This special salute to the Presidents highlights the men who have led our country.
1. George Washington
Born: February 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Died: December 14, 1799.
Party: None.
Age when inaugurated: 57.
Term: 1789-1797. The first President unified the new nation and shaped the chief executive's duties. He refused to run for a third term.
Famous Fact: On their wedding day, Martha Washington gave him a miniature portrait of herself. He wore it on a chain around his neck until his death 40 years later.
2. John Adams
Born: October 30, 1735, Braintree, Massachusetts.
Died: July 4, 1826.
Party: Federalist.
Age when inaugurated: 61.
Term: 1797–1801. Adams had a tough job filling Washington's shoes. His advocacy of the Alien and Sedition Acts allowed him to silence critics, but made him unpopular. He lost reelection to Thomas Jefferson.
Famous Fact: Adams was the first President to live in the White House.
3. Thomas Jefferson
Born: April 13, 1743, Albemarle County, Virginia.
Died: July 4, 1826.
Party: Democratic-Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 57.
Term: 1801–1809. Jefferson approved the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which nearly doubled the size of the U.S.
Famous Fact: Considered the most brilliant President, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, founded the University of Virginia, and was an architect, a farmer, and a scientist.
4. James Madison
Born: March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Virginia.
Died: June 28, 1836.
Party: Democratic-Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 57.
Term: 1809–1817. Madison presided over the War of 1812 with Britain, during which the White House was burned. The war ended in a draw.
Famous Fact: Madison is considered the father of the Bill of Rights.
5. James Monroe
Born: April 28, 1758, Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Died: July 4, 1831.
Party: Democratic-Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 58.
Term: 1817–1825. His term is called the "Era of Good Feeling" because there was little partisan fighting. He formulated the Monroe Doctrine, which declared the Americas off-limits to European meddling.
Famous Fact: Monroe lived out his retirement in poverty.
6. John Quincy Adams
Born: July 11, 1767, Braintree, Massachusetts.
Died: February 23, 1848.
Party: Democratic-Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 57.
Term: 1825–1829. Accused of winning the White House through corruption, he was plagued by accusations of misdeeds often untrue and he accomplished little.
Famous Fact: John Adams and John Quincy Adams were the first father and son to have served as Presidents.
7. Andrew Jackson
Born: March 15, 1767, Waxhaw settlement, South Carolina.
Died: June 8, 1845.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 61.
Term: 1829–1837. Though he was a rich planter, Jackson was considered the common people's friend. Dubbed "Old Hickory" because he was so tough, Jackson greatly expanded the powers of the Presidency.
Famous Fact: Jackson was the first President to ride on a train.
8. Martin Van Buren
Born: December 5, 1782, Kinderhook, New York.
Died: July 24, 1862. Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 54.
Term: 1837–1841. Van Buren's Presidency was marred by an economic depression that led to bank failures and food riots. He was easily defeated for reelection.
Famous Fact: Van Buren was the first President to be born an American citizen, rather than a British subject.
9. William Henry Harrison
Born: February 9, 1773, Berkeley, Virginia.
Died: April 4, 1841.
Party: Whig.
Age when inaugurated: 68.
Term: 1841. Harrison delivered a marathon inaugural speech during which he caught a cold. He died a month later.
Famous Fact: Harrison was the first President to die in office and he served the briefest term.
10. John Tyler
Born: March 29, 1790, Greenway, Virginia.
Died: January 18, 1862.
Party: Whig.
Age when inaugurated: 51.
Term: 1841–1845. Tyler was expected to be a passive "acting President" while he finished Harrison's term. But he refused to be passive. He made enemies in Congress and was the first President to be threatened with impeachment. The effort failed.
Famous Fact: Tyler had 15 children, more than any President.
11. James K. Polk
Born: November 2, 1795, near Pineville, North Carolina.
Died: June 15, 1849.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 49.
Term: 1845–1849. Polk was the first "dark horse"or little-known nominee to become President. He presided over the Mexican War, which added Texas, California, and other territory to the U.S.
Famous Fact: Polk is the only President to have served as Speaker of the House.
12. Zachary Taylor
Born: November 24, 1784, Orange County, Virginia.
Died: July 9, 1850.
Party: Whig.
Age when inaugurated: 64.
Term: 1849-1850. Taylor threatened to use force to keep the South from leaving the Union. After his death, a compromise allowed slavery to continue in the South.
Famous Fact: Taylor won fame as a general in the Mexican War. His soldiers called him "Old Rough and Ready."
13. Millard Fillmore
Born: January 7, 1800, Locke, New York.
Died: March 8, 1874.
Party: Whig.
Age when inaugurated: 50.
Term: 1850-1853 Fillmore approved the Compromise of 1850, allowing slavery in the South. But neither North nor South was happy with it, and Fillmore was blamed for the law's failure.
Famous Fact: In 1856, Fillmore ran for President on the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party ticket.
14. Franklin Pierce
Born: November 23, 1804, Hillsboro, New Hampshire.
Died: October 8, 1869.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 48.
Term: 1853-1857. Pierce supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gutted the Compromise of 1850.
Famous Fact: Pierce's wife hated Washington, D.C., so much, that she fainted when she found out he had been nominated for President.
15. James Buchanan
Born: April 23, 1791, near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.
Died: June 1, 1868
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 65.
Term: 1857-1861. Buchanan tried in vain to find a compromise to keep the South from seceding from the Union, but failed.
Famous Fact: Buchanan was the only bachelor to ever serve in the White House.
16. Abraham Lincoln
Born: February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky.
Died: April 15, 1865.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 52.
Term: 1861-1865. Lincoln led the Union into the Civil War to preserve the nation and end slavery. He was assassinated just five days after the Confederate armies surrendered.
Famous Fact: Polls show that Lincoln is the most admired President.
17. Andrew Johnson
Born: December 29, 1808, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Died: July 31, 1875.
Party: National Union.
Age when inaugurated: 56.
Term: 1865-1869. Succeeding Lincoln, Johnson found himself in bitter battles with Congress over Reconstruction. He was impeached and tried by the Senate, but was acquitted by one vote.
Famous Fact: Johnson was the only southern Senator to stay loyal to the Union.
18. Ulysses S. Grant
Born: April 27, 1822, Point Pleasant, Ohio.
Died: July 23, 1885.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 46.
Term: 1869-1877. Grant was the top Union military hero of the Civil War. His two terms were marred by scandals.
Famous Fact: Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant. But an error on his application to West Point changed his name to Ulysses Simpson Grant. He liked the initials so much that he kept the name.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes
Born: October 4, 1822, Delaware, Ohio.
Died: January 17, 1893.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 54.
Term: 1877-1881. Hayes is one of only three Presidents to lose the popular vote but win the office. He won the election by one electoral vote.
Famous Fact: Hayes's wife, Lucy, was the first First Lady to graduate from college.
20. James A. Garfield
Born: November 19, 1831, Orange, Ohio.
Died: September 19, 1881.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 49.
Term: 1881. Garfield set out to reform the "spoils system" by which politicians gave their friends low-level political offices. He was assassinated by a disappointed office seeker.
Famous Fact: Garfield was the first left-handed President.
21. Chester A. Arthur
Born: October 5, 1829, Fairfield, Vermont.
Died: November 18, 1886.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 51.
Term: 1881-1885. Arthur was unknown before being elected, but surprised people by being honest and responsible. He helped create the Civil Service.
Famous Fact: As a lawyer, Arthur defended a black woman who had been abused on a streetcar. He won the case, which led the streetcar companies to integrate.
22. Grover Cleveland
Born: March 18, 1837, Caldwell, New Jersey.
Died: June 24, 1908.
Party: Democratic.
Ages when inaugurated: 47; 55.
Terms: 1885-1889; 1893-1897. Cleveland expanded the Civil Service and ended wasteful government programs. But an economic depression wrecked his second term.
Famous Fact: Cleveland is the only President to be elected to two non consecutive terms.
23. Benjamin Harrison
Born: August 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio.
Died: March 13, 1901.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 55.
Term: 1889-1893. Harrison was caught between reformers who were fighting the spoils system and those who wanted to continue it, and was defeated after one term.
Famous Fact: Harrison's grandfather was President William Henry Harrison.
24. Grover Cleveland
Born: March 18, 1837, Caldwell, New Jersey.
Died: June 24, 1908.
Party: Democratic.
Ages when inaugurated: 47; 55.
Terms: 1885-1889; 1893-1897. Cleveland expanded the Civil Service and ended wasteful government programs. But an economic depression wrecked his second term.
Famous Fact: Cleveland is the only President to be elected to two non consecutive terms.
25. William McKinley
Born: January 29, 1843, Niles, Ohio.
Died: September 14, 1901.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 54.
Term: 1897-1901. McKinley led the U.S. during the Spanish-American War. The U.S. won several important overseas colonies.
Famous Fact: Only moments after handing a girl his "lucky" red carnation, McKinley was assassinated.
26. Theodore Roosevelt
Born: October 27, 1858, New York, New York.
Died: January 6, 1919.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 42.
Term: 1901-1909. Roosevelt was one of the most activist Presidents. His many accomplishments included the building of the Panama Canal, cracking down on business monopolies, and creating many national parks.
Famous Fact: Roosevelt was the first President to visit a foreign country while in office.
27. William Howard Taft
Born: September 15, 1857, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Died: March 8, 1930.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 51.
Term: 1909-1913. Taft continued many of Roosevelt's policies. A conservative, he alienated the progressive wing of his party and lost reelection.
Famous Fact: Taft is the only President who became a Supreme Court Justice.
28. Woodrow Wilson
Born: December 29, 1856, Staunton, Virginia.
Died: February 3, 1924.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 56.
Term: 1913-1921. After initially opposing World War I (1914-1918), Wilson led the U.S. into the war and drafted the peace plan that ended it. Wilson then fought to create the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations.
Famous Fact: Wilson was the first President to hold a news conference.
29. Warren G. Harding
Born: November 2, 1865, near Blooming Grove, Ohio.
Died: August 2, 1923.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 55.
Term: 1921-1923. Harding died in office, just as massive corruption in the Teapot Dome scandal was about to become public. Because of these scandals, Harding is regarded as the worst President.
Famous Fact: Harding's election was the first in which women voted.
30. Calvin Coolidge
Born: July 4, 1872, Plymouth Notch, Vermont.
Died: January 5, 1933.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 51.
Term: 1923-1929. Coolidge's term was marked by economic prosperity. However, he ignored signs that the stock market was likely to collapse.
Famous Fact: Coolidge was known as "Silent Cal." Once a reporter said to him, "I bet my editor I could get more than two words out of you." Coolidge replied: "You lose."
31. Herbert C. Hoover
Born: August 10, 1874, West Branch, Iowa.
Died: October 20, 1964.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 54.
Term: 1929-1933. The stock market crashed a few months into Hoover's term. The Great Depression that followed was widely and some say unfairly blamed on Hoover.
Famous Fact: Hoover organized relief efforts in Europe after both World Wars.
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Born: January 30, 1882, Hyde Park, New York.
Died: April 12, 1945.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 51.
Term: 1933-1945. Roosevelt led the nation out of the Great Depression of the 1930s and to victory in World War II (1941-1945). He also greatly expanded the size and role of the federal government through his New Deal social programs.
Famous Fact: Roosevelt is the only President elected four times.
33. Harry S. Truman
Born: May 8, 1884, Lamar, Missouri.
Died: December 26, 1972.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 60.
Term: 1945-1953. Truman made the fateful decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. World War II ended days later. Truman also led the U.S. during the Korean War (1950-1953).
Famous Fact: On his desk, Truman had a plaque that said "The Buck Stops Here."
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Born: October 14, 1890, Denison, Texas.
Died: March 28, 1969.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 62.
Term: 1953-1961. A former World War II general and hero, Eisenhower helped end the Korean War and steered a moderate course during the Cold War.
Famous Fact: One of America's most famous soldiers, "Ike" had wanted to go to the Naval Academy instead of West Point. He was turned down for being too old.
35. John F. Kennedy
Born: May 29, 1917, Brookline, Massachusetts.
Died: November 22, 1963.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 43.
Term: 1961-1963. In 1962, the U.S. and the Soviet Union hovered on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy eventually forced the Soviets to back down. He was assassinated in the third year of his term.
Famous Fact: Kennedy is the only Roman Catholic to become President.
36. Lyndon B. Johnson
Born: August 27, 1908, near Stonewall, Texas.
Died: January 22, 1973.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 55.
Term: 1963-1969. Johnson passed sweeping antipoverty and civil rights programs. However, he also involved the U.S. in the unpopular Vietnam War. Antiwar protests caused him to drop a reelection bid.
Famous Fact: Johnson was sworn into office on an airplane after the Kennedy assassination.
37. Richard M. Nixon
Born: January 9, 1913, Yorba Linda, California.
Died: April 22, 1994.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 56.
Term: 1969-1974. During Nixon's first term, he improved relations with the Soviet Union and China and wound down the Vietnam War. But the Watergate scandal forced Nixon to resign before Congress could impeach him.
Famous Fact: Nixon is the only U.S. President in history to resign his office.
38. Gerald R. Ford
Born: July 14, 1913, Omaha, Nebraska.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 61.
Term: 1974-1977. Ford became Vice President after Nixon's Vice President resigned in disgrace, and President after Nixon resigned. His pardon of Nixon was unpopular, probably costing him reelection.
Famous Fact: Ford is the only President never elected President or Vice President.
39. James E. (Jimmy) Carter
Born: October 1, 1924, Plains, Georgia.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 52.
Term: 1977-1981. Carter had success promoting Middle East peace. But soaring oil prices, high inflation, and the Iran hostage crisis made him look weak and ineffectual.
Famous Fact: Since leaving office, Carter has traveled the world doing charity work.
40. Ronald W. Reagan
Born: February 6, 1911, Tampico, Illinois.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 69.
Term: 1981-1989. Reagan is credited with reviving national pride after the turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s. He enjoyed great popularity, though his conservative policies were controversial.
Famous Fact: Reagan is the only President to survive after being wounded by a would-be assassin.
41. George H. W. Bush
Born: June 12, 1924, Milton, Massachusetts.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 64.
Term: 1989-1993. During Bush's term, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. He also led the U.S. in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. But economic troubles at home cost him his reelection bid.
Famous Fact: Bush was the first sitting Vice President to be elected President since Martin Van Buren.
42. William J. (Bill) Clinton
Born: August 19, 1946, Hope, Arkansas.
Party: Democratic.
Age when inaugurated: 46.
Term: 1993-2000. Clinton achieved goals such as passage of the NAFTA trade agreement and cuts in the budget deficit. But his popularity was uneven and opponents tried to link him to several scandals.
Famous Fact: At 16, Clinton met President Kennedy at the White House. It inspired his interest in politics.
Not Famous Fact: I worked on each political campaign everytime Bill ran for office. He wrote me a really nice letter when I moved from Arkansas to Oklahoma, he was governor then. He sent my daughter a personal letter when he was President and she turned 18 and was old enough to vote.
43. George W. Bush
Born: July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut.
Party: Republican.
Age when inaugurated: 54
Term: 2001–2008. Just eight months after being sworn in, President Bush had to unite a mournful country after the September 11th terrorist attacks. A self-proclaimed wartime commander-in-chief, President Bush, like his father, led the United States into war against Iraq.
Famous Fact: Before focusing on national politics, George Bush was the managing partner and part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team from 1989-1998.
44. Barack Obama
Born: August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Party: Democrat
Age when inaugurated: 47
Term: 2009-2016
Famous Fact: A law professor at the University of Chicago Law School, a past editor of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama has the most exotic upbringing: born in Hawaii, raised partly in Indonesia and later, by his grandparents, in Hawaii, he is the first President of the United States of African-American ancestry.
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