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List of presidents of the United States by military service

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Of the 45 men who have served as president of the United States, 31 had prior military service, and 14 had none. Their service ranks range from private in a state militia to general of the army.

History

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General George Washington Resigning His Commission (1824) by John Trumbull

Though the president of the United States is commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces, prior military service is not a prerequisite for holding the office.[1]

Civil War-veteran presidents

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After the American Civil War, public perception of an individual's appropriateness for the presidency was influenced by their combat history. After a spate of such veteran-presidents, that influence diminished before disappearing entirely.[2]

World War II-veteran presidents

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So great was the influence of World War II on US politics, Dwight D. Eisenhower won the 1952 presidential election without any political experience. This halo effect of the war benefited the successful political campaigns of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter. However, after the 1988 presidential election, the shine had dulled on military-veteran politicians, and through 2012, "the candidate with the better military record lost."[2] As of December 2018, George H. W. Bush was the most recent president to have served in combat (as an aircraft carrier-based bomber pilot in World War II).[3]

Wars without presidents

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Vietnam War

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See also: Vietnam syndrome

The 48-year tenure of veteran presidents after World War II was a result of that conflict's "pervasive effect […] on American society."[2] In the late 1970s and 1980s, almost 60 percent of the United States Congress had served in World War II or the Korean War, and it was expected that a Vietnam veteran would eventually accede to the presidency. Yet, in the chronology of "major conflicts" involving the United States, the Vietnam War is the first to not produce a veteran president, an event that veteran and author Matt Gallagher called "no small feat for a country spawned in armed revolution." By 2017, a "bamboo ceiling" was described as holding down and preventing those who served in Vietnam from becoming president.[4]

Barack Obama's 2006 book The Audacity of Hope argues that baby boomers never left behind the anti-military psychodrama of the 1960s, and that played out in national politics. During Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, James Carville succeeded in releasing Clinton's 1969 letter that "outlined his opposition to the [Vietnam] war and his decision to try his chances with the draft." The positive effects of this release proved the diminished cachet of military service in presidential politics.  Donald Trump's 2016 campaign further cemented this; Trump was elected that November despite bragging about evading the draft, slandering Senator John McCain and other prisoners of war, and publicly feuding with Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Of this, Gallagher said, "What'd once been sacred territory in American politics is now anything but."[4]

In 2015, journalist James Fallows described the contemporary American's attitude toward their military as "we love the troops, but we’d rather not think about them".[5] That same year, Ken Harbaugh (veteran and chief operating officer of Team Rubicon) claimed to speak on behalf of veterans when expressing his dismay, and argued that all voters should be concerned, that the 2016 United States presidential election had no likely candidates with military experience.[6] In 2018, Gallagher noted that when given the opportunity to elect Vietnam veterans (Al Gore, McCain, and John Kerry), the US electorate did not do so. He called this emblematic of the public's "vague sense of gratitude for service members" that eschews interest or understanding: "'Thank you for your service,' but spare the details, please."[7]

Global War on Terror

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With the all-volunteer United States Armed Forces of 2018 comprising 0.5 percent of the US populace, and "the inherent politicization of the wars [current and future politicians] fought in", Gallagher doubted the viability of future veteran-presidents; "If a Global War on Terror veteran does someday lead the White House, it’ll be in spite of their time in uniform, not assisted by it."[4]

Politics

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Asset

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George Washington, William Henry Harrison, and Ulysses S. Grant were all career soldiers whose presidential aspirations benefited from their popularity as successful wartime general officers.[8] Áine Cain of Military.com called veteran presidents "fitting", given their responsibility at the head of the military's command hierarchy.[1]

Detriment

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Military service has also been a political millstone for individuals seeking the presidency.[1]

George W. Bush's service with the Air National Guard was a point of political contention in his 2000 and 2004 campaigns.[9][10] Kerry's tours in Vietnam were similarly questioned.[11] McCain's 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns saw the retired captain's service used against him.[7] Donald Trump's five deferments from conscription during the Vietnam War dogged his first presidential campaign.[12] Joe Biden received criticism during his 2020 presidential campaign for his five student draft deferments.[13]

Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump all received criticism for deploying the armed forces in combat while having not served in that capacity themselves.[14]

Policy

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As noted in The Atlantic, presidents' military histories influence their policy-making in office.[14]

List of presidents

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No. (years) President (lifespan) Highest rank Last service Ref.
1 (1789–1797) George Washington (1732–1799) General of the Armies United States Army [15][16]
2 (1797–1801) John Adams (1735–1826) — [17]
3 (1801–1809) Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) Colonel Virginia Militia [18]
4 (1809–1817) James Madison (1751–1836) [19]
5 (1817–1825) James Monroe (1758–1831) [20]
6 (1825–1829) John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) — [17]
7 (1829–1837) Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) Major general United States Army [21]
8 (1837–1841) Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) — [17]
9 (1841) William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) Major general United States Army [22]
10 (1841–1845) John Tyler (1790–1862) Captain Virginia militia [23]
11 (1845–1849) James K. Polk (1795–1849) Colonel Tennessee Militia [24][25]
12 (1849–1850) Zachary Taylor (1784–1850) Major general United States Army [26]
13 (1850–1853) Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) Major New York Militia [27]
14 (1853–1857) Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) Brigadier general United States Army [28]
15 (1857–1861) James Buchanan (1791–1868) Private Pennsylvania militia [29]
16 (1861–1865) Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) Captain Illinois State Militia [30]
17 (1865–1869) Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) Brigadier general Union Army (Volunteers) [31]
18 (1869–1877) Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) General of the Armies Union Army [32][33]
19 (1877–1881) Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) Major general Union Army (Volunteers) [34]
20 (1881) James A. Garfield (1831–1881) Union Army [35]
21 (1881–1885) Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886) Brigadier general New York Militia [36]
22 (1885–1889) Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) — [17]
23 (1889–1893) Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) Brigadier general Union Army [37]
24 (1893–1897) Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) — [17]
25 (1897–1901) William McKinley (1843–1901) Captain Union Army (Volunteers) [38]
26 (1901–1909) Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) Colonel United States Army (Volunteers) [39]
27 (1909–1913) William Howard Taft (1857–1930) — [17]
28 (1913–1921) Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) [17]
29 (1921–1923) Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) [17]
30 (1923–1929) Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) [17]
31 (1929–1933) Herbert Hoover (1874–1964) [17]
32 (1933–1945) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) [17]
33 (1945–1953) Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) Colonel United States Army Reserve [40]
34 (1953–1961) Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) General of the Army United States Army [41]
35 (1961–63) John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) Lieutenant United States Navy Reserve [42]
36 (1963–1969) Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) Commander [43]
37 (1969–1974) Richard Nixon (1913–1994) [44]
38 (1974–1977) Gerald Ford (1913–2006) Lieutenant commander [45]
39 (1977–1981) Jimmy Carter (1924–2024) Lieutenant United States Navy [46]
40 (1981–1989) Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) Captain United States Army Reserve [47]
41 (1989–1993) George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) Lieutenant United States Navy Reserve [48]
42 (1993–2001) Bill Clinton (born 1946) — [17]
43 (2001–2009) George W. Bush (born 1946) First lieutenant Texas Air National Guard [9]
44 (2009–2017) Barack Obama (born 1961) — [49]
45 (2017–2021) Donald Trump (born 1946) [12]
46 (2021–present) Joe Biden (born 1942) [50]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Cain, Áine. "29 American Presidents Who Served in the Military". military.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Toobin, Jeffrey (2 April 2012). "No Veteran in the White House". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. OCLC 320541675. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  3. ^ Stavridis, James (1 December 2018). "George H.W. Bush Was the Last President to Serve in Combat. America Could Use More Leaders Like Him". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Gallagher, Matt (9 April 2017). "Will America Ever Elect Another Veteran President?". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019. The one thing Clinton, Bush, and Trump have in common? They all avoided hard military service. Could it be that after Vietnam, we just don't care anymore?
  5. ^ Fallows, James (January–February 2015). "The Tragedy of the American Military". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020. The American public and its political leadership will do anything for the military except take it seriously. The result is a chickenhawk nation in which careless spending and strategic folly combine to lure America into endless wars it can't win.
  6. ^ Harbaugh, Ken (18 March 2015). "There Should Be a Veteran Running for President". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b Gallagher, Matt (28 December 2018). "The President's Field Trip to the Forever War". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019. 'Thank you for your service,' but spare the details, please.
  8. ^ "From the Battlefield to the Oval Office: Presidents Who Were Veterans". National Archives and Records Administration. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b Jackson, Brooks (11 February 2004). "New Evidence Supports Bush Military Service (Mostly)". FactCheck.org. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2023. Newly released records reflect payments and credits for Air National Guard service meeting minimum requirements, despite a six-month gap.
  10. ^ Glass, Andrew (1 August 2013). "George W. Bush suspended from Texas Air National Guard, Aug. 1, 1972". Politico. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  11. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D. (18 September 2004). "A War Hero or a Phony?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  12. ^ a b Eder, Steve; Philipps, Dave (1 August 2016). "Donald Trump's Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  13. ^ Caldera, Camille (16 September 2020). "Fact check: Biden, like Trump, received multiple draft deferments from Vietnam". USA Today. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022. The claim: Former Vice President Joe Biden received five draft deferments from the Vietnam War
  14. ^ a b Graham, David A. (21 November 2018). "The Military Has Become Trump's Favorite Prop". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019. President Trump sent troops to the border even though they're prohibited by law from stopping immigrants. He still hasn't visited U.S. troops in a combat zone.
  15. ^ Biaggi, Mario (11 October 1976). "H.J.Res.519 - Joint resolution to provide for the appointment of George Washington to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States". 94th United States Congress. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  16. ^ Alexander, Clifford L. Jr. (13 March 1978), Orders 31-3, Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Army
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mitgang, Herbert (3 January 1993). "Hail to Chiefs Without Military Pasts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Presidential Series - Thomas Jefferson". United States National Guard. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  19. ^ Wills, Garry (2002). "Before the Constitution (1751–1785)". In Schlesinger Jr., Arthur M. (ed.). James Madison (first ed.). Fifth Avenue: Times Books. pp. 11–23. ISBN 978-0-8050-6905-1.
  20. ^ Preston, Daniel. "James Monroe: Life Before the Presidency". Miller Center of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  21. ^ "The War of 1812 and Indian Wars: 1812-1821". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  22. ^ Freehling, William. "William Harrison: Life Before the Presidency". Miller Center of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  23. ^ Cain, Áine (19 February 2018). "29 American presidents who served in the military". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  24. ^ Seigenthaler, John (2004). "The Bent Twig". In Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. (ed.). James K. Polk. The American Presidents (first ed.). New York City: Times Books. pp. 10–26. ISBN 0-8050-6942-9. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Presidential Militiamen". New York State Military Museum. New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  26. ^ "Timeline, 1816-1847". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  27. ^ Skinner, Roger Sherman (1830). "Militia of the State". The New-York State Register, for the Year of Our Lord 1830, the Fifty-fourth Year of American Independence, with a Concise United States Calendar. New York: Clayton & Van Norden. p. 361.
  28. ^ Baker, Jean H. "Franklin Pierce: Life Before the Presidency". Miller Center of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  29. ^ Mattox, Henry E. (September 1996). "U. S. Presidents, Military Service, and the Electorate". American Diplomacy. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ISSN 1094-8120. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  30. ^ Elliott, Isaac H. (1882). Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831–32. Illinois Adjutant General. pp. 100, 174, 183.
  31. ^ Petersen, Hans (16 February 2015). "List of Presidents who were Veterans". Veterans Health Administration. United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  32. ^ "How many U.S. Army five-star generals have there been and who were they?". United States Army Center of Military History. Fort Lesley J. McNair: United States Army. 27 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  33. ^ Stegen, Anne (28 December 2022). "Ulysses S. Grant posthumously promoted to 'General of the Armies'". St. Louis: KSDK. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023. President Grant is only the third person to achieve the highest military rank in the United States Army.
  34. ^ "Biography - Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums". Fremont, Ohio: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  35. ^ Goodheart, Adam (13 August 2011). "Professor Garfield Goes to War". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Chester A. Arthur | New York Legal History / Antebellum, Civil War, & Reconstruction: 1847-1869". The Historical Society of New York Courts. White Plains, New York: New York State Unified Court System. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  37. ^ Spetter, Allan B. "Benjamin Harrison: Life Before the Presidency". Miller Center of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Presidential Series - William Mckinley, Jr". United States National Guard. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  39. ^ Milkis, Sidney. "Theodore Roosevelt: Life Before the Presidency". Miller Center of Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  40. ^ "Truman Life and Times Exhibit". Independence, Missouri: Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  41. ^ Stone, Michael P. W. "Dwight David Eisenhower". United States Army Center of Military History. United States Army. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  42. ^ Fox, Elyse; Kintz, Laura; Mantzaris, Nicola (9 November 2017). "Veterans Day: Celebrating Veterans from the Kennedy Family Collection Nitrate Negatives". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  43. ^ "LBJ Military Service". Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  44. ^ "Nixon, Richard M." Naval History and Heritage Command. Washington Navy Yard: United States Navy. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  45. ^ Barr, Sanjana (9 November 2016). "Gerald Ford: President and Veteran". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  46. ^ "James Earle Carter, Jr". Naval History and Heritage Command. Washington Navy Yard: United States Navy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  47. ^ "Military Service of Ronald Reagan". Simi Valley, California: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  48. ^ "George Herbert Walker Bush". Naval History and Heritage Command. Washington Navy Yard: United States Navy. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  49. ^ Harnden, Toby (7 September 2008). "Barack Obama 'wanted to join US military'". The Daily Telegraph. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2019. Barack Obama has said he considered joining the United States military when he left school but decided not to because the Vietnam war was over and 'we weren't engaged in an active military conflict at that point'.
  50. ^ "Biden got 5 draft deferments during Nam, as did Cheney". Newsday. Dover, Delaware. Associated Press. 31 August 2008. ISSN 0278-5587. OCLC 5371847. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
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