The term "fatherless" is used in this series as it is in current research and policy rhetoric by the U.S. federal government, DHHS and the National Fatherhood Initiative, most U.S. states in connection with child custody law and policy, and various family values and fatherhood interest policy and lobbying groups.

"Fatherless" America:     ? ? ?

Alexander Hamilton - the author of the Federalist Papers, first treasurer of the United States, and the founder of America's economic system.

(Twenty-five percent of America's presidents; a majority in America's first fifty years)

President Gen. George Washington - America's first founding father, first president, and most beloved hero.

President Thomas Jefferson - America's third president, and primary author of the Declaration of Independence

President James Monroe - America's fifth president

President Andrew Jackson - America's seventh president

President Andrew Johnson - America's seventeenth president

President Rutherford B. Hayes - America's nineteenth president

President Grover Cleveland - America's twenty-second president

President Herbert Hoover - America's thirty-first president

President Gerald Ford - America's thirty-eighth president

President William Jefferson Clinton - America's forty-second president

(Many of America's top jurists)

U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Wilson

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Rutledge

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Johnson Field

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Todd

U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Davis

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John McKinley

U.S. Supreme Court Ch. Justice (and U.S. Treasury Secretary) Salmon P. Chase

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Melville Fuller

U.S. Supreme Court Ch. Justice Edward D. White

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo

U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

U.S. Supreme Court Justice James F. Byrnes

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

More American Leaders, Heros, Icons and Achievers:

Frederick Douglas

Gen. Robert E. Lee

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman

Booker T. Washington

Benjamin Rush - a founding father of America, physician and diplomat

Annie Mansfield Sullivan - the "miracle worker", Helen Keller's teacher

Stephen Colbert

George Mason - a founding father of America

Fr. Gen. Marquis de Lafayette - supporter of the American Revolution

Henry Clay

Meriwether Lewis

Eleanor Roosevelt

Jackie Robinson

Mark Twain

George Washington Carver

Nathanial Hawthorne

Linus Carl Pauling

Some of the World's Greatest:

Aristotle

Nicolas Copernicus

Sir Isaac Newton

Mahatma Gandhi

Leonardo da Vinci

Confucius

Queen Elizabeth I

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jurist William Blackstone

Alexander Fleming - scientist who discovered penicillin

Nelson Mandela

Catherine the Great of Russia

A few more "fatherless children" (in no particular order):

author Alexandre Dumas

Gen. Alexander Haig

Alabama Governor Bibb Graves

New York Governor Al Smith

Tennessee Governor Sam Houston

Indiana Supreme Court Justice William Allen Woods

U.S. Senator Al Sharpton

U.S. Senator Robert C. "Bob" Smith

U.S. Senator Bella Abzug

U.S. Senator Barack Obama

U.S. Senator (and basketball great) William Warren "Bill" Bradley

Queen Victoria of Britain

U.S. economist, Chair of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan

industrialist Eli Whitney, Jr.

scientist Alessandro Volta

computer whiz Ada Lovelace

author Jane Austen

industrialist George Eastman (Eastman Kodak)

industrialist Roy Wilson Howard (Scripps-Howard)

composer Johann Sebastian Bach

mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz

musician John Lennon

author Hans Christian Andersen

scientist Edward Jenner

composer Giacomo Puccini

Iraqi president Saddam Hussein

musician Louis Armstrong

scientist Joseph John ("J.J.") Thomson

philosopher Bertrand Russell

psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach

author Herman Melville

author John Keats

singer Marian Anderson

chess great Garry Kasparov

author Leo Tolstoy

Nobel prize winner Peyton Rous

pioneering surgeon Benjamin Carson

painter Raphael

philosopher David Hume

historian Hannah Arendt

author Ralph Waldo Emerson

composer Stephen Crane

philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche

author Agatha Christie

poet William Wordsworth

zoologist Max Weber

Cleopatra

WWII hero Audie Murphy

psychophysicist Gustav Theodor Fechner

author Edgar Allen Poe

author Emile Zola

geologist William Smith

Canadian rocket scientist Gerald Bull

author Willa Cather

scholar Daniel Dennett

architect Cass Gilbert

archaeologist Mary Leakey

actor Charlie Chaplin

reporter Nelly Bly

physicist Max Born

Sarah Breedlove aka Madam C.J. Walker

comedian Steve Allen

first governor of British India Warren Hastings

detective Allan Pinkerton

singer Billie Holiday

singer Hank Williams

activist Malcolm X

actor Carol Burnett

philanthropist Thomas Green Clemson (Clemson University)

writer John Irving

author J.R.R. Tolkien

actor Charles Bronson

actor Gene Hackman

scientist Robert Hooke

actor Halle Berry

comedian Eddie Murphy

lawyer Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

female Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson

author Ralph Ellison

California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird

President of Ireland Eamon de Valera

industrialist William Reddington Hewlett (Hewlett-Packard)

mogul nun Mother Angelica

steamboat inventor Robert Fulton

civil rights attorney Deval Laurdine Patrick

Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters

inventor Henry Talbot

science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke

prosecutor Jim Rogan

cancer researcher Frederick W. Alt

cancer researcher Emil J. Freireich

author Charlotte Perkins Gilman

pilot Bessie Coleman

writer-philosopher Bertrand Russell

U.S. Gen. (Ret.) Wesley Clark

medical researcher Dorothy Andersen

dictator Chiang Kai-shek

fashion designer Coco Chanel

journalist Anderson Hayes Cooper

physician Hunter "Patch" Adams

actor Jack Nicholson

author Roald Dahl

actor Douglas Fairbanks

crystallographer David Harker

composer Irving Berlin

actor Loretta Young

activist Rosa Parks

geophysicist J. Marvin Herndon

actor Barbara Stanwick

actor Steve McQueen

actor/singer Cher

pop psychologist Wayne Dyer

actor Sophia Loren

author Stephen King

political genius Karl Rove

actor Whoopi Goldberg

silent film star Fatty Arbuckle

photographer Dorothea Lange

"father of soul" musician James Brown

activist Gloria Steinem

microwave oven inventor Percy Spencer

actor Gloria Gaynor

immigration reformer Frances Kellor

comedian Jon Stewart

psychologist/author Peggy Drexler

actor Bette Davis

satiricist Art Buchwald

actor Audrey Hepburn

scientist Katherine Burr Blodgett

scientist Sir Charles Bell

actor Tom Cruise

comedian Bill Cosby

musician Barry White

singer Patsy Cline

actor Jodie Foster

news correspondent Ed Bradley

Tom Monaghan (Domino's Pizza)

baseball player Rickey Henderson....

The notion is false that children require a certain kind of family composition (two married biological parents) in order to do well, rather than that certain family characteristics and lifestyle advantages (such as educational opportunities, financial opportunities, stability, attention, and so forth) may be beneficial. No research has shown that when a child's parents do not live together, joint custody is in their long-term best interests, or that "the best parent is two parents." See the research: here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and still more, along with discussions and articles in the index here.

Alexander Hamilton - President Gen. George Washington - President Thomas Jefferson - President James Monroe - President Andrew Jackson - President Andrew Johnson - President Rutherford B. Hayes - President Herbert Hoover - President Grover Cleveland - President Gerald Ford - President William Jefferson Clinton - U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Wilson - U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Rutledge - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Johnson Field - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Todd - U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Davis - U.S. Supreme Court Justice John McKinley - U.S. Supreme Court Ch. Justice (and U.S. Treasury Secretary) Salmon P. Chase - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Melville Fuller - U.S. Supreme Court Ch. Justice Edward D. White - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo - U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas - U.S. Supreme Court Justice James F. Byrnes - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas - Frederick Douglas - Gen. Robert E. Lee - Booker T. Washington - Benjamin Rush - Stephen Colbert - George Mason - Fr. Gen. Marquis de Lafayette - Henry Clay - William Tecumseh Sherman - Meriwether Lewis - Eleanor Roosevelt - Jackie Robinson - Mark Twain - George Washington Carver - Nathanial Hawthorne - Eli Whitney - Linus Carl Pauling - Aristotle - Nicolas Copernicus - Sir Isaac Newton - Mahatma Gandhi - Leonardo da Vinci - Confucius - Queen Elizabeth I - Jean-Jacques Rousseau - William Blackstone - Annie Mansfield Sullivan - Alexander Fleming - Nelson Mandela - Catherine the Great of Russia - Alexandre Dumas - Gen. Alexander Haig - Alabama Governor Bibb Graves - New York Governor Al Smith - Tennessee Governor Sam Houston - Indiana Supreme Court Justice William Allen Woods - U.S. Senator Al Sharpton - U.S. Senator Senator Robert C. "Bob" Smith - U.S. Senator Bella Abzug - U.S. Senator Barack Obama - U.S. Senator William Warren "Bill" Bradley - Queen Victoria of Britain - Alan Greenspan - Alessandro Volta - Ada Lovelace - Jane Austen - George Eastman - Rosa Parks - Roy Wilson Howard - Johann Sebastian Bach - Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz - John Lennon - Hans Christian Andersen - Edward Jenner - Giacomo Puccini - Joseph John ("J.J.") Thomson - Bertrand Russell - Hermann Rorschach - Herman Melville - John Keats - Marian Anderson - Garry Kasparov - Leo Tolstoy - Peyton Rous - Benjamin Carson - Raphael - David Hume - Hannah Arendt - Ralph Waldo Emerson - Stephen Crane - Friedrich Nietzsche - Agatha Christie - William Wordsworth - Max Weber - Cleopatra - Audie Murphy - Gustav Theodor Fechner - Edgar Allen Poe - Emile Zola - William Smith - Gerald Bull - Willa Cather - Daniel Dennett - Cass Gilbert - Mary Leakey - Charlie Chaplin - Nelly Bly - Max Born - Sarah Breedlove - Steve Allen - Louis Armstrong - Warren Hastings - Allan Pinkerton - Billie Holiday - Hank Williams - Malcolm X - Carol Burnett - Thomas Green Clemson - John Irving - J.R.R. Tolkien - Charles Bronson - Gene Hackman - Robert Hooke - Halle Berry - Eddie Murphy - Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg - Deborah Sampson - Ralph Ellison - California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird - Eamon de Valera - William Reddington Hewlett - J. Marvin Herndon - Mother Angelica - Karl Rove - Deval Laurdine Patrick - F. Whitten Peters - Henry Talbot - Arthur C. Clarke - Jim Rogan - Frederick W. Alt - Emil J. Freireich - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Bessie Coleman - Bertrand Russell - Dorothy Andersen - Chiang Kai-shek - Coco Chanel - Anderson Hayes Cooper - James Brown - Hunter "Patch" Adams - Jack Nicholson - Roald Dahl - Douglas Fairbanks - David Harker - Robert Fulton - Irving Berlin - Peggy Drexler - Art Buchwald - Loretta Young - Barbara Stanwick - Steve McQueen - Cher - Wayne Dyer - Sophia Loren - Stephen King - Sir Charles Bell - Whoopi Goldberg - Percy Spencer - Fatty Arbuckle - Katherine Burr Blodgett - Dorothea Lange - Frances Kellor - Gloria Steinem - Gloria Gaynor - Jon Stewart - Bette Davis - Audrey Hepburn - Tom Cruise - Bill Cosby - Barry White - Jodie Foster - Patsy Cline - Ed Bradley - Tom Monaghan - Rickey Henderson....