Veterans Health Administration
List of Presidents who were Veterans
George Washington set an important precedent by entering the Presidency as a civilian
A majority of America’s presidents came to office as Veterans.
Twenty-six of our 44 Presidents served in the military. Presidential Veterans often coincided with America’s military engagements. Until World War II, a majority of our presidents had served in the Army. Since then, most have served in the Navy.
Our ninth President, William Henry Harrison, embarked on his military career at age 18, enlisting 80 men off the streets of Philadelphia to serve in the Northwest Territory.
Civil War Veteran Ulysses S. Grant also gained national acclaim for his military service. Grant was a West Point graduate who fought in the Mexican War, but it was his calm, steely command of Union troops during the Civil War that earned Lincoln’s confidence. The Civil War produced seven Veteran presidents in the postwar period, all of them having served in the Union Army.
Harry Truman
The First and Second World Wars ushered in another series of Veteran Presidents, starting with Harry Truman and West Point graduate General Dwight Eisenhower. Both men exemplified the strengths of military training by proving themselves to be diplomatic, dynamic leaders in an unstable world.
The evolution of warfare has introduced many new tactical and technical dynamics to the U.S. military, but the core qualities of decision-making and inspiring leadership remain.
You can read about all the Presidents on the White House website.
Presidents who were Veterans
Highest rank held by Presidents in uniformed service.
- George Washington
- General and Commander in Chief, Continental Army
1775-1783 - Thomas Jefferson
- Colonel, Virginia Militia
1770-1779 - James Madison
- Colonel, Virginia Militia
1775-1781 - James Monroe
- Major, Continental Army
1775-1778 - Andrew Jackson
- Major General, U.S. Army
1814-1821 - William Henry Harrison
- Major General, Kentucky Militia
1812-1814 - John Tyler
- Captain, Virginia Militia
1812 - James K. Polk
- Colonel, Tennessee Militia
1821 - Zachary Taylor
- Major General, U.S. Army
1805-1815, 1816-1849 - Millard Fillmore
- Major, Union Continentals (home guard)
1861 - Franklin Pierce
- Brigadier General, New Hampshire Militia
1846-1848 - James Buchanan
- Private, Pennsylvania Militia
1814 - Abraham Lincoln
- Captain, Illinois Militia
1832 - Andrew Johnson
- Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Volunteers)
1862-1865 - Ulysses S. Grant
- General, U.S. Army
1866-1869 - Rutherford B. Hayes
- Major General, U.S. Army (Volunteers)
1861-1865 - James A. Garfield
- Major General, U.S. Army (Volunteers)
1861-1863 - Chester A. Arthur
- Brigadier General, New York Militia
1858-1863 - Benjamin Harrison
- Brevet Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Volunteers)
1862-1865 - William McKinley
- Brevet Major, U.S. Army (Volunteers)
1861-1865 - Theodore Roosevelt
- Colonel, U.S. Army (Volunteers)
1898 - Harry S. Truman
- Colonel, Army Officer Reserve Corps
1919-1945 - Dwight D. Eisenhower
- General of the Army, U.S. Army
1915-1948, 1951-1952 - John F. Kennedy
- Lieutenant, U.S. Naval Reserve
1941-1945 - Lyndon B. Johnson
- Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve
1940-1964 - Richard M. Nixon
- Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve
1942-1966 - Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
- Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve
1942-1946 - Jimmy Carter
- Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
1946-1953 - Ronald Reagan
- Captain, U.S. Army
1942-1945 - George Bush
- Lieutenant (junior grade), U.S. Navy
1942-1945 - George W. Bush
- First Lieutenant, Texas Air National Guard
1968-1973
