American Presidents
George Washington
(1) 1789-1797 The first President unified the new nation and shaped the chief executive's duties. He refused to run for a third term.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
(34) 1953-1961 A former World War II general and hero, he helped end the Korean War and steered a moderate course during the Cold War.
John Tyler
(10) 1841-1845 He had 15 children, more than any President. He was expected to be a passive "acting President" while he finished Harrison's term. But he refused to be passive. He made enemies in Congress and was the first President to be threatened with impeachment. The effort failed.
James Polk
(11) 1845-1849 He is the only President to have served as Speaker of the House. He was the first "dark horse" or little-known nominee to become President. He presided over the Mexican War, which added Texas, California, and other territory to the United States.
Zachary Taylor
(12) 1849-1850 He won fame as a general in the Mexican War. His soldiers called him "Old Rough and Ready." He threatened to use force to keep the South from leaving the Union. After his death, a compromise allowed slavery to continue in the South.
Millard Fillmore
(13) 1850-1853 He approved the Compromise of 1850, allowing slavery in the South. But neither the North nor the South was happy with it, and he was blamed for the law's failure.
Franklin Pierce
(14) 1853-1857 His wife hated Washington, D.C., so much, that she fainted when she found out he had been nominated for President.
James Buchanan
(15) 1857-1861 He was the only bachelor to ever serve in the White House. He tried in vain to find a compromise to keep the South from seceding from the Union, but failed.
Abraham Lincoln
(16) 1861-1865 He led the Union into the Civil War to preserve the nation and end slavery. He was assassinated just five days after the Confederate armies surrendered. Polls show that he is the most admired President
Andrew Johnson
(17) 1865-1869 Succeeding Lincoln, Johnson found himself in bitter battles with Congress over Reconstruction. He was impeached and tried by the Senate, but was acquitted by one vote. He was the only southern senator to stay loyal to the Union.
Ulysses S. Grant
(18) 1869-1877 He was the top Union military hero of the Civil War. His two terms were marred by scandals. His name was changed due to an error on his application. He liked his initials so much that he kept that name
Rutherford Hayes
(19) 1877-1881 He is one of only three Presidents to lose the popular vote but win the office. He won the election by one electoral vote. His wife, Lucy, was the first First Lady to graduate from college.
John Adams
(2) 1797-1801 He was the first president to live in the White House.
James Garfield
(20) 1881 He set out to reform the "spoils system" by which politicians gave their friends low-level political offices. He was assassinated by a disappointed office seeker. He was the first left-handed President.
Chester Arthur
(21) 1881-1885 He was unknown before being elected, but surprised people by being honest and responsible. He helped create the Civil Service. As a lawyer, he defended a black woman who had been abused on a streetcar. He won the case, which led the streetcar companies to integrate.
Grover Cleveland
(22) 1885-1889 He is the only President to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. He expanded the Civil Service and ended wasteful government programs. But an economic depression wrecked his second term
Benjamin Harrison
(23) 1889-1893 He was caught between reformers who were fighting the spoils system and those who wanted to continue it, and was defeated after one term. His grandfather was President William Henry Harrison.
Grover Cleveland
(24) 1893-1897 He is the only President to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. He expanded the Civil Service and ended wasteful government programs. But an economic depression wrecked his second term
William McKinley
(25) 1897-1901 He led the United States during the Spanish-American War. The United States won several important overseas colonies. Only moments after handing a girl his "lucky" red carnation, he was assassinated
Theodore Roosevelt
(26) 1901-1909 He was one of the most activist Presidents. His many accomplishments included the building of the Panama Canal, cracking down on business monopolies, and creating many national parks. He was the first President to visit a foreign country while in office.
William Howard Taft
(27) 1909-1913 He continued many of Roosevelt's policies. A conservative, he alienated the progressive wing of his party and lost reelection. He is the only President who became a Supreme Court Justice.
Woodrow Wilson
(28) 1913-1921 After initially opposing World War I (1914-1918), He led the United States into the war and drafted the peace plan that ended it. Wilson then fought to create the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations. He was the first President to hold a news conference.
Warren G. Harding
(29) 1921-1923 He died in office, just as massive corruption in the Teapot Dome scandal was about to become public. Harding's election was the first in which women voted.
Thomas Jefferson
(3) 1801-1809 Considered the most brilliant president who wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was an architect, farmer and scientist
Calvin Coolidge
(30) 1923-1929 His term was marked by economic prosperity. However, he ignored signs that the stock market was likely to collapse.
Herbert Hoover
(31) 1929-1933 The stock market crashed a few months into his term. The Great Depression that followed was widely and some say unfairly blamed on him.
Franklin Roosevelt
(32) 1933-1945 He led the nation during the Great Depression of the 1930s and to victory in World War II (1941-1945). He also greatly expanded the size and role of the federal government through his New Deal social programs. He is the only President elected four times.
Harry S. Truman
(33) 1945-1953 He made the fateful decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. World War II ended days later. Truman also led the United States during the Korean War (1950-1953).
John F. Kennedy
(35) 1961-1963 In 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union hovered on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He eventually forced the Soviets to back down. He was assassinated in the third year of his term
Lyndon B. Johnson
(36) 1963-1969 He passed sweeping antipoverty and civil rights programs. However, he also involved the United States in the unpopular Vietnam War. Antiwar protests caused him to drop a reelection bid. He was sworn into office on an airplane after the Kennedy assassination.
Richard Nixon
(37) 1969-1974 During his first term, he improved relations with the Soviet Union and China and wound down the Vietnam War. But the Watergate scandal forced Nixon to resign before Congress could impeach him. He is the only U.S. President in history to resign his office.
Gerald Ford
(38) 1974-1977 He became Vice President after Nixon's Vice President resigned in disgrace, and President after Nixon resigned. His pardon of Nixon was unpopular, probably costing him reelection. He is the only President never elected President or Vice President.
James Carter
(39) 1977-1981 He had success promoting Middle East peace. But soaring oil prices, high inflation, and the Iran hostage crisis made him look weak and ineffectual. Since leaving office, he has traveled the world doing charity work.
James Madison
(4) 1809-1817 He is considered the father of the Bill of Rights. He presided over the War of 1812 with Britain, during which the White House was burned. The war ended in a draw.
Ronald Reagan
(40) 1981-1989 He is credited with reviving national pride after the turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s. He enjoyed great popularity, though his conservative policies were controversial. He is the only President to survive after being wounded by a would-be assassin.
George H. W. Bush
(41) 1989-1993 During his term, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. He also led the United States in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. But economic troubles at home cost him his reelection bid. He was the first sitting Vice President to be elected President since Martin Van Buren.
Bill Clinton
(42) 1993-2001 He achieved goals such as passage of the NAFTA trade agreement and cuts in the budget deficit. But his popularity was uneven and his second term was marred by scandal.
George W. Bush
(43) 2001-2009 Just eight months after being sworn in, President had to unite a mournful country after the September 11th terrorist attacks. A self-proclaimed wartime commander-in-chief, like his father, led the United States into war against Iraq.
Barack Obama
(44) 2009-2017 He gained national recognition after he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He served as the U.S. Senator for Illinois from 2005 to 2008. He is the first African American president of the United States.
Donald Trump
(45) 2017 - Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality.
James Monroe
(5) 1817-1825 He lived out his retirement in poverty. His term is called the "Era of Good Feeling" because there was little partisan fighting. He formulated the ***** Doctrine, which declared the Americas off-limits to European meddling.
John Quincy Adams
(6) 1825-1829 He and John Quincy Adams were the first father and son to have served as Presidents. Accused of winning the White House through corruption, he was plagued by accusations of misdeeds throughout his presidency.
Andrew Jackson
(7) 1829-1837 He was the first President to ride on a train. Though he was a rich planter, he was considered the common people's friend. Dubbed "Old Hickory" because he was so tough, he greatly expanded the powers of the Presidency.
Martin Van Buren
(8) 1837-1841 He was the first President to be born an American citizen, rather than a British subject. His Presidency was marred by an economic depression that led to bank failures and food riots. He was easily defeated for reelection.
William Henry Harrison
(9) 1841 He delivered a marathon inaugural speech during which he caught a cold. He died a month later. He was the first President to die in office and he served the briefest term.
