https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multilingual_presidents_of_the_United_States
Just found this really interesting chart on the multi-language abilities of US presidents. Interesting first of all in how few languages modern presidents speak. But also I was surprised at how popular Latin and Greek were among early presidents. Why was this? Was this just something you did to show off your educated status? Or was this something actually useful to presidents of the time?
Knowledge of Greek and Latin was a fundamental of a classical education. It's not to "show off" their educated status, per se, but just a part of being educated. It allowed them to read classical works of literature in their original language, which would also be part of their education. In fact, admission to universities like Harvard required passing a test which included Greek and Latin.