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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

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.

List of Presidents of the United States of America_4.1