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George Washington
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Washington was homeschooled
Washington served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
Before president: Commander-in-Chief
Inauguration as the First President
Establishment of the Federal Judiciary
Creation of the Bill of Rights
Whiskey Rebellion
Neutrality Proclamation -
Period: to
Presidents
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John Adams
John Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts
Adams attended Harvard College
Adams did not serve in the military.
Before becoming president, Adams served as the Vice President
Adams was married to Abigail Adams, and they had five children
After leaving office, Adams retired to his farm in Quincy, Massachusetts -
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson was born in Shadwell, Virginia.
attended the College of William and Mary, where he studied law and mathematics.
did not serve in the military.
Vice President of the United States
married to Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
becoming president, Jefferson was one of the primary authors of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. -
James Madison
(1809-1817)
James Madison was born in Port Conway, Virginia.
attended the College of New Jersey
did not serve in the military.
Before becoming president, Madison served as the Secretary of State
Madison was married to Dolley Madison
Father of the Constitution -
James Monroe
James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia
Monroe served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
Monroe held various political offices before becoming president
Monroe was married to Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, and they had three children
Before becoming president, Monroe played a significant role in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase as Minister to France -
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767, in Braintree
Adams attended schools in Europe
did not serve in the military
Minister to the Netherlands (1794-1797)
Minister to Prussia (1797-1801)
United States Senator from Massachusetts (1803-1808)
John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams, the second President of the United States, and Abigail Adams.
As Secretary of State under President James Monroe, Adams played a key role in negotiating the Adams-Onís Treaty with Spain in 1819. -
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Waxhaws
Jackson received very little formal education.
Andrew Jackson served in the military during the War of 1812
U.S. House of Representatives (1796-1797)
U.S. Senate (1797-1798, 1823-1825)
Governor of Florida Territory (1821)
Jackson was married to Rachel Donelson Jackson.
Battle of New Orleans (1815)
Indian Removal Act (1830) -
Marin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782, in Kinderhook, New York.
Van Buren studied law and began practicing in 1803 after completing an apprenticeship.
did not serve in the military.
New York State Senator (1812-1820)
Attorney General of New York (1815-1819)
Martin Van Buren was married to Hannah Hoes Van Buren
Van Buren played a key role in the development of the Democratic Party and served as an advisor to President Andrew Jackson. -
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was born on February 9, 1773, in Charles City County, Virginia.
Harrison attended Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia but did not graduate.
Harrison had a distinguished military career. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of major general.
Delegate to the Northwest Territory's legislature
Harrison was married to Anna Tuthill Symmes
Harrison's presidency was brief, lasting only 31 days, as he died of pneumonia shortly after taking office. -
John Tyler
John Tyler was born on March 29, 1790, in Charles City County, Virginia.
Tyler attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia
did not serve in the military.
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1811-1816)
Tyler was married twice. His first wife, Letitia Christian
After leaving office, Tyler retired to his plantation -
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was born in Pineville, North Carolina, United States.
Polk graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina
did not serve in the military.
Member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee (1825-1839)
Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841)
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1835-1839)
Polk was married to Sarah Childress Polk.
Polk was a key figure in the expansion of the United States during his presidency -
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was born on November 24, 1784, in Barboursville, Virginia
Taylor received little formal education and was largely self-taught.
Taylor had a distinguished military career before becoming president. He served in the United States Army for over 40 years
Before becoming president, Taylor had no prior political experience or elected offices.
Zachary Taylor was married to Margaret Mackall Smith Taylor, and they had six children together.
Taylor's leadership on mexican american -
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was born on January 7, 1800, in a log cabin in Cayuga County, New York.
Fillmore largely self-educated and later attended a local academy in New Hope, New York
did not serve in the military.
Member of the United States House of Representatives
His first wife, Abigail Powers Fillmore
Fillmore was instrumental in negotiating the Compromise of 1850
Fillmore remained active in politics and ran for president again in 1856 as the nominee of the Know Nothing Party. -
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was born on November 23, 1804, in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States.
Pierce attended Bowdoin College in Maine, graduating in 1824.
Franklin Pierce served in the military during the Mexican-American War.
Member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire (1833–1837)
Franklin Pierce was married to Jane Means Appleton Pierce
Before becoming president, Pierce was involved in the politics of New Hampshire and served in the U.S. Congress. -
James Buchanan
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791, in Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, USA.
Buchanan attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1809.
did not serve in the military.
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
United States Minister to Russia
Buchanan was never married and had no children.
Before his presidency, Buchanan played a significant role in American politics, serving as a diplomat and a senator. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky.
Lincoln's formal education was limited. He attended school for less than a year in total
Lincoln served in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War in 1832
Member of the Illinois State Legislature
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Lincoln was married to Mary Todd Lincoln
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
Civil War (1861-1865)
Gettysburg Address (1863)
Assassination (1865) -
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was born on December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, North Carolina
Johnson's formal education was limited. He learned to read and write as a child but received little formal schooling.
Andrew Johnson served as Military Governor of Tennessee during the Civil War but did not have a distinguished military career.
Andrew Johnson held several political offices
Andrew Johnson was married to Eliza McCardle Johnson -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 27, 1822
Grant attended the United States Military Academy at West Point
Grant served in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War
Grant did not hold any previous political offices before becoming President of the United States.
Grant married Julia Dent in 1848
Before and after his presidency, Grant was renowned for his military leadership during the Civil War. -
Barack Obama
January 20, 2009 January 20, 2017
Barack Obama born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Obama graduated with a degree in political science, Obama did not serve military
Before becoming President, Obama served as a Senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008. Barack Obama is married to Michelle Obama, has two daughters, Malia and Sasha.
Before office:
2004 Democratic National Convention Speech
After office: Barack and Michelle Obama launched the Obama Foundation in 2014