George Washington
Commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Washington became the first President of the United States. He established foundational precedents for the executive branch, voluntarily stepped down after two terms, and warned against political factionalism in his celebrated Farewell Address.
John Adams
A leading Founding Father and first Vice President, Adams served as the nation's second president. He navigated tense relations with France, signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and was the first president to reside in the White House, peacefully transferring power to Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson
Principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson doubled the nation's size through the Louisiana Purchase and commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A champion of religious freedom and limited government, he founded the University of Virginia and remains one of America's most intellectually influential leaders.
James Madison
Known as the "Father of the Constitution," Madison was instrumental in drafting both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He led the country through the War of 1812, during which the White House was burned by British forces, and helped shape early American democracy.
James Monroe
Monroe's presidency is remembered as the "Era of Good Feelings," marked by national unity and westward expansion. He articulated the Monroe Doctrine, warning European powers against further colonization in the Americas, a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy that endured for over a century.
John Quincy Adams
Son of President John Adams, he won the presidency in a disputed election decided by the House. A strong advocate for infrastructure and education, he later served in Congress, where he became a fierce opponent of slavery and argued before the Supreme Court in the Amistad case.
Andrew Jackson
A war hero from the Battle of New Orleans, Jackson championed the "common man" and expanded democratic participation. His presidency was marked by the controversial Indian Removal Act, the forced Trail of Tears, and his fierce battle against the Second Bank of the United States.
Martin Van Buren
The first president born as a U.S. citizen, Van Buren was a skilled political organizer who helped build the Democratic Party. His presidency was overshadowed by the Panic of 1837, a severe economic depression, and he faced criticism for his handling of the ongoing Cherokee removal.
William Henry Harrison
A military hero celebrated for the Battle of Tippecanoe, Harrison delivered the longest inaugural address in U.S. history on a cold, wet day without a hat or coat. He contracted pneumonia and died just 31 days into office, making his the shortest presidency in American history.
John Tyler
Ascending to the presidency upon Harrison's death, Tyler firmly established the precedent of full presidential succession. Nicknamed "His Accidency," he was expelled from the Whig Party and governed without a party. He annexed Texas and later served in the Confederate Congress during the Civil War.
James K. Polk
One of the most consequential one-term presidents, Polk fulfilled his campaign promises by acquiring Oregon, California, and the Southwest through the Mexican-American War. He expanded the nation dramatically but left office exhausted and died just three months after his term ended at age 53.
Zachary Taylor
A celebrated general from the Mexican-American War, Taylor was a political novice who surprisingly opposed the expansion of slavery despite being a slaveholder himself. He died after just 16 months in office, possibly from acute gastroenteritis, before the sectional crisis over slavery could be resolved.
Millard Fillmore
Succeeding Taylor, Fillmore signed the Compromise of 1850, including the controversial Fugitive Slave Act, attempting to preserve the Union. He opened Japan to Western trade by sending Commodore Perry's expedition. His support for the Fugitive Slave Act alienated Northern Whigs and effectively ended his political career.
Franklin Pierce
Pierce's presidency was dominated by the escalating slavery debate. He signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise and ignited violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas." Widely regarded as a weak president, he failed to prevent the nation's drift toward civil war.
James Buchanan
Often ranked among the worst presidents, Buchanan failed to take decisive action as Southern states seceded following Lincoln's election. He believed secession was illegal but also that the federal government lacked authority to stop it, leaving a nation in crisis for his successor to inherit.
Abraham Lincoln
Widely regarded as America's greatest president, Lincoln guided the nation through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in Confederate states. His Gettysburg Address redefined the war's purpose. He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth just days after the war's end.
Andrew Johnson
Succeeding Lincoln, Johnson clashed bitterly with Congress over Reconstruction policy, favoring leniency toward Southern states. He became the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives, though he was acquitted by the Senate by a single vote. His presidency is largely viewed as a failure.
Ulysses S. Grant
The Union's greatest Civil War general, Grant's presidency was tarnished by widespread corruption scandals, though he himself was considered personally honest. He vigorously enforced civil rights for Black Americans and fought the Ku Klux Klan. His memoirs, written while dying of cancer, are literary masterpieces.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Hayes won the disputed 1876 election through a political compromise that effectively ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South. He championed civil service reform and opposed political patronage. His wife, "Lemonade Lucy," banned alcohol from the White House during his tenure.
James A. Garfield
A former Civil War general and congressman, Garfield was shot by a disappointed office-seeker just four months into his presidency. He lingered for 79 days before dying, largely from infections caused by his doctors' unsanitary probing of the wound. His death accelerated civil service reform.
Chester A. Arthur
Ascending after Garfield's assassination, Arthur surprised critics by championing the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which established merit-based federal employment. A former product of New York's patronage machine, he transformed into a reformer. He was also known for his impeccable fashion sense and gourmet tastes.
Grover Cleveland
The first Democrat elected after the Civil War, Cleveland was known for his fierce independence and opposition to corruption. He vetoed hundreds of bills he deemed wasteful or unconstitutional. He lost re-election to Benjamin Harrison in 1888 despite winning the popular vote, becoming the 22nd president.
Benjamin Harrison
Grandson of President William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison presided over the admission of six new states to the Union. He signed the Sherman Antitrust Act and the McKinley Tariff. His administration saw significant expansion of the Navy and the beginning of a more assertive foreign policy.
Grover Cleveland
The only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, Cleveland returned to office as the 24th president. His second term was dominated by the severe Panic of 1893. He controversially used federal troops to break the Pullman Strike and resisted calls to annex Hawaii, prioritizing constitutional principles.
William McKinley
McKinley led the U.S. to victory in the Spanish-American War, acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. He championed high protective tariffs and the gold standard, presiding over a period of economic prosperity. He was assassinated by an anarchist in Buffalo, New York, in 1901.
Theodore Roosevelt
The youngest president at 42, Roosevelt was a dynamic reformer who busted trusts, regulated railroads, and championed conservation, establishing numerous national parks. A Nobel Peace Prize winner for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, he embodied the "strenuous life" and transformed the presidency into a powerful national platform.
William Howard Taft
The only person to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Taft continued Roosevelt's trust-busting but was considered more conservative. His split with Roosevelt led to the formation of the Progressive Party, dividing Republican votes and handing the 1912 election to Woodrow Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson
Wilson led the U.S. through World War I and championed the League of Nations, though the Senate refused to ratify it. He implemented major progressive reforms including the Federal Reserve and the income tax. He suffered a debilitating stroke while campaigning for the League, leaving his wife to manage affairs.
Warren G. Harding
Harding won by a landslide promising a "return to normalcy" after WWI. His administration was plagued by the Teapot Dome scandal, one of the worst corruption affairs in U.S. history, though Harding himself may not have been directly involved. He died in office in 1923, likely of a heart attack.
Calvin Coolidge
Known as "Silent Cal" for his reserved demeanor, Coolidge presided over the prosperous Roaring Twenties. He believed in minimal government intervention and reduced federal spending. His laissez-faire economic policies are often cited as contributing factors to the Great Depression that followed shortly after he left office.
Herbert Hoover
A brilliant engineer and humanitarian administrator, Hoover was overwhelmed by the Great Depression that began shortly after his inauguration. His insistence on voluntary solutions and opposition to direct federal relief made him deeply unpopular. The shantytowns that sprang up across the country were mockingly called "Hoovervilles."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only president elected four times, FDR led the nation through both the Great Depression and World War II. His New Deal programs transformed the role of the federal government, and his fireside radio chats reassured a frightened nation. He died in office in April 1945, just before Germany's surrender.
Harry S. Truman
Succeeding FDR, Truman made the fateful decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending WWII. He oversaw the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the creation of NATO, and the Korean War. His upset victory in 1948 is one of the greatest surprises in electoral history.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII, "Ike" presided over a period of Cold War tension and domestic prosperity. He oversaw the Interstate Highway System, warned against the "military-industrial complex," and sent federal troops to enforce school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.
John F. Kennedy
The youngest elected president and first Catholic, JFK navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing the world back from the brink of nuclear war. He launched the Peace Corps and committed the nation to reaching the Moon. His assassination in Dallas in 1963 shocked the world and defined a generation.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Succeeding Kennedy, LBJ achieved landmark Great Society legislation including the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and Medicare. However, his escalation of the Vietnam War destroyed his presidency. Facing massive anti-war protests, he chose not to seek re-election in 1968, leaving a deeply divided nation.
Richard Nixon
Nixon opened diplomatic relations with China and pursued détente with the Soviet Union. He ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam and created the EPA. However, the Watergate scandal — a cover-up of a political break-in — led to his resignation in 1974, the only president ever to resign from office.
Gerald Ford
The only president never elected as either president or vice president, Ford assumed office after Nixon's resignation. His controversial pardon of Nixon cost him significant public support. He navigated the fall of Saigon and presided over a struggling economy, narrowly losing the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter.
Jimmy Carter
Carter brokered the historic Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. His presidency was hampered by the Iran hostage crisis and an energy crisis. After leaving office, he became one of America's most admired ex-presidents, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his humanitarian work worldwide.
Ronald Reagan
The "Great Communicator," Reagan revitalized American conservatism, cutting taxes, increasing defense spending, and confronting the Soviet Union. His policies, dubbed "Reaganomics," reshaped the American economy. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 and is credited by many with accelerating the end of the Cold War.
George H.W. Bush
A decorated WWII pilot and former CIA director, Bush skillfully managed the end of the Cold War and led a broad international coalition to victory in the Gulf War. His "read my lips: no new taxes" pledge, later broken, contributed to his defeat by Bill Clinton in 1992.
Bill Clinton
Clinton presided over the longest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history, achieving budget surpluses. He signed NAFTA and the Brady Bill and oversaw NATO's intervention in the Balkans. He was impeached by the House over the Monica Lewinsky scandal but was acquitted by the Senate and remained popular.
George W. Bush
Bush led the nation's response to the September 11 attacks, launching wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His presidency was defined by the War on Terror, the controversial PATRIOT Act, and the catastrophic federal response to Hurricane Katrina. The 2008 financial crisis erupted in the final months of his term.
Barack Obama
The first African American president, Obama inherited the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. He passed the Affordable Care Act, ordered the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and negotiated the Paris Climate Agreement. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, early in his first term.
Donald Trump
A real estate mogul and television personality, Trump won a stunning upset in 2016. His presidency featured significant tax cuts, immigration restrictions, and trade wars with China. He was impeached twice by the House — over Ukraine and the January 6th Capitol riot — but acquitted by the Senate both times.
Joe Biden
The oldest person elected president, Biden defeated Trump in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversaw vaccine distribution, passed major infrastructure and climate legislation, and led Western support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion. He withdrew from the 2024 race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
Donald Trump
Returning to the presidency after his 2020 defeat, Trump became the first U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland. His second term began with sweeping executive orders on immigration, energy policy, and federal workforce restructuring, continuing his "America First" agenda on both domestic and foreign policy fronts.