1. Home
  2. News & Issues
  3. US Politics

Presidents of the U.S.A.

Chief Executive of the US Government

by Kathy Gill
for About.com

Terms of office, political affiliation, and brief bios of the 43 Presidents of the United States of America. Also, see their opponents and electoral votes.

31. Herbert Clark Hoover, 1929-1933

Party Affiliation: Republican
Results, 1928: Popular Vote (21,391,993), Electoral Vote (444)
Opponent: Alfred E. Smith (15,016,169 / 87)
Results, 1932: (15,758,901 / 59)
Opponent: Franklin D. Roosevelt (22,809,638 / 472)

Occupation: Engineer, public official
Other: Secretary of Commerce (1921-23, 1923-28)
Born: 10 August 1874 (West Branch, IA)
Died: 20 October 1964 (New York, NY)
Religion: Society of Friends (Quaker)
Education: Stanford (1895)

32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-1945

Party Affiliation: Democrat
Results, 1932: Popular Vote (22,809,638), Electoral Vote (472)
Opponent: Herbert C. Hoover (15,758,901 / 59)
Results, 1936: (27,752,869 / 523)
Opponent: Alfred M. Landon (16,674,665 / 8)
Results, 1940: (27,307,819 / 449)
Opponent: Wendell L. Willkie (22,321,018 / 82)
Results, 1944: (25,606,585 / 432)
Opponent: Thomas E. Dewey (22,014,745 / 99)

Occupation: Lawyer, public official
Other: Governor, New York (1929-33) ; Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1913-20) ; NY State Legislature (1911-13)
Born: 30 January 1882 (Hyde Park, NY)
Died: 12 April 1945 (Warm Springs, GA)
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Harvard College (1903) ; attended Columbia Law School

33. Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953

Party Affiliation: Democrat
Results, 1948: Popular Vote (24,179,345), Electoral Vote (303)
Opponent, 1948: Thomas E. Dewey (21,991,291 / 189) ; Strom Thurmond (1,176,125 / 39)

Occupation: Farmer, public official
Other: Vice President (1945) ; US Senate (1935-45) ; Presiding Judge of Jackson County Court (1926-34) and Judge (1922-24)
Born: 8 May 1884 (Lamar, MO)
Died: 26 December 1972 (Kansas City, MO)
Religion: Baptist
Education: Attended the University of Kansas City Law School

34. Dwight David Eisenhower, 1953-1961

Party Affiliation: Republican
Results, 1952: Popular Vote (33,936,234), Electoral Vote (442)
Opponent: Adlai E. Stevenson (27,314,992 / 89)
Results, 1956: (35,590,472 / 457)
Opponent: Adlai E. Stevenson (26,022,752 / 73) ; Walter B. Jones (1)

Occupation: Soldier
Other: Supreme commander of Operation Overlord, D-Day, WWII (1944) ; the first Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe (1951)
Born: 14 October 1890 (Denison, TX)
Died: 28 March 1969 (Washington, DC)
Religion: Presbyterian
Education: US Military Academy, West Point (1915)

35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1961-1963

Party Affiliation: Democrat
Results, 1972: Popular Vote (34,226,731), Electoral Vote (303)
Opponent: Richard Nixon (34,108,157 / 219)

Occupation: Author, public official
Other: US Senate (1953-61) ; US House of Representatives (1947-53)
Born: 29 May 1917 (Brookline, MA)
Died: 22 November 1963 (Dallas, TX)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Education: Harvard (1940)

36. Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1963-1969

Party Affiliation: Democrat
Results, 1972: Popular Vote (43,129,566), Electoral Vote (486)
Opponent: Barry Goldwater (27,178,188 / 52)

Occupation: Teacher, public official
Other: Vice President (1961-63) ; US Senate (1949-61) ; US House of Representatives (1937-49)
Born: 27 August 1908 (Johnson City, TX)
Died: 22 January 1973 (Johnson City, TX)
Religion: Disciples of Christ
Education: Southwest Texas State Teachers College (1930)

37. Richard Milhous Nixon, 1969-1974

Party Affiliation: Republican
Results, 1968: Popular Vote (31,785,480), Electoral Vote (301)
Opponent: Hubert H. Humphrey (31,275,166 / 191) ; George Wallace (9,906,473 / 46)
Results, 1972: (41,167,319 / 520)
Opponent: George McGovern (36,930,923 / 17) ; John Hospers (1)

Occupation: Lawyer, public official
Other: Vice President (1953-61) ; US Senate (1951-53) ; US House of Representatives (1947-51) ; Attorney, Office of Emergency Management (1942)
Born: 9 January 1913 (Yorba Linda, CA)
Died: 22 April 1994 (New York, NY)
Religion: Society of Friends (Quaker)
Education: Whittier College (1934) and Duke Law School (1937)

38. Gerald Rudolph Ford, 1974-1977

Party Affiliation: Republican
Results, 1976: Popular Vote (39,145,977), Electoral Vote (240)
Opponent: James Earl Carter (40,827,394/ 297)

Occupation: Lawyer, public official
Other: Vice President (1973-74) ; US House of Representatives (1949-73)
Born: 14 July 1913 (Omaha, NE)
Died: 26 December 2006 (Rancho Mirage, CA)
Religion: Episcopalian
Education: University of Michigan (1935) and Yale Law School (1941)

39. James Earl Carter, Jr., 1977-1981

Party Affiliation: Democrat
Results, 1976: Popular Vote (40,827,394), Electoral Vote (297)
Opponent: Gerald Ford (39,145,977 / 240)
Results, 1980: (34,964,583 / 49)
Opponent: Ronald Reagan (43,267,489 / 489)

Occupation: Farmer, engineer, public official
Other: Governor, Georgia (1971-75) ; Georgia State Senator (1963-66)
Born: 1 October 1924 (Plains, GA)
Religion: Baptist
Education: US Naval Academy (1946)

40. Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981-1989

Party Affiliation: Republican
Results, 1980: Popular Vote (43,267,489), Electoral Vote (489)
Opponent: James Earl Carter (34,964,583 / 49)
Results, 1984: (53,428,357) / 525)
Opponent: Walter Mondate (36,930,923 / 13)

Occupation: Actor, public official
Other: Governor, California (1967-75)
Born: 6 February 1911 (Tampico, IL)
Died: 5 June 2004 (Los Angeles, CA)
Religion: Disciples of Christ
Education: Eureka College (1932)

Explore US Politics

About.com Special Features

What is a Recession?

Sure, we're all talking about it, but what, exactly, defines a recession? More >

Weird Breaking News

A daily look at some of the oddest (and dumbest) crimes around. More >

  1. Home
  2. News & Issues
  3. US Politics
  4. U.S. Government
  5. Presidents of the United States of America - Presidents from Washington To Bush>

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.