime minister, also a leftie
  8. Pippa
    Tony Abbott (Prime Minister of Australia)
  9. Ashok Patel
    i am a left handed student from the beginning and my father tried a lot to change my writing hand but it was like my luck and my overall academic session has been very good. i have have scored the highest marks in my whole college and even very good marks in primary, secondary and senior secondary classes always on the top list of scoring %age
  10. Philip Torkuma Tso
    I am left handed and am proud of it, i enjoy doing things. I am intending to become the first lefty president of Nigeria. I hails from Vandeikya local government area of Benue State of Nigeria.
  11. EKNATHRAO IVARE
    Iam proud of my left hand writing and also i get most challanges in my life. My mother, father and my teacher give me good knowledge to do good life.



    Thanks
  12. Lee
    I am a left-handed female; my immediate family was mother, father & brother, all right-handed. I also have AD/HD, and belong to an organisation called LADS (Learing and Attentional Disorders Society - whew!) in Western Australia. I participate in the Adults Support Group here, and did an informal poll one night: There were over 50% left-handers in attendance that night, wheras the percentage for the general population is about 10%-15%, I believe. How's that for a (not) co-incidence.......Do readers in Australia or other countries find the converse to be true - that a higher proportionof left-handers have AD/HD than the general population?
  13. Timmy
    Most town planner that I have met are left handed, including me
  14. sofia
    I'm 13 and i've been at the same school since nursery shool when i was 3 (i'm in 8th grade now) and i find it amazing how i'm and always was the only left handed girl in my class (the other ones are both boys and one is mentally challenged) and the only left-handed that scores A's and B's (one of them is just really dumb and careless and the other one i already mentioned why).
    I think the only year i was the only lefty was 3rd grade.
  15. Kgoke
    In my family my sister and I are left handed and my grandma used to beat us up when we used the left hand to eat. We were forced to eat with our right hands. My son if also left handed.
    1. John
      Mine as well
  16. Lily S
    I'm left-handed and I feel different from everyone else knowing i'm just a leftie. 3 of my friends are also lefties and so are 2 of my teachers. I'm glad that I am who I am and I really wish that someday lefties everywhere will be seen as completely normal people in society. I acknowledge that lefties are more accepted today than ever before, but we're still not seen as 'normal'.

    I'm ever waiting for that day to come
    1. LEX
      Realize, that you're not "normal", but rather BETTER than normal.
  17. Mahmoud
    Vice President of Nigeria Mohammed Namadi Sambo is left hander
  18. Vishal Sathyan
    Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's right hand was paralyzed. So, he began to use his left hand.
  19. UC Fidel
    This is great and has put laughter on my face. My son do use left , i dont use 2 like it, but with this seeing great people who r lefties assures me my son will definitely be great, because right now he writes better than his mates and talks well, in terms of education he is doing well, God help all the lefties and Long live all the lesfties , the righties and every good and peace loving people on earth.
  20. humphrey kereti
    im realy happy and proud because im left handed...and i see many people using left hand have something special compared to others....when you have ten people and you find out one of them is left hand you will see the difference....in my family me and my brother we use left hand so we live very comfortable life....,
  21. Mohamad
    Leader of iran (Ali khamenei)
  22. Debrah
    A good many vlaualbes you've given me.
  23. Amelia
    People, hey.

    I think it's absoloute tomfoolary that any of you care about these famous lefthanders. I am lefthanded, like many other normal people in the world. This does not bother me whatsoever, and I have never found that being left handed has made any difference to my own life other that the occasional smudging when writing a letter with a fountain pen. I think anyone who thinks being a lefty makes any difference to life is more than a little sad and should just be gratefull that they have two working hands to chose from and not waste their lives feeling sorry for them selves and making and issue over literally nothing.

    Kind reguards,

    Amelia.
    1. Randy
      I don't feel sorry for myself being lefthanded, and I don't know anyone who is. I feel blessed, because I felt different from others from a very early age. I was also brighter than nearly everyone around me, and I've always been artistic. When I was first learning to write, however, I did encounter plenty of problems from my teacher and parents, trying to make me write righthanded. Nothing doing! I simply put the pencil back in my left hand every single time until they gave up. I'm glad I did! It depends on when you were raised, but I'm 56 and during the time I learned to write they did try to make me feel like I was a freak. When you're between 8-12% of the population of the world, you can't help but feel different.
    2. tom kelly
      you can't escape it, your thinking is left handed , coming from the right side of your brain. If you were right handed you would have had no idea what is this left thing all about. consider it a gift. You grew up in a right world learning to think right along with learning to think left. A right handed person has no idea what this means only you do. Right handed people are all right.
  24. David Dawber
    I am a left-handed writer; I used the unconventional hook-style grip when I was at school and college, finally disciplining myself to change to the orthodox grip at age 18. Also I was frequently in the right-hand half of a pair of desks, with my ungainly writing style I tended to knock arms with the person to my left. They had a habit of sitting pupils in alphabetical order in those days! I have had a strained left wrist in more recent years, and I think it's because of that hook-style grip.
  25. sweetie
    Hi I work in an operating theatre and you would be amazed at how many health professionals and medical staff are left handed ( including me ).
    1. Emily
      Hi - I'm a left handed Radiographer who now does ultrasound scans (with my right hand!!).....there are loads of lefties in my hospital department too! Maybe it's just a coincidence but I've never been around such a highly concentrated group of lefthanders! Last year I slipped a disc in my neck and temporarily lost the strength in my left arm for about 2 months which made life, let's say challenging!! It's amazing how quickly you learn to adapt to having to do thing right handed (and how quickly you go back to doing all those things with your left hand again when you're fixed!!!).
    2. richard
      Im a left handed physician,surgery.You are correct.
  26. Abdullahi Ali Mohamed
    I am lefthaded, and I feel being lefty gave me a lot of lucky thing in my life, and I hope one day I will become the President of Somalia or United States of America or elsewhere in the world, apart form that I would like to become the CEO of a company.
    1. Matt
      Sorry to burst your bubble man, but unless you were born in the US you can't be a president of the US. Although, they are trying right now to change this...
  27. emrald
    I don't feel left out of anything can do all things thoroughly with my left hand. I have siblings -left handed
  28. nigel
    Hi from cold chilly South Africa
    Am also left ,so is my daughter Kayla , seems my son liam is also using his left hand to draw.
    1. moya
      I am also in south africa, originally from england. I have 3 daughters 2 of whom are left handed. I have 10 grandchildren, none of whom are left handed. Strange eh.
  29. jaqi
    quite inspiring,being among the only lefthanded among many of my friends and family!
    1. Michele
      I feel exactly the same way!
  30. Christopher
    I am left handed but discovered quite young that I could face a cricket ball either way round. More recently whilst on holiday doing silly things I was amazed to find that the most I could tap a ping pong ball on a bat with my left hand was 125 yet using my right hand I reached over 2000. I wonder why?
  31. Jonas
    Hi

    I wonder a lots of high profile left handed ,I am proud of myself to be left handed
    1. eknath.ivare
      Very good , I am also proud of my left hand magic
  32. Mary Carolan
    Hello AiluJ, I do remember reading somewhere about left-handers writing emoticons in reverse, but I tend to write them conventionally, as I'm always concerned in case they're mis-interpreted. :-/ (or should that be /-: ? ) Gosh, I've even confused myself now! Lol.
    1. matthias
      well, we're also told that lefties are ambidexters.
  33. john
    UMEANURRIGHT?
  34. Sfe 2 lol
    Even Eminem, the awesome rapper is a left handed (Like me!!!!!)
  35. ailuJ
    Yeah, There are soooo many more mention worthy lefties out there! The site could use an update as well, more brain teasers, facts and a blog would be cool..... :) Anyone notice how lefties do their emoticons usually backwards :) vs. (: ?
    1. hope
      I've never done emoticons backwards because all my friends would think i'd gone loopy. I didn't know you could.

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