US History/Presidents

Presidents of the United States

Although Washington was a member of the Whig Party before the Revolution, after the war he was not a member of any party, though he tended to lean toward Federalist positions. Since the formation of the Democratic-Republican party and the Federalist Party, there has always been at least one viable political party. Today the United States has a two party system. There have been many third party movements, such as Ralph Nader, and Theodore Roosevelt, but these attempts to create a three-party system have, thus far, failed.

#	President	Years in Office	Political Party	Notes
1	George Washington	1789-1797	Unaffiliated	British officer in the French and Indian War, American general, war hero in Revolution against the British. Robert E. Lee is a distant relative. The only President to have been elected without a political party. Reluctant to become president. Set many precedents in office.
2	John Adams	1797-1801	Federalist	The only Federalist Party president. First president to live in the White House. President during the Quasi-War with France.
3	Thomas Jefferson	1801-1809	Democratic-Republican	Author of the Declaration of Independence. The Louisiana Purchase occurred under his presidency.
4	James Madison	1809-1817	Democratic-Republican	President during the War of 1812. His support for the colonists which would eventually found the African nation of Liberia lead those colonists to name their capital city, Monrovia, after him.
5	James Monroe	1817-1825	Democratic-Republican	Opposed European involvement in the Americas with the Monroe Doctrine. Oversaw the Acquisition of Florida from Spain.
6	John Quincy Adams	1825-1829	Democratic-Republican	Son of former President John Adams. A skilled diplomat who played a key role as secretary of state in the previous Monroe Administration. Lost the popular vote, but won the electoral college. As president he made trade deals which greatly helped grow the US economy. Advocated the abolition of slavery after his presidency.
7	Andrew Jackson	1829-1837	Democrat	Promoted policies which lead to Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears.
8	Martin Van Buren	1837-1841	Democrat	After his presidency he became a notable abolitionist.
9	William Henry Harrison	1841	Whig	Died in office from disease on April 4th, 1841, making his presidency the shortest.
10	John Tyler	1841-1845	Democrat	Succeeded President Harrison. Following his presidency he played an important early role in the government of the Confederate States of America.
11	James Knox Polk	1845-1849	Democrat	Oversaw significant territorial expansion through the Mexican-American War and negotiations with Great Britain over the disputed Oregon territory.
12	Zachary Taylor	1849-1850	Whig	Died in Office from disease. Attempted to compromise on Slavery.
13	Millard Fillmore	1850-1853	Whig	Succeeded President Taylor. Last Whig president. Oversaw the Compromise of 1850 to attempt to ease tensions between free states and slave states. Following his presidency, he opposed secessionism.
14	Franklin Pierce	1853-1857	Democrat	Oversaw the Gadsden Purchase of territory from Mexico and the Perry Expedition that opened up Japan to trade with the outside world. Oversaw the Kansas - Nebraska Act and the resulting Bleeding Kansas event which started under his administration.
15	James Buchanan	1857-1861	Democrat	Dodged the issue of slavery and opposed a strong federal government in favor of strong state governments. Influenced the Dred Scott decision. President during the economic crisis caused by the Panic of 1857. Southern states began succeeding during his presidency, which he took little action against. The only president to have been a bachelor.
16	Abraham Lincoln	1861-1865	Republican	Attempted to preserve the Union. Lead the Union during the American Civil War. Issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Delivered the Gettysburg Address. Assassinated days after the wars end.
17	Andrew Johnson	1865-1869	Democrat	Southern Unionist who succeeded President Lincoln. Finished adopting the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery except as punishment for a crime started under Lincoln's term. Attempted to end reconstruction quickly. Impeached by House, acquitted by one vote in the Senate.
18	Hiram Ulysses Grant	1869-1877	Republican	Important Civil War general. Grant took important steps to safeguard the civil rights of African Americans during the reconstruction period, and fought against the rise of groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Though he made strides to attempt to value merit rather over nepotism, Grant's presidency was marred by corrupt officials and an economic depression caused by the Panic of 1873. Grant also established Yellowstone as the first national park.
19	Rutherford Birchard Hayes	1877-1881	Republican	Lost the popular vote but won the electoral college. He ended reconstruction and sought to make merit a key component of appointments. He tried to improve civil rights for African Americans. He attempted to assimilate Indians, which greatly damaged their culture and traditions. Did not run for re-election.
20	James Abram Garfield	1881	Republican	Garfield attempted to improve the status of African Americans, education, and meritocracy in government. However shortly into his presidency he was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau for not being awarded a consulship as a political favor.
21	Chester Alan Arthur	1881-1885	Republican	Succeeded President Garfield. Compromised with hardliner anti-immigration members of congress to reduce the length of a ban on Chinese immigration. Attempted to improve civil rights and modernize the navy, but faced significant obstacles in doing so.
22	(Stephen) Grover Cleveland	1885-1889	Democrat	The first Democrat to be elected since the civil war. Strove for merit, and notably kept Republican appointees from the previous administration who he thought were good at their job. His first term saw little concern for civil rights. Also served as the 24th President.
23	Benjamin Harrison	1889-1893	Republican	Grandson of former President William Henry Harrison. Lost the popular vote but won the electoral college. He signed the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 into law. He also tried to strive for merit in governance, and attempted to safeguard the right of African Americans to vote.
24	(Stephen) Grover Cleveland	1893-1897	Democrat	Also served as the 22nd President. The depression caused by the Panic of 1893 marred his second term. He took strong action against unions by sending the Army to end the Pullman Strike with violence.
25	William McKinley	1897-1901	Republican	Last president to have served during the American Civil War. President during the Spanish - American War. Annexed Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, as well as defacto control of Cuba. Oversaw economic growth. Assassinated by an anarchist.
26	Theodore Roosevelt	1901-1909	Republican	Succeeded President McKinley. Roosevelt had previously fought in the battle of San Juan hill. He promised Americans a "Square Deal", promoted Trust Busting, conservation of natural resources, landscapes, and historic areas, and safety in food and medical products. He successfully used gunboat diplomacy with his great white fleet to promote American Interests, and paved the way for the Panama Canal. He was Esperanto speaker, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and on the staff of National Geographic while President.
27	William Howard Taft	1909-1913	Republican	Unlike previous Republican presidents, he explicitly tried to keep African Americans out of politics. Tried to pursue "Dollar diplomacy" over military intervention. Continued Antitrust actions from Rosevelt. Many of his decisions incensed his predecessor Theodore Rosevelt, leading to the Progressives of the Republican party leaving to form the Bull Moose Party.
28	(Thomas) Woodrow Wilson	1913-1921	Democrat	After committing to avoiding involvement in the Great War, diplomatic incidents lead to him serving as President during the First World War. As president he helped establish the League of Nations after the war to prevent another such conflict, for which he received the Nobel Peace Price. However he was not able to get the United States itself to join the League, weakening it substantially. He segregated previously integrated federal offices, and the second Ku Klux Klan gained significant power during his presidency.
29	Warren Gamaliel Harding	1921-1923	Republican	Died in office
30	(John) Calvin Coolidge, Jr.	1923-1929	Republican	Succeeded President Harding
31	Herbert Clark Hoover	1929-1933	Republican	His term saw the end of the roaring twenties, and the start of the Great Depression.
32	Franklin Delano Roosevelt	1933-1945	Democrat	Lead America to recovery from the great depression, and helped repeal Prohibition. Lead America through most of World War II. Only president to serve more than two terms (he served four); Died in office
33	Harry S Truman	1945-1953	Democrat	Succeeded President Roosevelt during the final months of World War II. Lead America during the postwar era and the beginning of the Cold War. Signed the Marshall Plan into law. President during most of the fighting of the Korean War.
34	Dwight David Eisenhower	1953-1961	Republican	An important general during World War II. Eisenhower helped promote the creation of the interstate system.
35	John Fitzgerald Kennedy	1961-1963	Democrat	First Catholic President. Escalated the Vietnam War. Attempted to overthrow the communist Cuban government. President during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Established the Peace Corps. Supported domestic civil rights. Assassinated.
36	Lyndon Baines Johnson	1963-1969	Democrat	Succeeded President Kennedy. Escalated the Vietnam War. Promoted the "Great Society" and stronger civil rights protections.
37	Richard Milhous Nixon	1969-1974	Republican	Eased relations between America and China. Established the Environmental Protection Agency. Resigned over the Watergate scandal. Author of No More Vietnams and The Real War
38	Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.	1974-1977	Republican	Succeeded President Nixon, whom he controversially pardoned. The only man to become Vice President and President without involvement of the Electoral College. The Vietnam War fully ended under his presidency and he partially pardoned draft dodgers. Promoted detent with the Soviet Union and China. Though he attempted to reduce Inflation with his WIN program, the end of his presidency faced a very bad recession. Signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which helped guarantee equal access to education for students with disabilities. He supported the ultimately unsuccessful Equal Rights Amendment, which would have constitutionally guaranteed equal rights between women and men.
39	James Earl Carter, Jr.	1977-1981	Democrat	The owner of a Peanut farm, he set aside his business in a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest as president. Established the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, attempted to fight stagflation, and Fully pardoned Vietnam war draft dodgers. He promoted peace with the SALT II talks and the Camp David accords. The end of his presidential term was marked by multiple events, including The Energy Crisis, the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, and the Iranian hostage crisis. After his presidency he became a proponent of humanitarian work, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
40	Ronald Wilson Reagan	1981-1989	Republican	A former Hollywood actor, nicknamed "The Gipper". His leadership lead to a fundamental shift in American conservatism. He was tough on the Soviet Union, participating in an arms race and famously demanded the Berlin wall be torn down. His economic policies reduced taxes and inflation, but significantly increased national debt. As president he took action against unions and escalated the war on drugs. HIV/AIDS became an important issue during his presidency.
41	George Herbert Walker Bush	1989-1993	Republican	President during the reunification of Germany and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 into law which helped those with disabilities greatly. He laid the groundwork for NAFTA. He was president during the Gulf War.
42	William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton	1993-2001	Democrat	Oversaw NAFTA and reform on how the criminal justice system handled violent crimes. Oversaw US military intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo. Impeached by House, acquitted by Senate.
43	George Walker Bush	2001-2009	Republican	Son of former President George Herbert Walker Bush. Lost the popular vote in the 2000 election, but won the electoral college. Led America during the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001 and was president during the War on Terror. Spearheaded the establishment of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a major program which helped fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Near the end of his second presidential term the Great Recession began.
44	Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.	2009-2017	Democrat	First African-American president. Won the Nobel Peace prize in 2009. He used economic stimulus to fight the Great Recession, and signed the Affordable Care Act into law. He attempted to take action against Global Warming. Under his administration LGBTQ rights improved.
45	Donald John Trump	2017-2021	Republican	Lost the popular vote in the 2016 election, but won the electoral college. The only president to be impeached by House twice, and acquitted by the Senate twice. Replaced NAFTA with USMCA. Established the US Space Force. Was president during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
46	Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.	2021-Present	Democrat	Assumed Presidency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second Catholic President.

Vice Presidents of the United States of America

#	Vice President	Years in Office	Political Party	Notes
1	John Adams	1789-1797	Federalist	Second President
2	Thomas Jefferson	1797-1801	Democratic-Republican	Founder of the Democratic-Republican Party
3	Aaron Burr	1801-1805	Democratic-Republican	Shot Alexander Hamiltion in a duel. Bribed electors to vote for him, and ended up tied with Jefferson. Scandal resulted in the 12th Amendment.
4	George Clinton	1805-1812	Democratic-Republican	Died in office.
5	Elbridge Gerry	1813-1814	Democratic-Republican	Died in office.
6	Daniel D. Tompkins	1817-1825	Democratic-Republican	An entrepreneur, jurist, Congressman and Governor of New York
7	John Caldwell Calhoun	1825-1832	Democratic-Republican	A major figure in the Nullification crisis and the Petticoat Affair. Resigned near the end of his term.
8	Martin Van Buren	1833-1837	Democrat	Later became president.
9	Richard Mentor Johnson	1837-1841	Democrat	Elected by the United States Senate to the position of Vice President due to the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Opposed abolition. Took a nine month leave while vice president to operate a Tavern in Kentucky due to financial difficulties caused by the panic of 1837.
10	John Tyler	1841	Whig	Succeeded President Harrison
11	George Mifflin Dallas	1845-1849	Democrat	Supported expansionist policies.
12	Millard Fillmore	1849-1850	Whig	Succeeded President Taylor
13	William Rufus DeVane King	1853	Democrat	Died in Office, strong believer in "Manifest Destiny."
14	John Cabell Breckinridge	1857-1861	Democrat	A major candidate in the 1860 United States presidential election, and won most southern electoral college votes. Joined the Confederate army almost immediately following his vice presidency, and later served as the Confederate States Secretary of War at the end of the War.
15	Hannibal Hamlin	1861-1865	Republican	First Republican vice president. Believed his position as vice president should not exempt him from his duty in the Maine State Guard, and served during the Civil War while vice president.
16	Andrew Johnson	1865	Democrat	Succeeded President Lincoln
17	Schuyler Colfax	1869-1873	Republican	President Ulysses S. Grant and Vice President Colfax, both 46 at time of entering offices, were the youngest presidential team until election of Bill Clinton and Al Gore in 1992.
18	Henry Wilson	1873-1875	Republican	Died in Office
19	William Almon Wheeler	1877-1881	Republican	Better known for his friendship with President Hayes then his actions as vice president.
20	Chester Alan Arthur	1881	Republican	Succeeded President Garfield
21	Thomas Andrews Hendricks	1885	Democrat	Died in office
22	Levi Parsons Morton	1889-1893	Republican	Attempted to pass the Lodge Bill, which would have greatly improved access to voting for African Americans in the south. The bill was filibustered and failed to pass as a result.
23	Adlai Ewing Stevenson	1893-1897	Democrat	Nearly became president when Grover Cleveland underwent a dangerous surgery.
24	Garret Augustus Hobart	1897-1899	Republican	Died in office
25	Theodore Roosevelt	1901	Republican	Succeeded President McKinley
26	Charles Warren Fairbanks	1905-1909	Republican
27	James Schoolcraft Sherman	1909-1912	Republican	Died in office
28	Thomas Riley Marshall	1913-1921	Democrat
29	John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.	1921-1923	Republican	Succeeded President Harding
30	Charles Gates Dawes	1925-1929	Republican
31	Charles Curtis	1929-1933	Republican	First vice president with American Indian ancestry through the Kaw people.
32	John Nance Garner	1933-1941	Democrat
33	Henry Agard Wallace	1941-1945	Democrat	Worked closely with President Roosevelt on Economic and Military issues. Denounced racism and advocated good relations with the Soviet Union.
34	Harry S Truman	1945	Democrat	Succeeded President Roosevelt
35	Alben William Barkley	1949-1953	Democrat	The oldest vice president, elected at age 71. Popularized the term Veep.
36	Richard Milhous Nixon	1953-1961	Republican	Would later run for president after his term as Vice President.
37	Lyndon Baines Johnson	1961-1963	Democrat	Succeeded President Kennedy
38	Hubert Horatio Humphrey	1965-1969	Democrat	Initially opposed expanding the Vietnam war before later supporting it.
39	Spiro Theodore Agnew	1969-1973	Republican	Resigned following a scandal unrelated to Watergate.
40	Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.	1973-1974	Republican	Succeeded President Nixon
41	Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller	1974-1977	Republican	A grandson of John D. Rockefeller. The origin of the "Rockefeller Republican".
42	Walter Frederick Mondale	1977-1981	Democrat	Pursued an active role as vice president.
43	George Herbert Walker Bush	1981-1989	Republican	Would run and win election for President following his term as Vice President.
44	James Danforth "Dan" Quayle III	1989-1993	Republican	Despite making a number of notable public speaking gaffes, his Murphy Brown speech was influential. A proponent of space exploration.
45	Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.	1993-2001	Democrat	Labeled an "Atari Democrat" for his work promoting investment in emerging technologies, especially those related to computers. He ran unsuccessfully against Bush in 2000, and later won the Nobel Prize for the film "An Inconvenient Truth".
46	Richard Bruce Cheney	2001-2009	Republican	Was very active and influential in the Bush administration. Advocated "Enhanced Interrogation" techniques during the war on terror, which critics called torture. Notably broke ranks with President Bush to oppose his push to ban same sex marriage nationwide.
47	Joseph Biden	2009-2017	Democrat	Senator for the state of Delaware for 36 years. The first Roman Catholic vice president. Would later be elected as 46th President.
48	Michael Pence	2017-2021	Republican	A major figure in the Trump Administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Publicly got a vaccine to encourage other Americans to also vaccinate. Narrowly escaped during the Capitol Riot of January 6th, 2021, safeguarding his aide carrying the backup nuclear football.
49	Kamala Devi Harris	2021-Present	Democrat	First female vice president, first Asian American vice president and first African American vice president.