Great White Father

noun

, Facetious.

1. the president of the U.S.
2. any man who holds a position of great authority.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Great White Father¹

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; after the epithet supposedly used for the U.S. president by American Indians in the 19th century

Example Sentences

Maraniss states that he was a victim of the harmful myth “that the Great White Father knows best.”

From Washington Post

“Some day this oil will go and there will be no more fat checks every few months from the Great White Father,” a chief of the Osage said in 1928.

From Literature

The Roosevelt statue casts the 26th president astride a steed, in the role of “great white father”.

From The Guardian

Stern says he didn’t want to come off as “some great white father,” but he asked the people he worked with what they saw when they looked at their audiences.

From Los Angeles Times

He also described Puerto Rico as having an incompetent government and a population that was “sitting and waiting for the Great White Father to come take care of them” after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

From Seattle Times