In one of history's most unlikely family connections, President George W. Bush and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner were distant cousins. Yes, the conservative Republican president and the man who built an empire on centerfolds shared the same bloodline—proving that family reunions can get really awkward.

The two men were ninth cousins, twice removed, connected through Thomas and Welthian Richards, actual Pilgrims who lived in Plymouth Colony during the 1600s. Hefner himself claimed to be an 11th-generation direct descendant of William Bradford, who came over on the Mayflower. Bush's family tree also traces back to these early Massachusetts settlers who emigrated from England in the early 1600s.

How Genealogists Discovered the Connection

This surprising relationship came to light during the 2004 presidential campaign when genealogy services like Ancestry.com traced the family trees of presidential candidates. Researchers discovered that not only were Bush and Hefner related, but Democratic candidate John Kerry was also Hefner's ninth cousin. Talk about bipartisan family ties.

The genealogical connection runs through multiple possible paths. Different researchers have charted them as:

10th cousins via common ancestor Samuel Smith
9th cousins twice removed via Thomas Richards
All connecting back to Plymouth Colony's founding families

The Ultimate Odd Couple

The contrast between these two cousins couldn't be more stark. Bush, the Methodist teetotaler who championed conservative family values, and Hefner, who spent decades in pajamas surrounded by Playmates at the Playboy Mansion, represented opposite ends of American culture. Yet both descended from the same Puritan settlers who came seeking religious freedom.

Hefner passed away on September 27, 2017, at age 91, never having attended a Bush family barbecue (as far as we know). But their connection reminds us that genealogy can reveal the most unexpected relationships—and that we're often more connected than we think, even across vast ideological divides.

The takeaway? Next time you criticize someone's lifestyle choices, you might want to check your family tree first. You could be talking about your ninth cousin twice removed.

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