United States – Global political history

The commonly-understood story of the historical evolution of the United States of America is surely a familiar one for many readers. Emerging out of the English colonization of the eastern coast of North America that began in the early seventeenth century, the Thirteen Colonies attained their independence from British rule in the American Revolutionary War before combining into a single nation under first the Articles of Confederation and then the United States Constitution in 1789, the latter document now being one of the oldest, most democratic, and longest-lasting republican constitutions on Earth. Lasting through the ordeals of the American Civil War and expanding relentlessly across the North American continent and then beyond, the United States grew in the 20th century to become a global superpower, indeed the global superpower by the 1990s.

To say that this story is overly simplistic and obscures a great deal of somewhat less-than-flattering detail is to put it mildly. It is my intention to write a great deal about American political history in the future, and to try to shine some light on the historical evolution of US domestic politics as well as the role that the United States has played in the wider world. Links will be posted here when available!

Navigation

This main page includes a list of both the Presidents and the Vice Presidents of the United States, as well as the Presidents of the Continental Congress and the Presidents of the Congress of the Confederation who served as the de facto heads of state of the new United States before the modern US Constitution came into force in 1789. Additional pages are available for a variety of other political offices and other positions:

The Cabinet of the United States, including not just the heads of the fifteen executive departments in the US government but many of their subordinates and other offices within those departments;
The Senate and House of Representatives, the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress;
The federal judiciary, the third major branch of the US federal government;
Political parties of the United States, past and present;
Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of the United States;
The United States military, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force;
Colonial posts in the American overseas empire;
The Executive Office of the President of the United States, a variety of offices and agencies that are part of the executive branch of the federal government;
Independent agencies of the federal government not under the jurisdiction of an executive department or the Executive Office;
Intelligence agencies, dedicated specifically to the agencies that form the United States Intelligence Community;
Municipal politics, the mayors of major US cities;
Academic positions at prominent US universities.

In addition, there are separate pages for each of the fifty individual states:

Heads of State of the United States

As a presidential republic, the roles of head of state and head of government are combined in the person of the President of the United States (in other words, there is no equivalent of a Prime Minister in the US system of government as in the UK’s parliamentary system or the semi-presidential system of the French Fifth Republic). The President is the head of the executive branch and the commander-in-chief of the US military, and the office holds a great deal of power both expressly described by Article II of the US Constitution and acquired over the years through custom, delegation by Congress, and other means.

It wasn’t always so, however. Under the Articles of Confederation, the state governments were supreme over the federal government, and there was no formal head of state at all (to the extent that there was one, it was the presiding officer of the federal Congress, the President of the United States in Congress Assembled). While the US Constitution of 1789 granted all executive power to the President, in the first century or more of the republic the balance between the executive and legislative branches was generally well-maintained (some notable exceptions include the presidencies of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, which saw clashes over the extent of executive power). Indeed, in the pre-Civil War era, conflict between the federal government and state governments was arguably of greater importance than conflicts within the federal government.

The supremacy of the federal government within the United States was far more firmly established in the aftermath of the Civil War than it had been before. However, it would take until the 20th century for the balance of power within the federal government to start shifting decisively in favor of the executive. The recognition by the President of some of the “soft power” the position holds can be seen in the early years of that century, particularly in the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, who coined the term “bully pulpit” to describe the ability of the office to sway and influence public opinion.

The vast expansion of the size of the federal government as part of the New Deal economic program during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt kicked off a new stage in the development of what historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. described as the “imperial presidency.” Presidents used to have only a small number of staff and secretaries to assist them in their day-to-day work. In 1939, the Roosevelt administration created the Executive Office of the President, comprising a variety of offices, agencies, and advisors who mostly report directly to, and work directly with, the President and require no confirmation by the US Senate (as many offices in the more traditional executive departments require).

The de facto powers of the President expanded even further during World War II and particularly in the subsequent Cold War, particularly over foreign policy. The Congress clawed back some powers from the executive branch in the 1970s, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, but this would prove to be a short-term aberration, and not a turn in the long-term trajectory of the evolution of the balance of powers in the US federal government. (Indeed, since the mid-20th century, Congress has more often ceded power to the presidency than tried to claim it.) Today, in the second Trump administration, the President and the executive branch he heads are arguably more powerful than at any prior point in US history.

I intend to write extensively on these sorts of topics, particularly the historical evolution of the balance of powers between the federal government and the states and between the executive branch and the other branches of the US federal government.

Presented here are the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States, along with the Presidents of the Continental Congress and the Presidents of the Congress of the Confederation from the period before the US Constitution came into force in 1789.

Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress was formed in May 1775, initially with the goal of forming a coordinated response by the Thirteen Colonies to the Intolerable Acts of the British Parliament. By the time the Congress met, however, the American Revolution had already begun in Massachusetts, and the Congress instead took on the role of a provisional government organizing the disparate militias into the Continental Army. With little prospect of a rapprochement with Britain, they then moved towards a formal declaration of independence, which was made famously on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. The Congress would remain the provisional government of the new United States for the remainder of the Revolutionary War, as the Articles of Confederation were debated and ratified.

President of the Continental Congress

The Presidents of the Continental Congress were not heads of state of the United States of America following the Declaration of Independence, but they are as close to such as a person as existed at the time. In practice they were presiding officers of the Continental Congress, with powers perhaps more similar to those of the contemporary Speaker of the House of Commons in Great Britain.

John Hancock

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 23 1737; d. October 8 1793.

Non-Partisan

1775 – 1777

Henry Laurens

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 6 1724; d. December 8 1792.

Non-Partisan

1777 – 1778

John Jay

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 23 1745; d. May 17 1829.

Non-Partisan

1778 – 1779

President of the Congress of the Confederation

Much like the Continental Congress, the Congress of the Confederation that formed under the Articles of Confederation (fully ratified in 1781) was headed by a President who was in practice a presiding officer of the Congress, and can be regarded retroactively as a “head of state” for the young republic. It must be kept in mind, however, that this office was vastly weaker than the presidency that would be set up by the 1789 Constitution. Under the Articles, the individual state governments were more powerful than the federal government, a state of affairs which was very much by design. It didn’t take long for this to prove problematic, however, as will be discussed further elsewhere. Suffice it to say, the presiding officer of a weak legislative body was not a particularly powerful person (or in any case, the office they held was not particularly powerful).

Samuel Huntington

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 16 1731; d. January 5 1796.

Non-Partisan

1779 – 1781

Thomas Mifflin

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 10 1744; d. January 20 1800.

Non-Partisan

1783 – 1784

Richard Henry Lee

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 20 1732; d. June 19 1794.

Non-Partisan

1784 – 1785

John Hancock

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 23 1737; d. October 8 1793.

Non-Partisan

1785 – 1786

Arthur St. Clair

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 23 1737; d. August 31 1818.

Non-Partisan

1787

President of the United States

Enough has been written elsewhere on this page and others about this office that I feel I can safely present this well-known list with no further comment.

George Washington

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 22 1732; d. December 14 1799.

Military ranks: Promoted to General (Continental Army), 1775. Promoted to Lieutenant General (United States Army), 1798. Promoted to General of the Armies (posthumous), 1976.

Political offices held: Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, 1758 – 1775; Delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia, 1774 – 1775; President of the United States, 1789 – 1797.

Military posts held: Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, 1775 – 1783; Senior Officer of the United States Army, 1798 – 1799.

Academic offices held: Chancellor of the College of William & Mary, 1788 – 1799.

Independent

1789 – 1797

John Adams

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 20 1735; d. July 4 1826.

Political offices held: Delegate to the Continental Congress from Massachusetts, 1774 – 1777; Vice President of the United States, 1789 – 1797; President of the United States, 1797 – 1801.

Diplomatic posts held: Envoy of the United States to France, 1777 – 1779; Minister of the United States to the Netherlands, 1782 – 1788; Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1785 – 1788.

Political party positions held: Federalist Party nominee for President of the United States, 1796; Federalist Party nominee for President of the United States, 1800.

Federalist Party

1797 – 1801

Thomas Jefferson

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 13 1743; d. July 4 1826.

Political offices held: Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, 1769 – 1775; Delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia, 1775 – 1776; Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776 – 1779; Governor of Virginia, 1779 – 1781; Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1781; Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia, 1782 – 1784; United States Secretary of State, 1790 – 1793; Vice President of the United States, 1797 – 1801; President of the United States, 1801 – 1809.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to France, 1785 – 1789.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1796; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1800; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1804.

Democratic-Republican Party

1801 – 1809

James Madison

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 16 1751; d. June 28 1836.

Political offices held: Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia, 1781 – 1783; Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia, 1786 – 1787; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia, 1789 – 1797; United States Secretary of State, 1801 – 1809; President of the United States, 1809 – 1817.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1808; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1812.

Democratic-Republican Party

1809 – 1817

James Monroe

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 28 1758; d. July 4 1831.

Political offices held: Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia, 1783 – 1786; Member of the United States Senate from Virginia, 1790 – 1794; Governor of Virginia, 1799 – 1802; Governor of Virginia, 1811; United States Secretary of State, 1811 – 1817; United States Secretary of War, 1814 – 1815; President of the United States, 1817 – 1825.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to France, 1794 – 1796; Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1803 – 1807.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Virginia, 1799; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Virginia, 1811; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1816; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1820.

Democratic-Republican Party

1817 – 1825

John Quincy Adams

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 11 1767; d. February 23 1848.

Political offices held: Member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1802 – 1803; Member of the United States Senate from Massachusetts, 1803 – 1808; United States Secretary of State, 1817 – 1825; President of the United States, 1825 – 1829; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts, 1831 – 1848; Chair of the United States House Committee on Manufactures, 1831 – 1847; Chair of the United States House Committee on Indian Affairs, 1841 – 1843; Chair of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1842 – 1843.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to the Netherlands, 1794 – 1797; Minister of the United States to Prussia, 1797 – 1801; Minister of the United States to Russia, 1809 – 1814; Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1815 – 1817.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1824; National Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1828; Anti-Masonic Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1833.

National Republican Party

1825 – 1829

Andrew Jackson

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 15 1767; d. June 8 1845.

Military ranks: Promoted to Major General, 1814.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee, 1796 – 1797; Member of the United States Senate from Tennessee, 1797 – 1798; Member of the United States Senate from Tennessee, 1823 – 1825; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Military Affairs, 1823 – 1825; President of the United States, 1829 – 1837.

Military posts held: Military Governor of Florida, 1821.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1824; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1828; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1832.

Democratic Party

1829 – 1837

Martin Van Buren

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 5 1782; d. July 24 1862.

Political offices held: Member of the New York State Senate, 1813 – 1820; Member of the United States Senate from New York, 1821 – 1828; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1823 – 1828; Governor of New York, 1829; United States Secretary of State, 1829 – 1831; Vice President of the United States, 1833 – 1837; President of the United States, 1837 – 1841.

Legal offices held: Attorney General of New York, 1815 – 1819.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1831 – 1832.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1828; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1832; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1836; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1840; Free Soil Party nominee for President of the United States, 1848.

Democratic Party

1837 – 1841

William Henry Harrison

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 9 1773; d. April 4 1841.

Military ranks: Promoted to Major General, 1812.

Political offices held: Secretary of the Northwest Territory, 1798 – 1799; Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Northwest Territory, 1799 – 1800; Governor of Indiana Territory, 1800 – 1812; Governor of the District of Louisiana, 1804 – 1805; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, 1816 – 1819; Member of the Ohio Senate, 1819 – 1821; Member of the United States Senate from Ohio, 1825 – 1828; Chair of the United States House Committee on Military Affairs, 1825 – 1828; President of the United States, 1841.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to Gran Colombia, 1829.

Political party positions held: Whig Party nominee for President of the United States, 1836; Whig Party nominee for President of the United States, 1840.

Whig Party

1841

John Tyler

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 29 1790; d. January 18 1862.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia, 1816 – 1821; Governor of Virginia, 1825 – 1827; Member of the United States Senate from Virginia, 1827 – 1836; President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, 1835; Vice President of the United States, 1841; President of the United States, 1841 – 1845; Delegate to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from Virginia, 1861 – 1862.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Virginia, 1824; Whig Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1836; Nullifier Party nominee for Vice President of the United States (endorsed), 1836; Whig Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1840.

Academic offices held: Chancellor of the College of William & Mary, 1859 – 1862.

Independent

1841 – 1845

James Knox Polk

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 2 1795; d. June 15 1849.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee, 1825 – 1839; Chair of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means, 1833 – 1835; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 1835 – 1839; Governor of Tennessee, 1839 – 1841; President of the United States, 1845 – 1849.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Tennessee, 1839; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Tennessee, 1841; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Tennessee, 1843; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1844.

Democratic Party

1845 – 1849

Zachary Taylor

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 24 1784; d. July 9 1850.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1832. Promoted to Brigadier General, 1837. Promoted to Major General, 1846.

Political offices held: President of the United States, 1849 – 1850.

Military posts held: Commander of the Army of Occupation, 1845 – 1848.

Political party positions held: Whig Party nominee for President of the United States, 1848.

Whig Party

1849 – 1850

Millard Fillmore

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 7 1800; d. March 8 1874.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1833 – 1835; Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1837 – 1843; Chair of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means, 1841 – 1843; Comptroller of New York, 1848 – 1849; Vice President of the United States, 1849 – 1850; President of the United States, 1850 – 1853.

Political party positions held: Whig Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1844; Whig Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1848; Whig Party nominee for President of the United States, 1856; Know Nothing Party nominee for President of the United States, 1856.

Whig Party

1850 – 1853

Franklin Pierce

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 23 1804; d. October 8 1869.

Political offices held: Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, 1829 – 1833; Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, 1831 – 1833; Member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire, 1833 – 1837; Member of the United States Senate from New Hampshire, 1837 – 1842; President of the United States, 1853 – 1857.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1852.

Democratic Party

1853 – 1857

James Buchanan, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 23 1791; d. June 1 1868.

Political offices held: Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1814 – 1816; Member of the United States House of Representatives, 1821 – 1831; Chair of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary, 1829 – 1831; Member of the United States Senate from Pennsylvania, 1834 – 1845; United States Secretary of State, 1845 – 1849; President of the United States, 1857 – 1861.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to Russia, 1832 – 1833; Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1853 – 1856.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1856.

Democratic Party

1857 – 1861

Abraham Lincoln

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 12 1809; d. April 15 1865.

Political offices held: Member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1834 – 1842; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois, 1847 – 1849; President of the United States, 1861 – 1865.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1860; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1864.

Republican Party

1861 – 1865

Andrew Johnson

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 29 1808; d. July 31 1875.

Military ranks: Promoted to Brigadier General, 1862.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee, 1843 – 1853; Governor of Tennessee, 1853 – 1857; Member of the United States Senate from Tennessee, 1857 – 1862; Vice President of the United States, 1865; President of the United States, 1865 – 1869; Member of the United States Senate from Tennessee, 1875.

Military posts held: Military Governor of Tennessee, 1862 – 1865.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Tennessee, 1853; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Tennessee, 1855; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1864.

National Union Party

1865 – 1869

Ulysses S. Grant

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 27 1822; d. July 23 1885.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1861; promoted to Brigadier General, 1861; promoted to Major General, 1862; promoted to Lieutenant General, 1864; promoted to General of the Army, 1866; promoted to General of the Armies, 2024 (posthumous).

Political offices held: President of the United States, 1869 – 1877.

Military posts held: Commanding General of the United States Army, 1864 – 1869.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1868; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1872.

Republican Party

1869 – 1877

Rutherford Birchard Hayes

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 4 1822; d. January 17 1893.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1861. Promoted to Brigadier General, 1864.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, 1865 – 1867; Governor of Ohio, 1868 – 1872; Governor of Ohio, 1876 – 1877; President of the United States, 1877 – 1881.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Ohio, 1867; Republican Party nominee for Governor of Ohio, 1869; Republican Party nominee for Governor of Ohio, 1875; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1876.

Republican Party

1877 – 1881

James Abram Garfield

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 19 1831; d. September 19 1881.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1861. Promoted to Brigadier General, 1862. Promoted to Major General, 1863.

Political offices held: Member of the Ohio Senate, 1860 – 1861; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, 1863 – 1881; Chair of the United States House Committee on Military Affairs, 1867 – 1869; Chair of the United States House Committee on Financial Services, 1869 – 1871; Chair of the United States House Committee on Appropriations, 1871 – 1875; President of the United States, 1881.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1880.

Republican Party

1881

Chester Alan Arthur

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 5 1829; d. November 18 1886.

Military ranks: Commissioned as Brigadier General, 1861.

Political offices held: Vice President of the United States, 1881; President of the United States, 1881 – 1885.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1880.

Republican Party

1881 – 1885

Stephen Grover Cleveland

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 18 1837; d. June 24 1908.

Political offices held: Mayor of Buffalo, 1882; Governor of New York, 1883 – 1885; President of the United States, 1885 – 1889; President of the United States, 1893 – 1897.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1882; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1884; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1888; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1892.

Democratic Party

1885 – 1889

Benjamin Harrison

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 20 1833; d. March 13 1901.

Military ranks: Commissioned as Colonel, 1862. Promoted to brevet Brigadier General, 1865.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Indiana, 1881 – 1887; President of the United States, 1889 – 1893.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Indiana, 1876; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1888; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1892.

Republican Party

1889 – 1893

Stephen Grover Cleveland

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 18 1837; d. June 24 1908.

Political offices held: Mayor of Buffalo, 1882; Governor of New York, 1883 – 1885; President of the United States, 1885 – 1889; President of the United States, 1893 – 1897.

Democratic Party

1893 – 1897

William McKinley

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 29 1843; d. September 14 1901.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, 1877 – 1884; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, 1885 – 1891; Chair of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means, 1889 – 1891; Governor of Ohio, 1892 – 1896; President of the United States, 1897 – 1901.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Ohio, 1891; Republican Party nominee for Governor of Ohio, 1893; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1896; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1900.

Republican Party

1897 – 1901

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 27 1858; d. January 6 1919.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1898.

Political offices held: Member of the New York State Assembly, 1883 – 1884; Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly, 1883; Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1897 – 1898; Governor of New York, 1899 – 1900; Vice President of the United States, 1901; President of the United States, 1901 – 1909.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1898; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1900; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1904; Progressive Party nominee for President of the United States, 1912.

Republican Party

1901 – 1909

William Howard Taft

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 15 1857; d. March 8 1930.

Political offices held: United States Secretary of War, 1904 – 1908; President of the United States, 1909 – 1913.

Legal offices held: Solicitor General of the United States, 1890 – 1892; Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 1892 – 1900; Chief Justice of the United States, 1921 – 1930.

Colonial posts held: Governor-General of the Philippines, 1901 – 1904; Acting Governor of Cuba, 1906.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1908; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1912.

Republican Party

1909 – 1913

Thomas Woodrow Wilson

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 28 1856; d. February 3 1924.

Political offices held: Governor of New Jersey, 1911 – 1913; President of the United States, 1913 – 1921.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of New Jersey, 1910; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1912; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1916.

Academic offices held: President of Princeton University, 1902 – 1910.

Democratic Party

1913 – 1921

Warren Gamaliel Harding

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 2 1865; d. August 2 1923.

Political offices held: Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, 1904 – 1906; Member of the United States Senate from Ohio, 1915 – 1921; President of the United States, 1921 – 1923.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Ohio, 1910; Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Ohio, 1914; Keynote Speaker of the Republican National Convention, 1916; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1920.

Republican Party

1921 – 1923

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 4 1872; d. January 5 1933.

Political offices held: Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1907 – 1909; Member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1912 – 1915; President of the Massachusetts Senate, 1914 – 1915; Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, 1916 – 1919; Governor of Massachusetts, 1919 – 1921; Vice President of the United States, 1921 – 1923; President of the United States, 1923 – 1929.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1918; Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1919; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1920; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1924.

Republican Party

1923 – 1929

Herbert Clark Hoover

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 10 1874; d. October 20 1964.

Political offices held: United States Secretary of Commerce, 1921 – 1928; President of the United States, 1929 – 1933.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1928; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1932.

Republican Party

1929 – 1933

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 30 1882; d. April 12 1945.

Political offices held: Member of the New York State Senate, 1911 – 1913; Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1913 – 1920; Governor of New York, 1929 – 1932; President of the United States, 1933 – 1945.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1920; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1928; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1930; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1932; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1936; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1940; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1944.

Democratic Party

1933 – 1945

Harry S. Truman

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 8 1884; d. December 26 1972.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1932.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Missouri, 1935 – 1945; Vice President of the United States, 1945; President of the United States, 1945 – 1953.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Missouri, 1934; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Missouri, 1940; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1944; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1948.

Democratic Party

1945 – 1953

Dwight David Eisenhower

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 14 1890; d. March 28 1969.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1941. Promoted to Brigadier General, 1941. Promoted to Major General, 1942. Promoted to Lieutenant General, 1942. Promoted to General, 1943. Promoted to General of the Army, 1944.

Political offices held: President of the United States, 1953 – 1961.

Military posts held: Commanding General of United States Army Europe, 1942 – 1943; Commanding General of United States Army Europe, 1944 – 1945; Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force, 1944 – 1945; Governor of the American Zone of Occupied Germany, 1945; Chief of Staff of the United States Army, 1945 – 1948; Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 1951 – 1952.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1952; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1956.

Academic offices held: President of Columbia University, 1948 – 1953.

Republican Party

1953 – 1961

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 29 1917; d. November 22 1963.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts, 1947 – 1953; Member of the United States Senate from Massachusetts, 1953 – 1960; President of the United States, 1961 – 1963.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Massachusetts, 1952; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Massachusetts, 1958; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1960.

Democratic Party

1961 – 1963

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 27 1908; d. January 22 1973.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas, 1937 – 1949; Member of the United States Senate from Texas, 1949 – 1961; Majority Whip of the United States Senate, 1951 – 1953; Minority Leader of the United States Senate, 1953 – 1955; Majority Leader of the United States Senate, 1955 – 1961; Vice President of the United States, 1961 – 1963; President of the United States, 1963 – 1969.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Texas, 1948; Whip of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate, 1951 – 1953; Leader of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate, 1953 – 1961; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Texas, 1954; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Texas, 1960; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1960; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1964.

Democratic Party

1963 – 1969

Richard Milhous Nixon

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 9 1913; d. April 22 1994.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from California, 1947 – 1950; Member of the United States Senate from California, 1950 – 1953; Vice President of the United States, 1953 – 1961; President of the United States, 1969 – 1974.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from California, 1950; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1952; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1956; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1960; Republican Party nominee for Governor of California, 1962; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1968; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1972.

Republican Party

1969 – 1974

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 14 1913; d. December 26 2006.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan, 1949 – 1973; Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, 1965 – 1973; Vice President of the United States, 1973 – 1974; President of the United States, 1974 – 1977.

Political party positions held: Chair of the Republican Party Caucus in the United States House of Representatives, 1963 – 1965; Leader of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives, 1965 – 1973; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1976.

Republican Party

1974 – 1977

James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 1 1924; d. December 29 2024.

Political offices held: Member of the Georgia State Senate, 1963 – 1967; Governor of Georgia, 1971 – 1975; President of the United States, 1977 – 1981.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Georgia, 1970; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1976; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1980.

Democratic Party

1977 – 1981

Ronald Wilson Reagan

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 6 1911; d. June 5 2004.

Political offices held: Governor of California, 1967 – 1975; President of the United States, 1981 – 1989.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of California, 1966; Republican Party nominee for Governor of California, 1970; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1980; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1984.

Republican Party

1981 – 1989

George Herbert Walker Bush

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 12 1924; d. November 30 2018.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas, 1967 – 1971; Vice President of the United States, 1981 – 1989; President of the United States, 1989 – 1993.

Government offices held: Director of Central Intelligence, 1976 – 1977.

Diplomatic posts held: United States Ambassador to the United Nations, 1971 – 1973; Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People’s Republic of China, 1974 – 1975.

Political party positions held: Chair of the Republican National Committee, 1973 – 1974; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1980; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1984; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1988; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 1992.

Republican Party

1989 – 1993

William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 19 1946.

Political offices held: Governor of Arkansas, 1979 – 1981; Governor of Arkansas, 1983 – 1992; President of the United States, 1993 – 2001.

Legal offices held: Attorney General of Arkansas, 1977 – 1979.

Political party positions held: Chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, 1990 – 1991; Democratic Party presidential nominee, 1992; Democratic Party presidential nominee, 1996.

Democratic Party

1993 – 2001

George Walker Bush

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 6 1946.

Political offices held: Governor of Texas, 1995 – 2000; President of the United States, 2001 – 2009.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Texas, 1994; Republican Party nominee for Governor of Texas, 1998; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 2000; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 2004.

Republican Party

2001 – 2009

Barack Hussein Obama II

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 4 1961.

Political offices held: Member of the Illinois Senate, 1997 – 2004; Member of the United States Senate from Illinois, 2005 – 2008; President of the United States, 2009 – 2017.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Illinois, 2004; Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention, 2004; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 2008; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 2012.

Democratic Party

2009 – 2017

Donald John Trump

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 14 1946.

Political offices held: President of the United States, 2017 – 2021; President of the United States, 2025 – present.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 2016; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 2020; Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, 2024.

Republican Party

2017 – 2021

Joseph Robinette “Joe” Biden, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 20 1942.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Delaware, 1973 – 2009; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1987 – 1995; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 2001; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 2001 – 2003; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 2007 – 2009; Vice President of the United States, 2009 – 2017; President of the United States, 2021 – 2025.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 1972; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 1978; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 1984; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 1990; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 1996; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 2002; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Delaware, 2008; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2008; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2012; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 2020.

Democratic Party

2021 – 2025

Donald John Trump

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 14 1946.

Political offices held: President of the United States, 2017 – 2021; President of the United States, 2025 – present.

Republican Party

2025 – present

Vice President of the United States

John Adams

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 20 1735; d. July 4 1826.

Political party positions held: Federalist Party nominee for President of the United States, 1796; Federalist Party nominee for President of the United States, 1800.

Federalist Party

1789 – 1797

Thomas Jefferson

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 13 1743; d. July 4 1826.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to France, 1785 – 1789.

Democratic-Republican Party

1797 – 1801

Aaron Burr, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 6 1756; d. September 14 1836.

Political offices held: Member of the New York State Assembly, 1784 – 1785; Member of the United States Senate from New York, 1791 – 1797; Member of the New York State Assembly, 1797 – 1799; Vice President of the United States, 1801 – 1805.

Legal offices held: Attorney General of New York, 1789 – 1791.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1796; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1800.

Democratic-Republican Party

1801 – 1805

George Clinton

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 26 1739; d. April 20 1812.

Political offices held: Member of the New York General Assembly, 1768 – 1775; Delegate to the Continental Congress from New York, 1775 – 1776; Governor of New York, 1777 – 1795; Governor of New York, 1801 – 1804; Vice President of the United States, 1805 – 1812.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1801; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1804; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1808.

Academic offices held: Acting President of Columbia College, 1784 – 1787; Chancellor of the University of the State of New York, 1787 – 1795; Chancellor of the University of the State of New York, 1802 – 1804.

Democratic-Republican Party

1805 – 1812

Elbridge Gerry

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 17 1744; d. November 23 1814.

Political offices held: Delegate to the Continental Congress from Massachusetts, 1776 – 1780; Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Massachusetts, 1783 – 1785; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts, 1789 – 1793; Governor of Massachusetts, 1810 – 1812; Vice President of the United States, 1813 – 1814.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1800; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1801; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1802; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1803; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1810; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1811; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1812; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President off the United States, 1812.

Democratic-Republican Party

1813 – 1814

Daniel D. Tompkins

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 21 1774; d. June 11 1825.

Political offices held: Member of the New York State Assembly, 1802 – 1803; Governor of New York, 1807 – 1817; Vice President of the United States, 1817 – 1825.

Legal offices held: Associate Justice of the New York Supreme Court of Judicature, 1804 – 1807.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1807; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1810; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1813; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1816; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1816; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1820; Bucktail nominee for Governor of New York, 1820.

Academic offices held: Chancellor of the University of the State of New York, 1808 – 1817.

Democratic-Republican Party

1817 – 1825

John Caldwell Calhoun

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 18 1782; d. March 31 1850.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina, 1811 – 1817; United States Secretary of War, 1817 – 1825; Vice President of the United States, 1825 – 1832; Member of the United States Senate from South Carolina, 1832 – 1843; United States Secretary of State, 1844 – 1845; Member of the United States Senate from South Carolina, 1845 – 1850; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, 1845 – 1846.

Political party positions held: Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1824; Democratic-Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1828.

Democratic-Republican Party (1825 – 1828); Democratic Party (1828); Nullifier Party (1828 – 1832)

1825 – 1832

Martin Van Buren

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 5 1782; d. July 24 1862.

Legal offices held: Attorney General of New York, 1815 – 1819.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1831 – 1832.

Democratic Party

1833 – 1837

Richard Mentor Johnson

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 17 1780; d. November 19 1850.

Political offices held: Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, 1804 – 1806; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky, 1807 – 1819; Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, 1819; Member of the United States Senate from Kentucky, 1819 – 1829; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky, 1829 – 1837; Vice President of the United States, 1837 – 1841; Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, 1841 – 1843; Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, 1850.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1836; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1840.

Democratic Party

1837 – 1841

John Tyler

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 29 1790; d. January 18 1862.

Academic offices held: Chancellor of the College of William & Mary, 1859 – 1862.

Whig Party

1841

George Mifflin Dallas

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 10 1792; d. December 31 1864.

Political offices held: Mayor of Philadelphia, 1828 – 1829; Member of the United States Senate from Pennsylvania, 1831 – 1833; Vice President of the United States, 1845 – 1849.

Legal offices held: United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1829 – 1831; Attorney General of Pennsylvania, 1833 – 1835.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to Russia, 1837 – 1839; Minister of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1856 – 1861.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1844.

Democratic Party

1845 – 1849

Millard Fillmore

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 7 1800; d. March 8 1874.

Whig Party

1849 – 1850

William Rufus DeVane King

Date of birth/date of death: b. April 7 1786; d. April 18 1853.

Political offices held: Member of the North Carolina HOuse of Commons, 1807 – 1809; Member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina, 1811 – 1816; Member of the United States Senate from Alabama, 1819 – 1844; President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, 1836 – 1841; Member of the United States Senate from Alabama, 1848 – 1852; President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, 1850 – 1852; Vice President of the United States, 1853.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to France, 1844 – 1846.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1852.

Democratic Party

1853

John Cabell Breckinridge

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 16 1821; d. May 17 1875.

Political offices held: Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, 1849 – 1850; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky, 1851 – 1855; Vice President of the United States, 1857 – 1861; Member of the United States Senate from Kentucky, 1861; Confederate States Secretary of War, 1865.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1856; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1860*.

(*The Democratic Party split in 1860; Breckinridge was the presidential nominee for Democrats from the South who walked out of the national party’s nominating convention.)

Democratic Party

1857 – 1861

Hannibal Hamlin

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 27 1809; d. July 4 1891.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Maine, 1843 – 1847; Member of the United States Senate from Maine, 1848 – 1857; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, 1849 – 1856; Governor of Maine, 1857; Member of the United States Senate from Maine, 1857 – 1861; Vice President of the United States, 1861 – 1865; Member of the United States Senate from Maine, 1869 – 1881; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on the District of Columbia, 1869 – 1871; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Manufactures, 1871 – 1873*; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Mines and Mining, 1871 – 1875**; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Post Office and Post Roads, 1875 – 1877; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1877 – 1879.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to Spain, 1881 – 1882.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Maine, 1856; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1860.

Sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (last accessed August 11 2025).

*Exact dates unclear (during the 42nd Congress).

**Exact start date unclear (during the 42nd Congress).

Republican Party

1861 – 1865

Andrew Johnson

Date of birth/date of death: b. December 29 1808; d. July 31 1875.

Military ranks: Promoted to Brigadier General, 1862.

Military posts held: Military Governor of Tennessee, 1862 – 1865.

National Union Party

1865

Schuyler Colfax, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 23 1823; d. January 13 1885.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana, 1855 – 1869; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 1863 – 1869; Vice President of the United States, 1869 – 1873.

Political party positions held: Leader of the Republican Party Conference in the United States House of Representatives, 1863 – 1869; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1868.

Republican Party

1869 – 1873

Henry Wilson

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 16 1812; d. November 22 1875.

Political offices held: Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1841 – 1843; Member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1844 – 1846; Member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1851 – 1853; President of the Massachusetts Senate, 1851 – 1853; Member of the United States Senate from Massachusetts, 1855 – 1873; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Military Affairs, 1861 – 1873; Vice President of the United States, 1873 – 1875.

Political party positions held: Free Soil Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1853; Free Soil Party nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, 1854; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1872.

Sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (last accessed August 14 2025).

Republican Party

1873 – 1875

William Almon Wheeler

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 30 1819; d. June 4 1887.

Political offices held: Member of the New York State Assembly, 1850 – 1851; Member of the New York State Senate, 1858 – 1859; Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1861 – 1863; Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1869 – 1877; Vice President of the United States, 1877 – 1881.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1876.

Republican Party

1877 – 1881

Chester Alan Arthur

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 5 1829; d. November 18 1886.

Military ranks: Commissioned as Brigadier General, 1861.

Political offices held: Vice President of the United States, 1881; President of the United States, 1881 – 1885.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1880.

Republican Party

1881

Thomas Andrews Hendricks

Date of birth/date of death: b. September 7 1819; d. November 25 1885.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives, 1851 – 1855; Member of the United States Senate, 1863 – 1869; Governor of Indiana, 1873 – 1877; Vice President of the United States, 1881.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Indiana, 1860; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Indiana, 1868; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Indiana, 1872; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1876; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1884.

Democratic Party

1885

Levi Parsons Morton

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 16 1824; d. May 16 1920.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1879 – 1881; Vice President of the United States, 1889 – 1893; Governor of New York, 1895 – 1896.

Diplomatic posts held: Minister of the United States to France, 1881 – 1885.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1888; Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1894.

Republican Party

1889 – 1893

Adlai Ewing Stevenson I

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 23 1835; d. June 14 1914.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois, 1875 – 1877; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois, 1879 – 1881; Vice President of the United States, 1893 – 1897.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1892; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1900; Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Illinois, 1908.

Democratic Party

1893 – 1897

Garret Augustus Hobart

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 3 1844; d. November 21 1899.

Political offices held: Member of the New Jersey General Assembly, 1873 – 1875; Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, 1874 – 1875; Member of the New Jersey Senate, 1877 – 1883; President of the New Jersey Senate, 1881 – 1883; Vice President of the United States, 1897 – 1899.

Political party positions held: Chair of the New Jersey Republican Party, 1880 – 1881; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1896.

Republican Party

1897 – 1899

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 27 1858; d. January 6 1919.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1898.

Republican Party

1901

Charles Warren Fairbanks

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 11 1852; d. June 4 1918.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Indiana, 1897 – 1905; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Ground, 1899 – 1905; Vice President of the United States, 1905 – 1909.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1904; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1916.

Sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (last accessed August 19 2025).

Republican Party

1905 – 1909

James Schoolcraft Sherman

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 24 1855; d. October 30 1912.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1887 – 1891; Member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, 1893 – 1909; Vice President of the United States, 1909 – 1912.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1908; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1912.*

*Nominated at the 1912 Republican National Convention, but died days before the 1912 presidential election.

Republican Party

1909 – 1912

Thomas Riley Marshall

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 14 1854; d. June 1 1925.

Political offices held: Governor of Indiana, 1909 – 1913; Vice President of the United States, 1913 – 1921.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Indiana, 1908; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1912; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1916.

Democratic Party

1913 – 1921

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 4 1872; d. January 5 1933.

Republican Party

1921 – 1923

Charles Gates Dawes

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 27 1865; d. April 23 1951.

Political offices held: Director of the Bureau of the Budget, 1921 – 1922; Vice President of the United States, 1925 – 1929.

Government offices held: Comptroller of the Currency, 1898 – 1901; President of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, 1932.

Diplomatic posts held: Ambassador of the United States to the United Kingdom, 1929 – 1931.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1924.

Republican Party

1925 – 1929

Charles Curtis

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 25 1860; d. February 8 1936.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas, 1893 – 1907; Member of the United States Senate from Kansas, 1907 – 1913; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Indian Depredations, 1907 – 1911; President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, 1911; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Coast Defenses, 1911 – 1913; Member of the United States Senate from Kansas, 1915 – 1929; United States Senate Minority Whip, 1915 – 1919; United States Senate Majority Whip, 1919 – 1924; Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Rules, 1921 – 1929; United States Senate Majority Leader, 1924 – 1929; Vice President of the United States, 1929 – 1933.

Political party positions held: Secretary of the Senate Republican Conference, 1911 – 1913; Whip of the Republican in the United States Senate, 1915 – 1924; Leader of the Republican Party in the United States Senate, 1924 – 1929; Chair of the Senate Republican Conference, 1925 – 1929; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1928; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1932.

Republican Party

1929 – 1933

John Nance Garner III

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 22 1868; d. November 7 1967.

Political offices held: Member of the Texas House of Representatives, 1899 – 1903; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas, 1903 – 1933; Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, 1929 – 1931; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 1931 – 1933; Vice President of the United States, 1933 – 1941.

Political party positions held: Leader of the Democratic Party Caucus in the United States House of Representatives, 1929 – 1933; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1932; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1936.

Democratic Party

1933 – 1941

Henry Agard Wallace

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 7 1888; d. November 18 1965.

Political offices held: United States Secretary of Agriculture, 1933 – 1940; Vice President of the United States, 1941 – 1945; United States Secretary of Commerce, 1945 – 1946.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1940; Progressive Party nominee for President of the United States, 1948.

Democratic Party

1941 – 1945

Harry S. Truman

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 8 1884; d. December 26 1972.

Military ranks: Promoted to Colonel, 1932.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Missouri, 1935 – 1945; Vice President of the United States, 1945; President of the United States, 1945 – 1953.

Democratic Party

1945

Alben William Barkley

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 24 1877; d. April 30 1956.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky, 1913 – 1927; Member of the United States Senate from Kentucky, 1927 – 1949; Majority Leader of the United States Senate, 1937 – 1947; Minority Leader of the United States Senate, 1947 – 1949; Vice President of the United States, 1949 – 1953; Member of the United States Senate from Kentucky, 1955 – 1956.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senate from Kentucky, 1926; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senate from Kentucky, 1932; Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention, 1932; Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention, 1936; Leader of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate, 1937 – 1949; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senate from Kentucky, 1938; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senate from Kentucky, 1944; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1948; Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention, 1948; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senate from Kentucky, 1954.

Democratic Party

1949 – 1953

Richard Milhous Nixon

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 9 1913; d. April 22 1994.

Republican Party

1953 – 1961

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 27 1908; d. January 22 1973.

Democratic Party

1961 – 1963

Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. May 27 1911; d. January 13 1978.

Political offices held: Mayor of Minneapolis, 1945 – 1949; Member of the United States Senate from Minnesota, 1949 – 1964; Majority Whip of the United States Senate, 1961 – 1964; Vice President of the United States, 1965 – 1969; Member of the United States Senate from Minnesota, 1971 – 1978.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1948; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1954; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1960; Whip of the Democratic Party in the United States Senate, 1961 – 1964; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1964; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1968; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1970; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1976.

Democratic Party

1965 – 1969

Spiro Theodore Agnew

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 9 1918; d. September 17 1996.

Political offices held: Executive of Baltimore County, Maryland, 1962 – 1966; Governor of Maryland, 1967 – 1969; Vice President of the United States, 1969 – 1973.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of Maryland, 1966; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1968; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1972.

Republican Party

1969 – 1973

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 14 1913; d. December 26 2006.

Republican Party

1973 – 1974

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller

Date of birth/date of death: b. July 8 1908; d. January 26 1979.

Political offices held: Governor of New York, 1959 – 1973; Vice President of the United States, 1974 – 1977.

Government offices held: Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs, 1944 – 1945; United States Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1953 – 1954.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1958; Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1962; Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1966; Republican Party nominee for Governor of New York, 1970.

Republican Party

1974 – 1977

Walter Frederick “Fritz” Mondale

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 5 1928; d. April 19 2021.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Minnesota, 1964 – 1976; Vice President of the United States, 1977 – 1981.

Legal offices held: Attorney General of Minnesota, 1960 – 1964.

Diplomatic posts held: Ambassador of the United States to Japan, 1993 – 1996.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1966; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 1972; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1976; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1980; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 1984; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Minnesota, 2002.

Democratic Party

1977 – 1981

George Herbert Walker Bush

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 12 1924; d. November 30 2018.

Government offices held: Director of Central Intelligence, 1976 – 1977.

Diplomatic posts held: United States Ambassador to the United Nations, 1971 – 1973; Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People’s Republic of China, 1974 – 1975.

Republican Party

1981 – 1989

James Danforth “Dan” Quayle

Date of birth/date of death: b. February 4 1947.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana, 1977 – 1981; Member of the United States Senate from Indiana, 1981 – 1989; Vice President of the United States, 1989 – 1993.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Indiana, 1980; Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Indiana, 1986; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1988; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1992.

Republican Party

1989 – 1993

Albert Arnold “Al” Gore, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. March 31 1948.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee, 1977 – 1985; Member of the United States Senate from Tennessee, 1985 – 1993; Vice President of the United States, 1993 – 2001.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Tennessee, 1984; Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from Tennessee, 1990; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1992; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 1996; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 2000.

Democratic Party

1993 – 2001

Richard Bruce “Dick” Cheney

Date of birth/date of death: b. January 30 1941.

Political offices held: White House Deputy Chief of Staff, 1974 – 1975; White House Chief of Staff, 1975 – 1977; Member of the United States House of Representatives from Wyoming, 1979 – 1989; Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives, 1989; United States Secretary of Defense, 1989 – 1993; Vice President of the United States, 2001 – 2009.

Political party positions held: Chair of the House Republican Policy Committee, 1981 – 1987; Republican Party Conference Chair in the United States House of Representatives, 1987 – 1989; Whip of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives, 1989; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2000; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2004.

Republican Party

2001 – 2009

Joseph Robinette “Joe” Biden, Jr.

Date of birth/date of death: b. November 20 1942.

Democratic Party

2009 – 2017

Michael Richard “Mike” Pence

Date of birth/date of death: b. June 7 1959.

Political offices held: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana, 2001 – 2013; Governor of Indiana, 2013 – 2017; Vice President of the United States, 2017 – 2021.

Political party positions held: Chair of the Republican Study Committee, 2005 – 2007; Chair of the Republican Party Conference in the United States House of Representatives, 2009 – 2011; Republican Party nominee for Governor of Indiana, 2012; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2016; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2020.

Republican Party

2017 – 2021

Kamala Devi Harris

Date of birth/date of death: b. October 20 1964.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from California, 2017 – 2021; Vice President of the United States, 2021 – 2025.

Legal offices held: District Attorney of San Francisco, 2004 – 2011; Attorney General of California, 2011 – 2017.

Political party positions held: Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from California, 2016; Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2020; Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States, 2024.

Democratic Party

2021 – 2025

James David “JD” Vance

Date of birth/date of death: b. August 2 1984.

Political offices held: Member of the United States Senate from Ohio, 2023 – 2025; Vice President of the United States, 2025 – present.

Political party positions held: Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Ohio, 2022; Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States, 2024.

Sources: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (last accessed September 7 2025).

Republican Party

2025 – present