Famous Teetotaler Men in History

A teetotaler is someone who abstains from alcoholic beverages. The term emerged in popular culture in 1830s when temperance meetings were all the rage in Britain. As opposed to reformed alcoholics and social imbibers, teetotalers are sworn off alcohol. Incredible as it may seem, many famous personalities have been and are teetotalers – here are a few who have made it a point to stay away from liquor in their lives.

Abraham Lincoln

The sixteenth President of United States and also perhaps the best known to the world, Abraham Lincoln successfully led the United States through its greatest constitutional, military, and moral crisis – the American Civil War. In the process, he preserved the Union while ending slavery and promoting economic and financial modernization. Like his opposition to slavery, Abraham’s avoidance of liquor was also probably an effect of his family attending a Separate Baptists church, which had restrictive moral standards and opposed alcohol, dancing, and slavery. Interestingly though despite being a teetotaler himself, Lincoln was far from self-righteous about his choices and is known to have occasionally sipped wine at state dinners during his presidency.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the foremost figure of Indian independence movement as well as world-famous proponent of non-violence as a political and moral strategy. In keeping with an austere lifestyle and traditional Hindu practices, he eschewed consumption of meat and liquor. Gradually however Gandhi’s austerities took on stricter form as he practiced celibacy as well fasting, both as a political weapon and as path to spiritual progress.

John D. Rockefeller

Often billed as the richest man in modern history John D. Rockefeller is a name that has become a by-word for big money. Rockefeller made his fortune in the oil business and founded the Standard Oil Company which soon came to dominate the entire energy industry. Eventually he was found to have encouraged monopolistic practices but by then he had already diversified into other ventures and the Rockefeller fortune was estimated to be a staggering $323.4 billion.

And yet for all his fortunes, Rockefeller was a teetotaler all his life. He never so much as touched a drop of alcohol or tobacco. During the last thirty years of his life, Rockefeller took strong interest in several philanthropic works and donated millions of dollars in the areas of medicine, education, and scientific research especially in the annihilation of hookworm and yellow fever. Rockefeller was the founding father of the University of Chicago, and Rockefeller University.

John Cadbury

Founder of Cadbury's chocolate factory, John Cadbury was another famous personality who eschewed alcoholic beverages throughout his life. He developed an emulsification process to make solid chocolate, thus paving the way for the creation of the modern chocolate bar. Cadbury’s teetotaler behavior was probably due to the fact that he was born into a family of Quakers, which also influenced later decisions like not being allowed to study in a university as well as eschewing a profession in the armed forces. John Cadbury descendents developed the Cadbury's factory in the locality of Bourneville, which remains a key site of the chocolate manufacturing brand. The district around the factory has been 'dry' for over 100 years, with no alcohol being sold in pubs, bars or shops. Residents have fought to maintain this, winning a court battle in March 2007 with Britain's biggest supermarket chain Tesco, to prevent it selling alcohol in its local outlet.

Lord Faulkner

Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner who held the title of Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick PC was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the Chief Executive of the short-lived Northern Ireland Executive during the first half of 1974. Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Though a keen huntsman, Lord Faulkner was a teetotaler throughout his life.

Che Guevara

Originally an Argentinean Marxist revolutionary Che Guevera now seems to have been transformed into a popular icon of anti-establishment voices the world across. Following the Cuban Revolution, Guevara performed a number of key roles in the new government. These included reviewing the appeals and firing squads for those convicted as war criminals during the revolutionary tribunals, instituting agrarian land reform as minister of industries, helping spearhead a successful nationwide literacy campaign, serving as both national bank president and instructional director for Cuba’s armed forces, as well as traversing the globe as a diplomat on behalf of Cuban socialism. Guevera was himself a strict teetotaler and as part of the cultural change post revolution, he imposed a no-booze, no-gambling regime under penalty of his very severe enforcement in towns like Santa Clara in Cuba.

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Adolf Hitler

Adolph Hitler is today infamous for his dream of Aryan world conquest, his hatred of the Jewish race and his extermination camps. Nevertheless, like all major historical figures, the Fuhrer was far from a one-dimensional cartoon villain but a complex mix of qualities and nowhere is this more evident than in his avowal for healthy habits in diet and lifestyle. Like his abhorrence for meat and smoking, Hitler eschewed all alcohol. While on some level it could have been a trait of a health nut, some biographers have suggested this was more due to his dislike for sharp and sharp; Instead his palate ran to luscious cream cakes and chocolate and so he would often drink chocolate or orange juice while others enjoyed wine or beer.

Franz Kafka

One of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century, Franz Kafka is credited as being the harbinger of Existentialism as well as making significant contributions to the genre of fiction and short stories. Even as he brought in far reaching innovations in art, literature and philosophy, his personal life remain conflicted – on one hand he eschewed alcohol, was physically active, supported alternative medicine, modern education systems such as Montessori and technical novelties such as airplanes and filmS while on the other he frequently visited brothels and embarked on a string of sexual relationships. Born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kafka trained as a lawyer and later worked at an insurance firm whose monotony he thought was corrosive to his creativity. Nevertheless he achieved literary acclaim with his story collections like Contemplation, A Country Doctor and A Hunger Artist which was published after his death as were his unfinished works, including his novels Der Process, Das Schloss and Amerika .

Warren Buffet

One of the most high-profile investors of America, Buffet has consistently figured among the top three richest men in the world for many years now. At the peak of his fortunes, Buffet was estimated to have $62 billion net worth even though currently that has come down to $47 billion.  And despite his being able to afford the most expensive of liquors, he is a teetotaler. His drink of choice is apparently a strawberry milkshake even though has invested in alcohol distributors like Empire Distributors. The primary source of Buffet’s fortune however is the textile firm Berkshire Hathaway which he took over in 1965. Eventually he used the company as a vehicle to invest in varied sectors as insurance, food, utilities and recently green technology.

Bruce Lee

American actor Bruce Lee is widely considered to be one of the most influential names in the history of martial arts of all times. Apart from being a martial arts expert, instructor and philosopher, Lee was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a fusion martial arts system whose focus is on achieving maximum effect and speed with minimum movement. Lee was renowned for his physical fitness and vigorous, dedicated fitness regimen to become as strong as it was physically possible. And in keeping with his health concerns, Bruce Lee was a lifelong teetotaler. Lee was a big proponent of total fitness workouts that combined strength, cardiovascular, endurance and flexibility training. He tried traditional bodybuilding techniques to build big muscles or acquire mass. The weight training program that Lee practiced included placing heavy emphasis on his arms, developing abdominal muscles, running and cycling. The legacy of Bruce Lee’s fitness regime is evident in the way his methods are still used today in programs like P90X and Insanity.