A List of Presidents of the United States of America in Chronological Order

The United States of America (USA) or the US comprises fifty states and a federal district. The United States is located on the North American continent. The capital of United States is Washington, D.C. The United States is flanked by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the east and west respectively, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south; to the northwest lies the state of Alaska and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. There are several territories that are scattered in the Caribbean sea and Pacific ocean that are part of the United States.

The United States was one of the colonies of Great Britain and it gained independence on July 4, 1776, when the thirteen rebellious states of the US defeated Great Britain. This war is known as the American Revolutionary War in the history of America. In 1783, on September 3, the Treaty of Paris was signed to formally end the American Revolutionary War. On January 14, 1784, the Congress of the Confederation approved this treaty. In 1789, George Washington became the first President of the United States of America.

In the early 19th century, the United States annexed all the land from the east to west. Arizona was annexed in 1912 and the states of Hawaii and Alaska were admitted in 1959. The political system of the US is federal and the constitution upholds republican form of government. The President is the head of state of the United States of America and is elected once in five years. Take a look at the list of presidents of the United States of America in chronological order.

George Washington (1789-1797)

George Washington was the first president of the US. George Washington was a military genius who maneuvered the American War of Independence. He was a statesman who helped to stabilize the American government from amidst the political chaos. The capital of the US is named after him and the dollar bull and the quarter has his face imprinted on it. He was the only president to be elected unanimously. He was elected twice as the president of America. North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee were annexed to the United States during the presidency of George Washington.

John Adams (1797-1801)

John Adams was elected into power in 1797 to become the second president of USA. He was also the first vice-president of USA, serving during the president-ship of George Washington. He was a renowned diplomat, lawyer and a writer. John Adams played a significant role in the Revolutionary War and the American Revolution. He was one of the members of the committee instrumental in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence of the United States. Jefferson was the third president of the US and held the office for two terms. Prior to which, he was the country's second vice-president and its first Secretary of State. Thomas Jefferson founded and designed the University of Virginia.

James Madison (1809-1817)

James Madison was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was elected as the fourth president of the US. During the presidency of Jefferson, he was the Secretary of State. Madison was instrumental in the amendment of the constitutional bill known as the Bill of Rights. The War of 1812, between the US and the Great Britain, was fought during the presidency of James Madison. He held the presidential office for two terms.

James Monroe (1817-1825)

James Monroe was the fifth president of America. Monroe is famous for his foreign policy known as the Monroe Doctrine. He warned the European nations against intervening and interfering in the matters of Western Hemisphere. The presidential term of James Monroe is known as "Era of Good Feelings" in the history of America.

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States. He was the eldest son of the former president John Adams. He was one of the diplomats who formulated the Monroe Doctrine. Other offices held by John Quincy were as Minister to Russia, Minister to Great Britain and the Secretary of State.

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

Jackson was the seventh president of America and held the office for two terms. He was the first to be elected to the House of Representatives from the new state of Tennessee. Being a lawyer by profession, he was appointed as a judge in the Supreme Court of Tennessee. The other offices held by Andrew Jackson were as member of U.S. House of the Representatives, U.S. Senator and provisional Governor of Florida.

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

Martin Van Buren was the eighth president of the US. Martin was one of the founders of the Democratic Party. His colleagues and friends called him a "Little Magician", while his foes called him the "Sly Fox". He was a skilled politician and was elected to the U.S. Senate from New York. He served as Governor of New York, and Secretary of State during the president-ship of Andrew Jackson and also as the vice-president of United States. For a brief period, he also served as Minister to Great Britain.

William Henry Harrison (1841)

William Harrison was the ninth president of the United States of America. William Henry Harrison was 67 years of age when he was elected the president of United States, making him the oldest American president. He was the last president to be born under the British rule. He was also the first president to die in office, having served office only for one month. The other offices held by him were as member of U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senator, Governor of Indiana Territory, and U.S. Minister to Colombia.

John Tyler (1841-1845)

John Tyler was the tenth president of the US. He was also vice-president during the tenure of William Harrison. Other commissions and offices held by Tyler were as member of U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senator and Governor of Virginia.

James Knox Polk (1845-1849)

James Knox Polk was the eleventh president of the United States. The Mexican-American War was fought during his president-ship. In this war, many territories along the Pacific coast and in the Southwest were acquired. Commissions and offices held by James Knox Polk were as member of U.S. House of Representatives, as Speaker of the House and also as Governor of Tennessee.

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

Zachary Taylor was the twelfth president of the U.S. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American War. However, his tenure as President of United States, lasted only for sixteen months. He had not held any offices or commissions before becoming the president.

Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the U.S. He took the office of president after the death of late President Zachary Taylor. The new president became unpopular because of the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Enforcement of this law led to the destruction of the Whig Party and also the death of the political career of Fillmore. Other offices held by him were as member of the U.S. House of Representatives and vice-president of United States.

Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

Franklin Pierce was the fourteenth president of America. From 1833 to 1837, Franklin served in the U.S. House of Representatives and later in the Senate from 1837 to 1842. He was nominated as a compromise presidential candidate at a Democratic Party convention in 1852. Pierce was instrumental in reorganizing the diplomatic and consular services. He also created the U.S. Court of Claims. During his tenure, Pierce promoted the plans for transcontinental railroad.

James Buchanan (1857-1861)

James Buchanan was the fifteenth president of U.S. and remains the only bachelor president of the United States of America. The other offices held by James were as member of House of Representatives, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and also Minister to Russia and Britain.

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States of America. He was instrumental in the abolition of slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Lincoln was instrumental in promoting the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution. The American Civil War took place during the tenure of Abraham Lincoln. He was re-elected as the president for the second time. However, he was assassinated in 1865 at the age of 56. He was the first president to be assassinated in the history of America. The other offices held by Abraham Lincoln were as member of U.S. House of Representatives and the state legislature of Illinois and as postmaster of New Salem, Illinois.

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

Upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson became the seventeenth president of the United States. As president of America, Johnson initiated the Radical Reconstruction Policies after the American Civil War. His lenient reconstruction policies towards the Southern states led to his political downfall. The other offices held by Andrew Johnson include member of U.S. House of Representatives, Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Senator and also vice-president.

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

Ulysses Simpson Grant was the eighteenth president of the United States. He was the first president to serve two full terms in presidential office since Andrew Jackson. He supported the African-Americans Civil Rights Movement. President Grant was made the Civil War Supreme Commander of Union Forces. His book called "Memoirs" on the civil war years was appreciated by the critics.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1877-1881)

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the nineteenth president of United States of America. Rutherford was instrumental in closing the chapter of reconstruction policies post-civil war in the southern states. He did his best to put an end to the corruption that had begun during the tenure of the former president. The other offices held by Rutherford included member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Governor of Ohio.

James Abram Garfield (1881)

Garfield was the twentieth president of the United States. He was the second president to hold the shortest tenure in the history of America. James Garfield served as a major-general in the American army and was also the member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Chester Alan Arthur (1881-1885)

Chester A. Arthur was the twenty-first president of America. He served as the Quartermaster General during the American Civil War. He was also the vice-president during the tenure of James Garfield. The cabinet of Chester never had a vice-president. During his tenure, Chester Arthur passed the reforms and acts such as Chinese Exclusion Act, Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act and Civil Rights Act.

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)

Grover Cleveland was the twenty-second American president. Cleveland was admired for honesty, integrity, independence and commitment to the principles of liberalism. He was a great reformer who fought against corruption and patronage.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

The twenty-third president of American was Benjamin Harrison. The tenure of Benjamin Harrison is known for economic policies such as Sherman Antitrust Act and McKinley Tariff. It was during his time the annual federal spending reached "one billion dollars". Benjamin Harrison retired after he failed be re-win the election.

Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)

Grover Cleveland became the twenty-fourth president of the United States, when he was re-elected for the second time. Grover Cleveland is the only president to serve two discontinuous terms in the American history.

William McKinley (1897-1901)

William McKinley was twenty-fifth president of the United States. He was also the last American Civil War Veteran to be elected as the president. It was during the tenure of McKinley, the Americans fought against Spain and took control of Puerto Rico, Philippines, Guam and Hawaii. William McKinley also set up a protectorate over Cuba. In 1901, he was wounded by an anarchist's bullet and later died of medical complications.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

Theodore Roosevelt was popularly known as Teddy. He was the twenty-sixth president of America. He was also the fifth vice-president to succeed to America's highest office. One of his most noteworthy achievements is the negotiation to take control of the Panama Canal and the construction of the same. He was the first American and the first president to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in negotiating peace in the Russian-Japanese War. Roosevelt served for two terms as the president of America.

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

William Taft was the twenty-seventh American president and the tenth Chief Justice of United States. He was staunch advocate of world peace. During his tenure as president, William Taft strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, expanded the civil service and also improved the postal system of the US.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

The twenty-eighth president of America was Thomas Woodrow Wilson. It was during his tenure the World War I broke out. Woodrow was instrumental in creating and advocating the League of Nations. He was awarded Noble Peace Prize in 1919. The nineteenth amendment to the US Constitution took place during the second term of Wilson. In this amendment, he gave women the suffrage rights. When he suffered a paralytic stroke during the second half of his term, it is considered as the worst crisis of presidential disability in the history of America.

Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921-1923)

Warren Harding was the twenty-ninth president of the United States of America. He won the election with the greatest popular vote margin of that time. Harding became the president when America was returning to normalcy after the World War I. His administration achieved very little of lasting value. Warren Harding died during his third year in office. The historians term his presidency to be among the worst in American history.

John Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the thirtieth president of America, at the time the Harding scandals were coming to light. Calvin strived to restore the integrity of the federal government. During his presidency, the American economy experienced a rapid economic growth. This period in the history of America is known as the "Roaring Twenties". His tenure lasted less than two terms.

Herbert Clark Hoover (1929-1933)

Herbert Hoover was the thirty-first president of America. The Great Depression began during his presidency. Hoover was not able to save the American economy from spiraling downward in spite of authorizing aid to the farmers. His opposition to provide direct government assistance to the unemployed destroyed his image as a reformer.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, popularly known as FDR, was the thirty-second president of America. He was the only president in the American history to serve more than two terms. During the Great Depression, Roosevelt created New Deal (a sequence of programs to revive the American economy) to provide employment, relief to the unemployed, reform the banking and economic systems. The FDR Government provided Lend-Lease aid to Britain during the World War II. He died of hemorrhage, while in office.

Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

After the death of FDR, Truman was elected as the thirty-third president of America. Harry Truman led America through the final stages of World War II. He also witnessed the early stages of Cold War, by opposing the expansion of Soviet Union in Europe and by defending the communist invasion in South Korea. Truman was instrumental in creating United Nations, NATO and he is remembered for his decision of using nuclear weapons against Japan.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1953-1961)

Eisenhower was the thirty-fourth American president. During the World War I, he served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. During his tenure, David Eisenhower, called for the cease-fire of the Korean War, he kept Soviet Union under control during Cold War. He also made nuclear weapons, the highest defense priority. It was during his presidency, the Outer Space Program gained popularity and recognition. He reformed the Social Security program and also initiated Interstate Highway System. His presidency lasted for two terms.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963)

John F. Kennedy or JFK was one of the youngest presidents of the United States. He was sworn in as the thirty-fifth president of America. He was an attractive and charismatic leader. To this date, Kennedy is the only American president to win the Pulitzer Prize and was the first president to hold a press conference on television. The domestic policy of Kennedy was known as the New Frontier. This program was aimed at child education and medical care for the old and needy. JFK opposed racism and initiated African-American Civil Rights Movement. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1969)

Lyndon Johnson was elected as the thirty-sixth American president. During his presidency, he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, considered to be the most comprehensive civil rights legislation after the Reconstruction era. Johnson initiated many social service programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, aid for education and "War on Poverty". He became unpopular when he increased the number of American soldiers in the Vietnam War.

Richard Milhous Nixon (1969-1974)

Nixon was the thirty-seventh president of the US. He is the only president to resign from office. During the presidency of Nixon, the US foreign policy was marked by détente with the Soviet Union. A ceasefire with Vietnam was successfully negotiated. Thus ending the longest war in the history of America. Due to political scandal, he resigned from office. Nixon was the only person who was elected twice to the post of vice presidency.

Gerald Rudolph Ford (1974-1977)

The thirty-eighth president of America was Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. Ford was the fortieth vice-president of the US. He became the president after the resignation of Nixon. Ford was the fifth president who was not elected to the post of presidency. He was one of the longest-living presidents in the history of America. Ford died at the age of 93. During his tenure, the American economy witnessed inflation and a recession.

James Earl Carter, Jr. (1977-1981)

James Earl Carter, Jr., also known as Jimmy Carter, was the thirty-ninth American president. He was awarded the Noble Prize for Peace in 2002. During his tenure, Jimmy Carter created two new cabinet level departments - Department of Education and Department of Energy. Carter emphasized on human rights. He negotiated peace talks and treaty between Israel and Egypt.

Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981-1989)

Ronald Reagan, an actor turned president, was the fortieth American president. He was in office for two terms. During his tenure, Reagan implemented many bold economic and foreign policies such as substantial tax cuts, INF treaty, and many more. He died at the age of 93.

George Herbert Walker Bush (1989-1993)

George H.W. Bush was sworn in as the forty-first president of America. It was during his tenure, he involved America in the war between Iraq and Kuwait, popularly known as the Gulf War. America witnessed the fall of the USSR, during the presidency of George Bush. He is the father of the current president, George Bush.

William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001)

William Jefferson Clinton, popularly known as Bill Clinton, is the third youngest president of the United States. He was the forty-second American president. Since he was born after the World War II, he is known as the first Baby Boomer president. He served office for two terms. Bill Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime expansion. It is reported that at the end of his second term, America had a surplus of $559 billion in its coffers.

George Walker Bush (2001- )

George W. Bush is the forty-third and the current president of the United States. George Bush focused on economic and foreign policy. He initiated the War on Terrorism, after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Currently, he is in his second term of presidency.

The 56th presidential election of the United States scheduled for November 4th, 2008 will elect the forty-fourth president. John McCain, a senator from Arizona represents the Republican Party and the Democratic Party has nominated a senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. For the first time in the American history, two sitting senators are running for the office of the president. Another interesting fact is, for the first time an African-American is a presidential candidate. A notable point is both the presidential candidates are born outside the American Continent. McCain is the native of Panama Canal Zone, while Obama is from Hawaii. Take a quick glance at which of the American presidents was Democrat or Republican.