Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2013 October 18

= October 18 =

Russian fluency
From the founding of our nation, which, if any, American President, Vice President and/or cabinet members, spoke, wrote, or read the Russian Language? (In addition to Sec. Condoleezza Rice, that is.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.240.77.215 (talk) 19:29, 18 October 2013 (UTC)


 * I glanced through Russian language in the United States and couldn't find any mention of it. I'm guessing that if any president spoke Russian, our article would mention it. Duoduoduo (talk) 20:25, 18 October 2013 (UTC)


 * We have this article: List of multilingual Presidents of the United States. Russian is not listed for any President. Vice Presidents and cabinet members will require more research.--William Thweatt TalkContribs 20:32, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Madeleine Albright for one. Rmhermen (talk) 20:35, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
 * William Rufus de Vane King, 13th vice president (under Franklin Pierce in 1853) lived in Russia from 1816 to 1818 while serving as secretary of legation to William Pinkney, the U.S. minister plenipotentiary to Russia. Presumably, he was familiar with the Russian language.--William Thweatt TalkContribs 20:39, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
 * . Seems to me that French would have been the language of choice at the highest levels. Clarityfiend (talk) 23:32, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

John Quincy Adams served as ambassador to Russia for 1809-1814. As a 14-year old he accompanied Francis Dana on the mission to Saint Petersburg, and studied Russian there (see http://books.google.com/books?id=HYnnnRrTEhQC&pg=PA393 ), a skill he later used as ambassador. --Soman (talk) 01:39, 19 October 2013 (UTC)
 * My understanding is he wrote himself that he did not really know Russian, although he kept a vocabulary in his own hand. His work was done in French. Alanscottwalker (talk) 15:38, 19 October 2013 (UTC)
 * As the Russians say, A vocabulary in the кисть is worth два in the буш. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  19:47, 19 October 2013 (UTC)
 * Never heard this.--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 02:13, 20 October 2013 (UTC)
 * He's pulling your ногу. μηδείς (talk) 02:24, 20 October 2013 (UTC)
 * According to her article, Condoleezza Rice had an "interest in the Soviet Union" and studied "Russian at Moscow State University in the summer of 1979". This page confirms she speaks Russian.  Astronaut (talk) 19:54, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
 * D'oh, I now see the OP already knew that. Astronaut (talk) 19:55, 22 October 2013 (UTC)