Contents

List of presidents of the United States

The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States,^[1] indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College.^[2] The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.^[3] Since the office was established in 1789, 45 men have served in 46 presidencies. The first president, George Washington, won a unanimous vote of the Electoral College.^[4] Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is therefore counted as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, giving rise to the discrepancy between the number of presidencies and the number of individuals who have served as president.^[5]

The presidency of William Henry Harrison, who died 31 days after taking office in 1841, was the shortest in American history.^[6] Franklin D. Roosevelt served the longest, over twelve years, before dying early in his fourth term in 1945. He is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms.^[7] Since the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1951, no person may be elected president more than twice, and no one who has served more than two years of a term to which someone else was elected may be elected more than once.^[8]

Four presidents died in office of natural causes (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt), four were assassinated (Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy), and one resigned (Richard Nixon, facing impeachment and removal from office).^[9] John Tyler was the first vice president to assume the presidency during a presidential term, and set the precedent that a vice president who does so becomes the fully functioning president with his own administration.^[10]

Throughout most of its history, American politics has been dominated by political parties. The Constitution is silent on the issue of political parties, and at the time it came into force in 1789, no organized parties existed. Soon after the 1st Congress convened, political factions began rallying around dominant Washington administration officials, such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.^[11] Concerned about the capacity of political parties to destroy the fragile unity holding the nation together, Washington remained unaffiliated with any political faction or party throughout his eight-year presidency. He was, and remains, the only U.S. president never affiliated with a political party.^[12]

The incumbent president is Joe Biden, who assumed office on January 20, 2021.^[13]

List of presidents of the United States from 1789 – till date.

No.[a]	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term[14]	Party[b][15]		Election	Vice President[16]
1		George Washington (1732–1799) [17]	April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797		Unaffiliated	1788–1789 1792	John Adams[c]
2		John Adams (1735–1826) [19]	March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801		Federalist	1796	Thomas Jefferson[d]
3		Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) [21]	March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809		Democratic- Republican	1800 1804	Aaron Burr George Clinton
4		James Madison (1751–1836) [22]	March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817		Democratic- Republican	1808 1812	George Clinton[e] Vacant after April 20, 1812 Elbridge Gerry[e] Vacant after November 23, 1814
5		James Monroe (1758–1831) [24]	March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825		Democratic- Republican	1816 1820	Daniel D. Tompkins
6		John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) [25]	March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829		Democratic- Republican[f] National Republican	1824	John C. Calhoun[g]
7		Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) [28]	March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837		Democratic	1828 1832	John C. Calhoun[h] Vacant after December 28, 1832 Martin Van Buren
8		Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) [29]	March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841		Democratic	1836	Richard Mentor Johnson
9		William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) [30]	March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841[e]		Whig	1840	John Tyler
10		John Tyler (1790–1862) [31]	April 4, 1841[i] – March 4, 1845		Whig[j] Unaffiliated	–	Vacant throughout presidency
11		James K. Polk (1795–1849) [34]	March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849		Democratic	1844	George M. Dallas
12		Zachary Taylor (1784–1850) [35]	March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850[e]		Whig	1848	Millard Fillmore
13		Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) [36]	July 9, 1850[k] – March 4, 1853		Whig	–	Vacant throughout presidency
14		Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) [38]	March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857		Democratic	1852	William R. King[e] Vacant after April 18, 1853
15		James Buchanan (1791–1868) [39]	March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861		Democratic	1856	John C. Breckinridge
16		Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) [40]	March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865[e]		Republican National Union[l]	1860 1864	Hannibal Hamlin Andrew Johnson
17		Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) [42]	April 15, 1865[m] – March 4, 1869		National Union[n] Democratic	–	Vacant throughout presidency
18		Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) [43]	March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877		Republican	1868 1872	Schuyler Colfax Henry Wilson[e] Vacant after November 22, 1875
19		Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) [44]	March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881		Republican	1876	William A. Wheeler
20		James A. Garfield (1831–1881) [45]	March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881[e]		Republican	1880	Chester A. Arthur
21		Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886) [46]	September 19, 1881[o] – March 4, 1885		Republican	–	Vacant throughout presidency
22		Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) [48]	March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889		Democratic	1884	Thomas A. Hendricks[e] Vacant after November 25, 1885
23		Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) [49]	March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893		Republican	1888	Levi P. Morton
24		Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) [48]	March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897		Democratic	1892	Adlai Stevenson I
25		William McKinley (1843–1901) [50]	March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901[e]		Republican	1896 1900	Garret Hobart[e] Vacant after November 21, 1899 Theodore Roosevelt
26		Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) [51]	September 14, 1901[p] – March 4, 1909		Republican	– 1904	Vacant through March 4, 1905 Charles W. Fairbanks
27		William Howard Taft (1857–1930) [53]	March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913		Republican	1908	James S. Sherman[e] Vacant after October 30, 1912
28		Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) [54]	March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921		Democratic	1912 1916	Thomas R. Marshall
29		Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) [55]	March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923[e]		Republican	1920	Calvin Coolidge
30		Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) [56]	August 2, 1923[q] – March 4, 1929		Republican	– 1924	Vacant through March 4, 1925 Charles G. Dawes
31		Herbert Hoover (1874–1964) [58]	March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933		Republican	1928	Charles Curtis
32		Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) [59]	March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945[e]		Democratic	1932 1936 1940 1944	John Nance Garner Henry A. Wallace Harry S. Truman
33		Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) [60]	April 12, 1945[r] – January 20, 1953		Democratic	– 1948	Vacant through January 20, 1949 Alben W. Barkley
34		Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) [62]	January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961		Republican	1952 1956	Richard Nixon
35		John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) [63]	January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963[e]		Democratic	1960	Lyndon B. Johnson
36		Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) [64]	November 22, 1963[s] – January 20, 1969		Democratic	– 1964	Vacant through January 20, 1965 Hubert Humphrey
37		Richard Nixon (1913–1994) [66]	January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974[h]		Republican	1968 1972	Spiro Agnew[h] Vacant: October 10 – December 6, 1973 Gerald Ford[t]
38		Gerald Ford (1913–2006) [67]	August 9, 1974[u] – January 20, 1977		Republican	–	Vacant through December 19, 1974 Nelson Rockefeller[t]
39		Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) [68]	January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981		Democratic	1976	Walter Mondale
40		Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) [69]	January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989		Republican	1980 1984	George H. W. Bush
41		George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) [70]	January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993		Republican	1988	Dan Quayle
42		Bill Clinton (b. 1946) [71]	January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001		Democratic	1992 1996	Al Gore
43		George W. Bush (b. 1946) [72]	January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009		Republican	2000 2004	Dick Cheney
44		Barack Obama (b. 1961) [73]	January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017		Democratic	2008 2012	Joe Biden
45		Donald Trump (b. 1946) [74]	January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021		Republican	2016	Mike Pence
46		Joe Biden (b. 1942) [13]	January 20, 2021 – Incumbent		Democratic	2020	Kamala Harris

• Acting President of the United States
• Founding Fathers of the United States
• List of vice presidents of the United States
• President of the Continental Congress

• Guide to U.S. Elections. SAGE Publications. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60426-536-1.
• "Chronological List of Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents of the United States". Library of Congress. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
• "Presidents". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.

Expert studies

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• Nardulli, Peter F., ed. (1992). The Constitution and American Political Development: An Institutional Perspective. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-01787-2.
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• Shugart, Matthew S. (2004). "Elections': The American Process of Selecting a President: A Comparative Perspective". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 34 (3). Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies: 632–655. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2004.00216.x. JSTOR 27552617.
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Presidential biographies

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• Anbinder, Tyler (2000) [1999]. "Fillmore, Millard". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400374. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
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• Brinkley, Alan (2000) [1999]. "Roosevelt, Franklin Delano". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0600567. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Campbell, Ballard C. (2000) [1999]. "Cleveland, Grover". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0500144. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Cole, Donald B. (2000) [1999]. "Van Buren, Martin". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0300507. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Gara, Larry (2000) [1999]. "Pierce, Franklin". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400788. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Gardner, Lloyd (2000) [1999]. "Johnson, Lyndon Baines". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700147. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Gienapp, William E. (2000) [1999]. "Buchanan, James". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400170. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Gould, Lewis L. (2000) [1999]. "McKinley, William". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0500507. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Gould, Lewis L. (2000) [1999]. "Taft, William Howard". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0600642. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Greenberger, Scott S. (2017). The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82390-9.
• Greene, John Robert (2013). "Ford, Gerald R., Jr". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1501345. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Gutzman, K. R. Constantine (2000) [1999]. "Harrison, William Henry". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0300211. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Hamby, Alonzo L. (2000) [1999]. "Truman, Harry S." American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700307. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
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• Hargreaves, Mary W. M. (2000) [1999]. "Adams, John Quincy". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0300002. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Hawley, Ellis W. (2000) [1999]. "Harding, Warren Gamaliel". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0600253. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
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• Hoogenboom, Ari (2000) [1999]. "Hayes, Rutherford Birchard". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0500331. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
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• McPherson, James M. (2000) [1999]. "Grant, Ulysses S." American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0500291. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• McPherson, James M. (2000) [1999]. "Lincoln, Abraham". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400631. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Parmet, Herbert S. (2000) [1999]. "Kennedy, John Fitzgerald". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700152. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
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• Remini, Robert V. (2000) [1999]. "Jackson, Andrew". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0300238. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Schaller, Michael (2004). "Reagan, Ronald Wilson". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700791. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Shade, William G. (2000) [1999]. "Tyler, John". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0401004. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Smith, Elbert B. (2000) [1999]. "Taylor, Zachary". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400978. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Spetter, Allan Burton (2000) [1999]. "Harrison, Benjamin". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0500320. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• Trefousse, Hans L. (2000) [1999]. "Johnson, Andrew". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0400566. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "James Carter". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "George H. W. Bush". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "William J. Clinton". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "George W. Bush". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "Barack Obama". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "Donald Trump". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
• "Joe Biden". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved May 14, 2022.

Online sources

• Jamison, Dennis (December 31, 2014). "George Washington' Views on Political Parties in America". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
• "Creating the United States: Formation of Political Parties". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
• "President's Swearing-in Ceremony". United States Senate. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

• Media related to President of the United States at Wikimedia Commons
• Quotations related to List of presidents of the United States at Wikiquote

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