47 Presidents of the USA – History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

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The United States of America has been led by 45 different figures, with Grover Cleveland and Donald John Trump returning to office for the second time after a four-year hiatus. Some presidents ended their terms prematurely due to assassination, death, or resignation. Others, however, served multiple terms as president. U.S. presidents have traditionally resided in the White House in Washington, D.C.

List of US Presidents from 1789 to 2025

Fun Facts About US Presidents

1. George Washington

   Born on February 22, 1732, in Bridges Creek (now Pope’s Creek), Virginia; died on December 14, 1799, in Mount Vernon, Virginia. He served as president from April 30, 1789, to March 4, 1797, without party nomination.

   George Washington refused ostentatious titles. When the presidency was being established, some suggested using flashy titles such as “Your Majesty the President.” Washington insisted on the simple address “Mr. President.” This was to emphasize the fact that the new form of government was different from the monarchy and that the president was essentially a common citizen, not a king.

2. John Adams

   Born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts; died on July 4, 1826, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He served as President from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801, nominated by the Federalist Party.

   John Adams was the first president to reside in the White House. Although it was still under construction during his presidency, it represented a significant symbol of the new nation. John Adams’ son was John Quincy Adams, who served as the sixth President of the United States from 1825 to 1829.

3. Thomas Jefferson

   Born April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia, he died July 4, 1826, in Monticello, Virginia. He served as President from March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809, nominated by the Democratic-Republican Party.

   Thomas Jefferson pushed through the purchase of the vast Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, doubling the then size of the United States. The purchase of the territory for $15 million was considered a great bargain at the time. Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson died on the same day as the previous president, John Adams.

4. James Madison

   Born March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia, he died June 28, 1836 in Montpelier, Virginia. He served as President from March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817, nominated by the Democratic-Republican Party.

   James Madison was nicknamed the “Father of the Constitution” because he played a key role in the writing and approval of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, he wrote a collection of essays, The Federalist Papers, which advocated and explained the new constitutional system.

5. James Monroe

   Born April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, he died July 4, 1831, in New York City. He served as president from March 4, 1817, to March 4, 1825, nominated by the Democratic-Republican Party.

   The president was most famous for the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which declared that any attempt by European powers to restore or extend their dominion in America would be considered a hostile act by the United States. In doing so, he laid the groundwork for future American foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.

   James Monroe was the last in a long line of presidents to come from Virginia.

6. John Quincy Adams

   Born on July 11, 1767, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, he died on February 23, 1848, in Washington, D.C. He served as President from March 4, 1825, to March 4, 1829, nominated by the Democratic-Republican Party.

   Prior to serving as President, John Quincy Adams was a diplomat in Europe, including Russia and Great Britain. He was fluent in several European languages, including French, German, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Greek.

   He participated in the 1818 treaty that defined the 49th parallel as the border with Canada.

7. Andrew Jackson

   Born March 15, 1767 in the Waxhaws area on the border between North and South Carolina, died June 8, 1845 in Hermitage, Tennessee. He served as President from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837, nominated by the Democratic Party.

   Prior to his political career, Andrew Jackson was a general and hero of the War of 1812, when he became famous for his victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson was known for his hot temper, taking part in several battles. In one of them, he was hit by a bullet, which remained in his body for the rest of his life.

8. Martin Van Buren

   Born December 5, 1782 in Kinderhook, New York, he died July 24, 1862 in Kinderhook, New York. He served as President from March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1841, nominated by the Democratic Party.

   Martin Van Buren was the first president to be born a U.S. citizen – that is, after the United States declared independence in 1776. Symbolically, he represented a new generation of American politicians, free from memories of British colonial rule. His family, however, was of Dutch descent, and Van Buren’s native language was Dutch.

9. William Henry Harrison

   Born on February 9, 1773, at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia, he died on April 4, 1841, at the White House in Washington, D.C. He served as President from March 4, 1841 to April 4, 1841, nominated by the Whig Party.

   William Henry Harrison made history by serving the shortest term ever. He took office as President at the then advanced age of 68. At his inauguration, he delivered a nearly two-hour speech in cold, rainy weather, refusing to wear his coat and hat. He fell ill shortly afterwards and died just 31 days after his inauguration. His death resulted in the clear delineation of the Vice President’s functions.

10. John Tyler

    Born March 29, 1790 in Charles City County, Virginia, he died January 18, 1862 in Richmond, Virginia. He served as President from April 4, 1841 to March 4, 1845, nominated by the Whig Party.

    John Tyler represented the first instance of taking office after the death of a sitting president. Until then, there was no clear constitutional procedure for how to handle such cases. Tyler chose to take office as the full President and not just a temporary deputy, setting an important precedent.

11. James Knox Polk

    Born on November 2, 1795, in Pineville, North Carolina, he died on June 15, 1849, in Nashville, Tennessee. He served as President from March 4, 1845, to March 4, 1849, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    During his tenure, the U.S. experienced significant territorial expansion, gaining vast territories including California, New Mexico, and Arizona. James Knox Polk also negotiated with Great Britain over the division of the Oregon Territory at the 49th parallel, fulfilling his promise to expand the U.S. “from sea to sea”. Knox Polk likely died of cholera just 103 days after leaving the presidency.

12. Zachary Taylor

    Born on November 24, 1784, in Montebello, Virginia, he died on July 9, 1850, in Washington, D.C. He served as President from March 4, 1849, to July 9, 1850, nominated by the Whig Party.

    Zachary Taylor became the second U.S. President to die while in office. During the 1850 Independence Day celebration, he likely poisoned himself with contaminated water or tainted food and suddenly fell ill. He died after suffering for several days.

13. Millard Fillmore

    Born on January 7, 1800, in Summerhill, New York; died on March 8, 1874, in Buffalo, New York. He served as President from July 9, 1850, to March 4, 1853, nominated by the Whig Party.

    The most notable achievement of his term was the signing of the Compromise of 1850. This was a package of five distinct laws designed to temporarily ease tensions between the slaveholding South and the abolitionist North. The Compromise included the highly controversial Fugitive Slave Act, which required the North to return escaped slaves to the South.

14. Franklin Pierce

    Born on November 23, 1804, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, he died on October 8, 1869, in Concord, New Hampshire. He served as President from March 4, 1853, to March 4, 1857, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Shortly before taking office, Franklin Pierce experienced a personal tragedy when his last surviving son died in a railroad accident. This loss profoundly affected both him and his wife Jane. Their grief was reflected in melancholy and passivity during his presidency.

15. James Buchanan

    Born on April 23, 1791, in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, he died on June 1, 1868, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He served as President from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1861, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    James Buchanan is the only U.S. President in history who remained unmarried during his lifetime. Although his atypical marital status for the time was the subject of curiosity and speculation, the personal affairs of the President were not as intensely discussed at the time as they are today.

16. Abraham Lincoln

    Born on February 12, 1809, in Hardin County (now Larue County), Kentucky; died on April 15, 1865, in Washington, D.C. He served as President from March 4, 1861, to April 15, 1865, nominated by the Republican Party. In the 1864 election, however, he ran for the National Union Party, a coalition of Republicans and War Democrats.

    Abraham Lincoln was the first President of the United States to be assassinated. He was assassinated by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. However, his legacy as the “Savior of the Union” and emancipator of the slaves remains significant to this day, and Lincoln is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest presidents.

17. Andrew Johnson

    Born on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and died on July 31, 1875, in Carter’s Station, Tennessee. He served as President from April 15, 1865, to March 4, 1869, nominated by the National Union Party (a coalition of the Republican Party and War Democrats).

    Andrew Johnson was the first U.S. President against whom impeachment—an attempt to remove him from office prematurely due to serious charges—was launched. Johnson came into sharp conflict with Congress and radical Republicans, who demanded broader civil rights protections.

    When Johnson removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, the House of Representatives impeached him. In a vote in the Senate, he fell one vote short of being removed as President.

18. Ulysses Simpson Grant

    Born on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio, and died on July 23, 1885, in Mount McGregor, New York. He served as President from March 4, 1869, to March 4, 1877, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Ulysses Simpson Grant was viewed by the public as a military genius and Civil War hero. He was the leading Union general who forced the Confederacy to surrender in 1865. The postwar public saw him as the savior of the nation because of his strategic and logistical skills.

19. Rutherford Birchard Hayes

    Born on October 4, 1822, in Delaware, Ohio, and died on January 17, 1893, in Fremont, Ohio. He served as President from March 4, 1877, to March 4, 1881, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Rutherford Birchard Hayes assumed office after one of the most controversial presidential elections in American history. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote that year, but the results in several states were disputed.

    The Electoral College eventually awarded the disputed votes to Hayes in exchange for a promise that federal troops would be withdrawn from the South. As a result, the status of African Americans in the Southern states deteriorated.

20. James Abram Garfield

    Born November 19, 1831, in Orange Township, Ohio; died September 19, 1881, in Elberon, New Jersey. He served as President from March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881, nominated by the Republican Party.

    James Abram Garfield lasted just under seven months in office. After less than four months in office, he was assassinated at a railroad station in Washington, D.C. by Charles J. Guiteau. President Garfield died after several months of infection, which was largely due to unprofessional medical care at the time.

21. Chester Alan Arthur

    Born on October 5, 1829, in Fairfield, Vermont, he died on November 18, 1886, in New York City. He served as President from September 19, 1881, to March 4, 1885, having been nominated by the Republican Party.

    Chester Alan Arthur became President of the United States after the assassination of Garfield, at which time he had been Vice President for only six months. Arthur placed great emphasis on modernizing the Navy, which had become very outdated after the Civil War. He began building new steel vessels, which laid the foundation for the modern U.S. Navy.

22. Grover Cleveland

    Born on March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey, he died on June 24, 1908, in Princeton, New Jersey. He served his first term from March 4, 1885, to March 4, 1889, having been nominated by the Democratic Party.

    In 1886, Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom, 27 years his junior, in the Blue Room of the White House. Thus, he became the first American president to hold a wedding on the White House grounds.

23. Benjamin Harrison

    Born on August 20, 1833, in North Bend, Ohio, he died on March 13, 1901, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He served as President from March 4, 1889 to March 4, 1893, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of the ninth President of the United States, William Henry Harrison. While this family connection piqued the public’s interest, Benjamin Harrison nevertheless sought to assert himself independently and avoid benefiting in any way from his grandfather’s name. He made his mark on history with a cool and detached manner that was not as charismatic as some of his predecessors.

24. Grover Cleveland

    Born March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey, he died June 24, 1908, in Princeton, New Jersey. He served a second term from March 4, 1893 to March 4, 1897, again nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Grover Cleveland was the first U.S. president to serve two presidential terms that were not immediately consecutive. After losing the 1888 presidential election, he returned to the White House in 1893. Cleveland is listed as both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, which causes confusion in the overall numbering.

25. William McKinley

    Born January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio, died September 14, 1901 in Buffalo, New York. He served as President from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901, nominated by the Republican Party.

    William McKinley is one of the American presidents who died as a result of assassination. He was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the 1901 World’s Fair in Buffalo, and McKinley died a few days later. His death opened the door to the presidency for a young and energetic Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt.

26. Theodore Roosevelt

    Born on October 27, 1858, in New York City, he died on January 6, 1919, in Oyster Bay, New York. He served as President from September 14, 1901 to March 4, 1909, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Theodore Roosevelt was an avid nature lover. During his administration, numerous national parks, preserves, and wildlife refuges were established, and he was instrumental in founding the U.S. Forest Service, which manages federal forests. At the time, it represented a pioneering approach to protecting natural resources. Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota was created in his honor.

27. William Howard Taft

    Born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he died on March 8, 1930, in Washington, D.C. He served as President from March 4, 1909 to March 4, 1913, nominated by the Republican Party.

    William Howard Taft is the only president to become Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court after the end of his term (1921-1930). Historically, this combination of offices is unique and highlights the fact that William Howard Taft was more of a lawyer and judge than a politician in the classical sense. He was also notable for his robust stature, weighing approximately 331 lb.

28. Woodrow Wilson

    Born December 28, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia, he died February 3, 1924, in Washington, D.C. He served as President from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1921, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Woodrow Wilson initially maintained neutrality during World War I; however, in 1917, he sided with the Allies and brought the United States into the war. After the victory, he pushed for the creation of the League of Nations to prevent further global conflicts.

    At the end of his term, Wilson suffered a stroke and was partially paralyzed. He was represented by his wife Edith in his communications with the cabinet, raising speculation in the last months of office about the extent of the president’s control over the government.

29. Warren Gamaliel Harding

    Born on November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio, he died on August 2, 1923, in San Francisco, California. He served as President from March 4, 1921 to August 2, 1923, nominated by the Republican Party.

    President Harding’s presidency was marred by numerous corruption scandals. The most famous of these is Teapot Dome, when Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall illegally leased federal oil fields to private companies in exchange for bribes. Although Warren Gamaliel Harding was not directly involved in the scandals, his reputation was significantly damaged due to poor choices of associates.

30. Calvin Coolidge

    Born on July 4, 1872, in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, he died on January 5, 1933, in Northampton, Massachusetts. He served as President from August 2, 1923 to March 4, 1929, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Calvin Coolidge was nicknamed “Silent Cal” because he was known for being soft-spoken and reserved. While in office, he advocated minimal government intervention in the economy, which led to short-term prosperity, but the lack of market oversight was later reflected in the Great Depression. After leaving office, he lived in seclusion and died less than five years later.

31. Herbert Clark Hoover

    Born on August 10, 1874, in West Branch, Iowa, he died on October 20, 1964, in New York City. He served as President from March 4, 1929, to March 4, 1933, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Prior to assuming the presidency, Herbert Clark Hoover was a respected mining engineer and humanitarian. During World War I, he organized massive food aid for Europe, which brought him significant worldwide renown. The famous Hoover Dam near Las Vegas bears the name of the 31st President of the United States.

32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

    Born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, he died on April 12, 1945, in Warm Springs, Georgia. He served as president from March 4, 1933, to April 12, 1945, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only U.S. President to be elected to four terms (1933, 1936, 1940, and 1944). This string of victories reflected the nation’s confidence in his leadership during the Depression and World War II. After his death, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was passed, limiting the presidency to two terms. Roosevelt had suffered from polio since 1921 and was partially paralyzed, which he largely hid from the public.

33. Harry S. Truman

    Born May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri, he died December 26, 1972, in Kansas City, Missouri. He served as president from April 12, 1945, to January 20, 1953, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Harry S. Truman made the decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 (just a few months after taking office), bringing the end of World War II closer. On the one hand, his decision saved many American lives; on the other, it cost the lives of tens of thousands of Japanese civilians and ushered in the era of nuclear armament.

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower

    Born October 14, 1890 in Denison, Texas, he died March 28, 1969 in Washington, D.C. He served as president from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Dwight D. Eisenhower served as commander of Allied forces in Europe during World War II. He earned great recognition as the Supreme Allied Commander during the 1944 Normandy landings, which contributed significantly to his landslide victory in the presidential election. Eisenhower advocated a policy of deterrence through nuclear weapons.

35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy

    Born May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts, he died November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. He served as President from January 20, 1961 to November 22, 1963, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    At the age of 43, John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the youngest elected President of the United States; at the same time, he was the first Catholic in office. Kennedy died in November 1963 as a result of an assassination that has become one of the most debated events in American history, fueled by a number of conspiracy theories.

36. Lyndon Baines Johnson

    Born on August 27, 1908, in Stonewall, Texas, he died on January 22, 1973, in Stonewall, Texas. He served as President from November 22, 1963, to January 20, 1969, representing the Democratic Party.

    Lyndon Baines Johnson pursued an ambitious agenda aimed at eliminating poverty and racial inequality in American society. He passed the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965), introduced Medicare and Medicaid, and promoted education and housing for the poor.

    However, his tenure is also associated with the escalation of the Vietnam War, during which he sent hundreds of thousands of American soldiers. As a result of the Vietnam debacle, he decided not to seek a second term.

37. Richard Milhous Nixon

    Born January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California, he died April 22, 1994 in New York City. He served as President from January 20, 1969 to August 9, 1974, nominated by the Republican Party.

    President Nixon’s tenure was marked by the Watergate affair, during which the Democratic Party headquarters were broken into. In 1972, it was revealed that individuals connected to Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign were behind the incident. Subsequent investigations further revealed widespread abuse of power, corruption and attempts to cover up leads and destroy evidence.

    Public pressure eventually forced Richard Nixon to release the White House tapes that revealed his involvement in the cover-up. When the House of Representatives and Senate threatened to impeach Nixon, he preferred to resign as president himself in August 1974.

38. Gerald Rudolph Ford

    Born July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska, he died December 26, 2006 in Rancho Mirage, California. He served as President from August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Gerald Rudolph Ford is still the only U.S. President to become President without running for the office of President or Vice President. Ford first became Vice President in December 1973, when Spiro Agnew resigned from the position due to revelations of tax evasion. He then became president in August 1974 when Richard Milhous Nixon resigned over the Watergate affair.

39. James Earl “Jimmy” Carter

    He was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, and died on December 29, 2024, in Plains, Georgia. He served as President from January 20, 1977 to January 20, 1981, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Jimmy Carter’s greatest achievement is considered to be the Camp David Accords of 1978, when he brought Israel and Egypt to the negotiating table. At that time, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country.

40. Ronald Wilson Reagan

    Born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, he died June 5, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. He served as President from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Ronald Wilson Reagan took a hard line against the USSR, which he referred to as the “Evil Empire”. During his tenure, he initiated extensive weapons programs, including the Strategic Defense Initiative, which led to the weakening of the Soviet Union and the gradual end of the Cold War.

    In his first months in office in 1981, Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt. He recovered from his injuries and won public sympathy for his resilience and sense of humour.

41. George Herbert Walker Bush

    George H. W. Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, and died on November 30, 2018, in Houston, Texas. He served as President from January 20, 1989, to January 20, 1993, as the Republican Party nominee.

    George H. W. Bush was President during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. He responded calmly and pragmatically, supporting German reunification and the START I nuclear disarmament agreement with Gorbachev. His popularity surged after his swift victory with minimal losses in the 1991 Gulf War.

    Despite his foreign policy successes, he lost the 1992 Presidential election to Bill Clinton. The main reasons for his loss were domestic economic difficulties and his failure to keep a tax pledge.

42. William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton

    William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, and is still alive. He served as President from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Bill Clinton’s term in office was marked by strong economic growth, declining unemployment and a balanced federal budget. Clinton expanded NATO to include Central and Eastern European countries. His reputation was damaged by the Monica Lewinsky affair, during which he committed perjury and faced impeachment.

43. George Walker Bush

    George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, and is still alive. He served as President from 20 January 2001 to 20 January 2009, nominated by the Republican Party.

    George W. Bush’s term in office was defined by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as a result of which he launched the War on Terror. He authorized the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, followed by the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Both of these wars have significantly shaped American foreign policy in the early 21st century.

    George W. Bush is the son of the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush.

44. Barack Hussein Obama

    Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is still alive. He served as President from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017, nominated by the Democratic Party.

    Barack Hussein Obama became the first African American president of the United States of America. During his administration, a controversial health reform, dubbed Obamacare, was passed, extending health insurance to millions of previously uninsured Americans. During Obama’s tenure, special forces eliminated Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

45. Donald John Trump

    He was born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York, and is still alive. He served his first term as President from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021, nominated by the Republican Party.

    Donald John Trump is one of the few U.S. Presidents who had no political or military experience at the time of his election. He was known to the public until then mainly as a businessman and media personality, as a result of which he was considered a political outsider. His election as president in 2016 largely reflected the dissatisfaction of a section of the electorate with traditional politics.

46. Joseph “Joe” Robinette Biden, Jr.

    He was born on November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is still alive. He is serving as President from January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2025, and was nominated by the Democratic Party.

    At the age of 78 in 2021, Joe Biden became the oldest President to take office in U.S. history at that time. He was surpassed only by Donald Trump, who was six months older, during his second term in 2025. Joe Biden gained his vast political experience during his long tenure in the Senate and during his eight years as Vice President in the Barack Obama administration.

47. Donald John Trump

    He was born on June 14, 1946 in Queens, New York and is still living. Donald Trump’s second term begins on Monday, January 20, 2025. He was nominated again by the Republican Party.

    Along with Grover Cleveland, Donald Trump is the only U.S. President to have been elected twice, with someone else holding the office between the two terms.