List of Presidents of the United States of America

The President of the United States is the head of state and government, overseeing the executive branch of the federal government and serving as the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. Since the office was established in 1789, 45 men have served in 46 presidencies. The officeholder is indirectly elected to a four-year term through the Electoral College, and the position is one of the most powerful in the world, influencing national and global policies. This article provides a detailed overview of the U.S. Presidency, its historical context, and a look at the individual presidents who have shaped the course of American history.

List of Presidents of the United States of America

No.	Name	Birth–Death	Term	Party	Election	Vice President
1	George Washington	1732–1799	April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797	Unaffiliated	1788–1789, 1792	John Adams
2	John Adams	1735–1826	March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801	Federalist	1796	Thomas Jefferson
3	Thomas Jefferson	1743–1826	March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809	Democratic-Republican	1800, 1804	Aaron Burr, George Clinton
4	James Madison	1751–1836	March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817	Democratic-Republican	1808, 1812	George Clinton, Elbridge Gerry
5	James Monroe	1758–1831	March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825	Democratic-Republican	1816, 1820	Daniel D. Tompkins
6	John Quincy Adams	1767–1848	March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829	Democratic-Republican	1824	John C. Calhoun
7	Andrew Jackson	1767–1845	March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837	Democratic	1828, 1832	John C. Calhoun, Martin Van Buren
8	Martin Van Buren	1782–1862	March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841	Democratic	1836	Richard Mentor Johnson
9	William Henry Harrison	1773–1841	March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841	Whig	1840	John Tyler
10	John Tyler	1790–1862	April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845	Whig, Unaffiliated	–	Vacant
11	James K. Polk	1795–1849	March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849	Democratic	1844	George M. Dallas
12	Zachary Taylor	1784–1850	March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850	Whig	1848	Millard Fillmore
13	Millard Fillmore	1800–1874	July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853	Whig	–	Vacant
14	Franklin Pierce	1804–1869	March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857	Democratic	1852	William R. King
15	James Buchanan	1791–1868	March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861	Democratic	1856	John C. Breckinridge
16	Abraham Lincoln	1809–1865	March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865	Republican, National Union	1860, 1864	Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson
17	Andrew Johnson	1808–1875	April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869	National Union, Democratic	–	Vacant
18	Ulysses S. Grant	1822–1885	March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877	Republican	1868, 1872	Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson
19	Rutherford B. Hayes	1822–1893	March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881	Republican	1876	William A. Wheeler
20	James A. Garfield	1831–1881	March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881	Republican	1880	Chester A. Arthur
21	Chester A. Arthur	1829–1886	September 19, 1881 – March 4, 1885	Republican	–	Vacant
22	Grover Cleveland	1837–1908	March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889	Democratic	1884	Thomas A. Hendricks
23	Benjamin Harrison	1833–1901	March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893	Republican	1888	Levi P. Morton
24	Grover Cleveland	1837–1908	March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897	Democratic	1892	Adlai Stevenson I
25	William McKinley	1843–1901	March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901	Republican	1896, 1900	Garret Hobart, Theodore Roosevelt
26	Theodore Roosevelt	1858–1919	September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909	Republican	–	Charles W. Fairbanks
27	William Howard Taft	1857–1930	March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913	Republican	1908	James S. Sherman
28	Woodrow Wilson	1856–1924	March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921	Democratic	1912, 1916	Thomas R. Marshall
29	Warren G. Harding	1865–1923	March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923	Republican	1920	Calvin Coolidge
30	Calvin Coolidge	1872–1933	August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929	Republican	–	Vacant
31	Herbert Hoover	1874–1964	March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933	Republican	1928	Charles Curtis
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	1882–1945	March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945	Democratic	1932, 1936, 1940, 1944	John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Harry S. Truman
33	Harry S. Truman	1884–1972	April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953	Democratic	–	Alben W. Barkley
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	1890–1969	January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961	Republican	1952, 1956	Richard Nixon
35	John F. Kennedy	1917–1963	January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963	Democratic	1960	Lyndon B. Johnson
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	1908–1973	November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969	Democratic	–	Hubert Humphrey
37	Richard Nixon	1913–1994	January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974	Republican	1968, 1972	Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford
38	Gerald Ford	1913–2006	August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977	Republican	–	Nelson Rockefeller
39	Jimmy Carter	1924–	January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981	Democratic	1976	Walter Mondale
40	Ronald Reagan	1911–2004	January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989	Republican	1980, 1984	George H. W. Bush
41	George H. W. Bush	1924–2018	January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993	Republican	1988	Dan Quayle
42	Bill Clinton	1946–	January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001	Democratic	1992, 1996	Al Gore
43	George W. Bush	1946–	January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009	Republican	2000, 2004	Dick Cheney
44	Barack Obama	1961–	January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017	Democratic	2008, 2012	Joe Biden
45	Donald Trump	1946–	January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021	Republican	2016	Mike Pence
46	Joe Biden	1942–	January 20, 2021 – Present	Democratic	2020	Kamala Harris
47	Donald Trump	1946–	11 November-Present	Republican	2024	–

The Office of the U.S. President: An Overview

The presidency was created by the Constitution of the United States and has evolved significantly over the centuries. The president leads the executive branch, ensuring the enforcement of federal laws, managing national affairs, and representing the U.S. in diplomatic matters.

The Role and Powers of the President
As head of state and government, the U.S. president wields substantial power, which includes:

Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
Overseeing the executive branch of the government
The ability to sign or veto legislation passed by Congress
Appointing federal judges, including Supreme Court justices
Conducting diplomacy with foreign governments

The presidency has changed and adapted to meet the needs of the times, with significant historical moments affecting the role, such as the Twenty-second Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms, and the Twenty-fifth Amendment, which clarifies the line of succession in case of death, resignation, or incapacity.