Past Presidents Who Served In The Military

Looking Back at Past Presidents Who Served in the Military

With the blood and fire in which the United States was forged, it is unsurprising that, looking back at past Presidents who served in the military, the number is a considerable one. Whether leading the US Army during the War of Independence in the 18th century or serving in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, almost two thirds of all men who have acted as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces have also previously served in the military in some capacity.

How Many Presidents Are Military Veterans ?

Of the 45 people to have been Presidents of the United States (Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President), 31 of them have military experience of some form or another. This military tradition was founded in 1789, when George Washington, former Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, was elected President in 1789. His Vice President and successor John Adams, however, had no such experience. Of the 22 men to be sworn in as President in the 19th century, 19 had military experience. Only John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and Grover Cleveland broke the trend. Of the other nine from the list of Presidents to have served subsequently during the 20th and 21st centuries, most served in the Army or Navy Reserve. Notable exceptions on that list are Dwight Eisenhower, who was General of the Army during World War II, and George W. Bush, who was in the Texas Air National Guard between 1968 and 1974. Eisenhower also graduated from West Point, a distinction he shares with only one other President: Ulysses S. Grant, who also served as General of the Army 80 years prior, commanding the Union Army during the American Civil War.

This is a complete list of the United States Presidents who have been US Armed Forces service members.

1. George Washington (1789-1797) General of the Armies, US Army
2. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) Colonel, Virginia Militia
3. James Madison (1809-1817) Colonel, Virginia Militia
4. James Monroe (1817-1825) Colonel, Virginia Militia
5. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) Major general, US Army
6. William Henry Harrison (1841) Major general, US Army
7. John Tyler (1841-1845) Captain, Virginia Militia
8. James K Polk (1845-1849) Major, Tennessee Militia
9. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) Major general, US Army
10. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) Major, New York Militia
11. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) Brigadier general, US Army
12. James Buchanan (1857-1861) Private, Pennsylvania Militia
13. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) Captain, Illinois Militia
14. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) Brigadier general, Union Army
15. Ulysses S Grant (1869-1877) General of the Army, Union Army
16. Rutherford B Hayes (1877-1881) Major general, Union Army
17. James A Garfield (1881) Major general, Union Army
18. Chester A Arthur (1881-1885) Brigadier general, New York Militia
19. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) Brigadier general, Union Army
20. William McKinley (1897-1901) Captain, Union Army
21. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Colonel, US Army
22. Harry S Truman (1945-1953) Colonel, US Army Reserve
23. Dwight D Eisenhower (1953-1961) General of the Army, US Army
24. John F Kennedy (1961-1963) Lieutenant, US Navy Reserve
25. Lyndon B Johnson (1963-1969) Commander, US Navy Reserve
26. Richard Nixon (1969-1974) Commander, US Navy Reserve
27. Gerald Ford (1974-1977) Lieutenant commander, US Navy Reserve
28. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) Lieutenant, US Navy
29. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Captain, US Army Reserve
30. George HW Bush (1989-1993) Lieutenant, US Navy Reserve
31. George W Bush (2001-2009) First lieutenant, Air National Guard

---

---

Presidents Who Served During a War

Though there is a substantial amount of military experience represented in the list above, perhaps even more relevant to the role of Commander in Chief is actual wartime experience. The United States has participated in many wars that, for better or worse, were formative events in its identity.

Four Presidents served in the Revolutionary War:

• George Washington
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• Andrew Jackson (the only President to have ever been a POW)

Four Presidents served in the War of 1812:

• Andrew Jackson
• William Henry Harrison
• John Tyler
• Zachary Taylor

Two Presidents served in the Black Hawk War:

• Abraham Lincoln
• Zachary Taylor

Three Presidents served in the Mexican War:

• Zachary Taylor
• Franklin Pierce
• Ulysses S Grant

Eight Presidents served in the American Civil War:

• Andrew Johnson
• Ulysses S Grant

Read About Other Military Myths and Legends

If you enjoyed learning about past Presidents who served in the military, we invite you to read about other military myths and legends on our blog. You will also find military book reviews, veterans’ service reflections, famous military units and more on the TogetherWeServed.com blog.  If you are a veteran, find your military buddies, view historic boot camp photos, build a printable military service plaque, and more on TogetherWeServed.com today.

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Air National Guard, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Harrison, Chester A Arthur, Commander-in-Chief, Dwight D Eisenhower, Dwight Eisenhower, Franklin Pierce, George HW Bush, George W Bush, George W. Bush, George Washington, Gerald Ford, Harry S Truman, James A Garfield, James Buchanan, James K Polk, James Madison, James Monroe, Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan, John F Kennedy, John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Lyndon B Johnson, Millard Fillmore, President, Richard Nixon, Rutherford B Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S Grant, Union Army, United States, United States Presidents, Vietnam War, William Henry Harrison, William McKinley, Zachary Taylor