A closer look
President John Quincy Adams was an incredibly early riser who maintained a daily routine of walking to the Potomac River, stripping completely naked, and swimming in the murky water. During his single term in the 1820s, the sixth American president believed that these brisk, nude morning swims were vital for his health and mental fortitude. According to persistent journalistic lore, a female reporter named Anne Royall once stole his clothes from the riverbank and refused to give them back until he granted her an exclusive interview while waist-deep in the water. Having the leader of the free world held hostage by his own nakedness is a level of chaotic journalism that modern press secretaries sadly never have to deal with
