U.S. Presidents

In its nearly 250-year history, the United States has been governed by a total of 45 different presidents and 50 vice presidents. You may be surprised, since the current president is the 47th president of the USA. Yes, that is correct. However, both Grover Cleveland (1884 and 1892) and Donald J. Trump (2016 and 2024) were elected to the presidency twice, with their two terms not being consecutive – making them the 22nd and 24th, and the 45th and 47th presidents of the United States respectively. Sixteen presidents previously served as vice president, including the 46th president, Joe Biden, who held the office of vice president from 2009 to 2017 under Barack Obama.

An interesting phenomenon affecting presidents elected between 1840 and 1960 in a year ending in zero is known as “Tecumseh’s Curse.” All seven presidents (Harrison, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, FDR and Kennedy) elected in such a year died in office or were assassinated. This coincidence traces back to William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, who had defeated the Native Americans led by Tecumseh at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Ronald Reagan (elected 1980) was the first “survivor” of this “curse.”

Since 1872, more than 50 women have run for the presidency. Victoria Woodhull was the first to run, long before women even had the right to vote at the federal level. One hundred years later, in 1972, Shirley Chisholm ran, who was the first Black woman elected to Congress. In 2016, former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first woman to be nominated for the office by one of the major parties. In the primaries for the 2020 presidential election, Senator Kamala Harris of California also ran. After ending her own candidacy, Democratic candidate Joe Biden introduced her as his running mate. On 20 January 2021, she became the first female vice president of the USA and thus the highest-ranking woman in an official position in U.S. history. In August 2024, following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from his candidacy, she accepted the nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate.

Timeline

George Washington (1789-1797)

Term in office: 30. April 1789 - 4. March 1797

Party: Independent

Elections: 1788/1789; 1792

Vice President: John Adams

Fun Fact: George Washington is the only president elected unanimously by the Electoral College.

John Adams (1797-1801)

Term in office: 04. March 1797 - 04. March 1801

Party: Federalist

Elections: 1796

Vice President: Thomas Jefferson

Fun Fact: His last words were: “Thomas Jefferson survives.” What he did not know was that Jefferson had died a few hours earlier.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

Term in office: 04. March 1801 - 4. March 1809

Party: Democratic-Republican

Elections: 1800; 1804

Vice President: Aaron Burr (1801-1805); George Clinton (1805-1809)

Fun Fact: Thomas Jefferson introduced ice cream as a dessert specialty. He may have left behind the first ice cream recipe in the USA: six egg yolks, half a pound of sugar, two bottles of cream and one vanilla pod.

James Madison (1809-1817)

Term in office: 04. March 1809 - 04. March 1817

Party: Democratic-Republican

Elections: 1808; 1812

Vice President: George Clinton (1809-1812); Elbridge Gerry (1813-1814)

Fun Fact: James Madison was the shortest president at 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in). He weighed about 45 kg (100 lbs).

James Monroe (1817-1825)

Term in office: 04. March 1817 - 04. March 1825

Party: Democratic-Republican

Elections: 1816; 1820

Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins

Fun Fact: James Monroe and his wife Elizabeth were guests at Napoleon Bonaparte’s coronation in 1804. Monroe was the American ambassador to Great Britain at the time.

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

Term in office: 04. March 1825 - 04. March 1829

Party: Democratic-Republican; National Republican

Elections: 1824

Vice President: John C. Calhoun

Fun Fact: John Q. Adams kept an alligator in the bathtub of the White House. He had received it as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette.

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

Term in office: 04. March 1829 - 04. March 1837

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1828; 1832

Vice President: John C. Calhoun (1829-1832); Martin Van Buren (1833-1837)

Fun Fact: Andrew Jackson had a 635 kg (1,400 lb) block of cheese in the White House. After his term, the public was allowed to eat it.

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

Term in office: 04. March 1837 - 04. March 1841

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1836

Vice President: Richard Mentor Johnson

Fun Fact: Martin Van Buren is the first president born after the American Revolution, making him the first natural-born citizen to serve as president.

William Henry Harrison (1841-1841)

Term in office: 04. March 1841 - 04. April 1841

Party: Whig

Elections: 1840

Vice President: John Tyler

Fun Fact: William Henry Harrison’s inaugural address is the longest to date. It lasted about 1 hour and 45 minutes – during a snowstorm. He died of pneumonia a month later.

John Tyler (1841-1845)

Term in office: 04. April 1841 - 04. March 1845

Party: Whig; Independent

Elections: 1840

Vice President: Keiner

Fun Fact: A grandson of John Tyler is still alive. Harrison Tyler was born in 1928. How is that possible? Both John Tyler and his son Lyon Gardiner Tyler became fathers again at the ages of 70 and 75 respectively. In total, John Tyler had 15 children.

James K. Polk (1845-1849)

Term in office: 04. March 1845 - 04. March 1849

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1844

Vice President: George M. Dallas

Fun Fact: James K. Polk is the first president to be photographed during his term in office.

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

Term in office: 04. March 1849 - 09. July 1850

Party: Whig

Elections: 1848

Vice President: Millard Fillmore

Fun Fact: Zachary Taylor was nominated by the Whig Party without his knowledge. He learned of it through a letter, accepted the nomination, but refused to campaign.

Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

Term in office: 09. July 1850 - 04. March 1853

Party: Whig

Elections: 1848 (als Vizepräsident)

Vice President: Keiner

Fun Fact: Millard Fillmore and his wife founded the first permanent library in the White House. In December 1851 he helped fight the fire at the Library of Congress and passed a law to replace the destroyed books.

Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

Term in office: 04. March 1853 - 04. March 1857

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1852

Vice President: William R. King

Fun Fact: Franklin Pierce was the first president to deliver his inaugural address from memory. It was over 3,000 words long and he had no notes.

James Buchanan (1857-1861)

Term in office: 04. March 1857 - 04. March 1861

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1856

Vice President: John C. Breckinridge

Fun Fact: Although James Buchanan was once engaged, he never married after the engagement was dissolved. He is the only president to remain a lifelong bachelor.

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

Term in office: 04. March 1861 - 15. April 1865

Party: Republican; National Union

Elections: 1860; 1864

Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865); Andrew Johnson (1865)

Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln often stored things like letters or documents in his tall hat.

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

Term in office: 15. April 1865 - 04. March 1869

Party: National Union; Democrat

Elections: 1864 (als Vizepräsident)

Vice President: Keiner

Fun Fact: Andrew Johnson used his veto so often that he became known as “The Veto President.”

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

Term in office: 04. March 1869 - 04. March 1877

Party: Republican

Elections: 1868; 1872

Vice President: Schuyler Colfax (1869-1873); Henry Wilson (1873-1875)

Fun Fact: Ulysses S. Grant tried to unite the Northern and Southern states by declaring Christmas a national holiday in 1870.

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

Term in office: 04. March 1877 - 04. March 1881

Party: Republican

Elections: 1876

Vice President: William A. Wheeler

Fun Fact: Rutherford B. Hayes introduced the tradition of the “Easter Egg Roll” on the White House lawn. It has taken place on Easter Monday since 1878.

James A. Garfield (1881-1881)

Term in office: 04. March 1881 - 19. September 1881

Party: Republican

Elections: 1880

Vice President: Chester A. Arthur

Fun Fact: James A. Garfield was the first president to campaign in several languages, including German. He very often spoke German with German-Americans he met during the campaign.

Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

Term in office: 19. September 1881 - 04. March 1885

Party: Republican

Elections: 1880 (als Vizepräsident)

Vice President: Keiner

Fun Fact: Chester A. Arthur hired the famous New York designer Louis Comfort Tiffany to redecorate the White House.

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)

Term in office: 04. March 1885 - 04. March 1889

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1884

Vice President: Thomas A. Hendricks (1885)

Fun Fact: Grover Cleveland won his first presidential election by the narrowest margin. Just 1,200 votes in his adopted home state of New York made the difference.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

Term in office: 04. March 1889 - 04. March 1893

Party: Republican

Elections: 1888

Vice President: Levi P. Morton

Fun Fact: Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the White House. His wife refused to touch the lights for fear of electric shocks.

Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)

Term in office: 04. March 1893 - 04. March 1897

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1892

Vice President: Adlai Stevenson I

Fun Fact: Grover Cleveland is the first president to be elected for two non-consecutive terms.

William McKinley (1897-1901)

Term in office: 04. March 1897 - 14. September 1901

Party: Republican

Elections: 1896; 1900

Vice President: Garret Hobart (1897-1899); Theodore Roosevelt (1901)

Fun Fact: William McKinley owned a yellow-headed Amazon parrot named Washington Post. Washington Post held the official position of White House Greeter. It also knew the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and when the president whistled the first notes, it would finish it.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

Term in office: 14. September 1901 - 04. March 1909

Party: Republican

Elections: 1900 (als Vizepräsident); 1904

Vice President: Keiner; Charles W. Fairbanks (1905-1909)

Fun Fact: Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to take a foreign trip during his term in office. In 1906 he traveled to Panama.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

Term in office: 04. March 1909 - 04. March 1913

Party: Republican

Elections: 1908

Vice President: James S. Sherman (1909-1912)

Fun Fact: As Chief Justice, William Howard Taft administered the oath of office to two of his successors, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

Term in office: 04. March 1913 - 04. March 1921

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1912; 1916

Vice President: Thomas R. Marshall

Fun Fact: Woodrow Wilson is the last president to ride to his inauguration in a horse-drawn carriage.

Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)

Term in office: 04. March 1921 - 02. August 1923

Party: Republican

Elections: 1920

Vice President: Calvin Coolidge

Fun Fact: Warren G. Harding advocated for the fair treatment of African Americans. He spoke out against lynching and ordered the desegregation of the White House and Washington, D.C.

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

Term in office: 02. August 1923 - 04. March 1929

Party: Republican

Elections: 1920 (als Vizepräsident); 1924

Vice President: Keiner; Charles G. Dawes (1925-1929)

Fun Fact: Three presidents (Adams, Jefferson, Monroe) died on 4 July, Independence Day. Calvin Coolidge is the only president born on that date.

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

Term in office: 04. March 1929 - 04. March 1933

Party: Republican

Elections: 1928

Vice President: Charles Curtis

Fun Fact: Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou spoke Chinese. Whenever they wanted to have a private conversation in the White House, they spoke it to each other.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

Term in office: 04. March 1933 - 12. April 1945

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1932; 1936; 1940; 1944

Vice President: John Nance Garner (1933-1941); Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945); Harry S. Truman (1945)

Fun Fact: Franklin D. Roosevelt married Eleanor Roosevelt on St. Patrick’s Day (17 March) 1905 in New York, because President Theodore Roosevelt was in the city for the parade. Theodore Roosevelt had promised to give his niece away. Franklin D. and Theodore are also fifth cousins.

Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

Term in office: 12. April 1945 - 20. January 1953

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1944 (als Vizepräsident); 1948

Vice President: Keiner; Alben W. Barkley (1949-1953)

Fun Fact: A well-known quote of his is: “If you can’t convince them, confuse them.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

Term in office: 20. January 1953 - 20. January 1961

Party: Republican

Elections: 1952; 1956

Vice President: Richard Nixon

Fun Fact: Camp David, the retreat of the sitting president, is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower’s grandson, David.

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

Term in office: 20. January 1961 - 22. November 1963

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1960

Vice President: Lyndon B. Johnson

Fun Fact: John F. Kennedy donated his entire salary of $100,000 to charity.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

Term in office: 22. November 1963 - 20. January 1969

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1960 (als Vizepräsident); 1964

Vice President: Keiner; Hubert Humphrey (1965-1969)

Fun Fact: Lyndon B. Johnson nearly lost his life in World War II. He had to use the restroom one more time before departure, left the plane he was supposed to fly on, and on his return boarded a different one. The first was shot down in combat, but the second remained undamaged.

Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

Term in office: 20. January 1969 - 09. August 1974

Party: Republican

Elections: 1968; 1972

Vice President: Spiro Agnew (1969-1973); Keiner (Okt.-Dez. 1973); Gerald Ford (1973-1974)

Fun Fact: Richard Nixon nearly became an FBI agent in the 1930s. He had applied but never heard back. He had in fact been accepted, but his position fell victim to budget cuts.

Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

Term in office: 09. August 1974 - 20. January 1977

Party: Republican

Elections: 1972 (als Vizepräsident)

Vice President: Keiner (bis Dez. 1974); Nelson Rockefeller

Fun Fact: Gerald Ford is the only politician to hold both the office of president and vice president without being elected to either office.

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

Term in office: 20. January 1977 - 20. January 1981

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1976

Vice President: Walter Mondale

Fun Fact: Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House in 1979. They were removed again during a roof renovation in 1986.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

Term in office: 20. January 1981 - 20. January 1989

Party: Republican

Elections: 1980; 1984

Vice President: George H. W. Bush

Fun Fact: Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans. His favorite flavor was licorice.

George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)

Term in office: 20. January 1989 - 20. January 1993

Party: Republican

Elections: 1988

Vice President: Dan Quayle

Fun Fact: George H. W. Bush celebrated his 75th, 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays with a parachute jump.

Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

Term in office: 20. January 1993 - 20. January 2001

Party: Democrat

Elections: 1992; 1996

Vice President: Al Gore

Fun Fact: Bill Clinton co-wrote the novel “The President is Missing” with James Patterson. They later worked on a second novel titled “The President’s Daughter.”

George W. Bush (2001-2009)

Term in office: 20. January 2001 - 20. January 2009

Party: Republican

Elections: 2000; 2004

Vice President: Dick Cheney

Fun Fact: Vermont is the only state George W. Bush did not visit during his term in office.

Barack Obama (2009-2017)

Term in office: 20. January 2009 - 20. January 2017

Party: Democrat

Elections: 2008; 2012

Vice President: Joe Biden

Fun Fact: Barack Obama has disliked ice cream ever since his first part-time job at Baskin-Robbins.

Donald Trump (2017-2021)

Term in office: 20. January 2017 - 20. January 2021

Party: Republican

Elections: 2016

Vice President: Mike Pence

Fun Fact: Donald Trump owns and operates around 18 golf courses worldwide.

Joe Biden (2021-2025)

Term in office: 20. January 2021 - 20. January 2025

Party: Democrat

Elections: 2020

Vice President: Kamala Harris

Fun Fact: Joe Biden became president at the age of 78, making him the oldest in U.S. history.

Donald Trump (2025-heute)

Term in office: 20. January 2025 -

Party: Republican

Elections: 2024

Vice President: JD Vance

Fun Fact: Donald Trump is the second U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms. The first was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd president (1885–89) and 24th president (1893–97).