Ever tried to settle a bar bet about US history? It usually starts with someone confidently claiming there have been dozens of Republican presidents. Then someone else counts them on their fingers and gets stuck after five or six names. Honestly, the answer isn’t just a simple number you can shout out. It’s a trip through 170 years of American chaos, from the literal ashes of the Civil War to the high-stakes digital age of 2026.
So, let's get into it. How many Republican presidents have we had? The current count stands at 19.
Nineteen individuals have taken the oath of office under the banner of the Grand Old Party (GOP). If you're counting Donald Trump twice because he served two non-consecutive terms—first as the 45th and now as the 47th—you're looking at 19 different men filling those slots.
The First and the Most Famous
The party didn't even exist when George Washington was around. It was born in the mid-1850s, mostly as a "stop the spread of slavery" movement. Basically, a bunch of fed-up Whigs, Free-Soilers, and anti-slavery Democrats met in a little schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, and later in Jackson, Michigan, to start something new.
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They struck gold pretty quickly.
Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican president in 1861. You know the story: he kept the Union from falling apart and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s weird to think about now, but back then, the Republican Party was the radical, progressive force in American politics. They were the ones pushing for a massive federal government to overhaul the South.
The Era of Dominance (and Beards)
After Lincoln, the GOP basically owned the White House for decades. Between 1861 and 1932, if you were a Democrat, you were basically fighting for scraps. Aside from Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson, every single president in that 71-year stretch was a Republican.
Ulysses S. Grant.
Rutherford B. Hayes.
James A. Garfield.
Chester A. Arthur.
It was a parade of guys with incredible facial hair and very different ideas about how the country should run. Take Theodore Roosevelt, for example. He was a Republican who hated big monopolies. He basically invented the modern idea of the "conservationist" president. He didn't fit the "pro-business" mold that most people associate with the party today.
Then you had guys like William Howard Taft and Herbert Hoover. Hoover had the misfortune of being in charge when the Great Depression hit. That pretty much ended the GOP’s golden era for a long, long time.
The Modern Shift: From Eisenhower to 2026
After FDR’s long Democratic reign, the Republicans had to reinvent themselves. Enter Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a war hero who didn't even want to be a politician at first. He kept the "New Deal" stuff but focused on the Cold War and building the highway system.
The real "vibe shift" happened with Ronald Reagan in the 80s.
Before Reagan, the party was a mix of Northern liberals and Midwestern conservatives. Reagan unified them. He brought in the "Reagan Democrats"—blue-collar workers who felt the left had moved too far. He pushed for lower taxes, smaller government, and a massive military. Most of what we call "Republican" today started with him.
Since 1980, the GOP has held the White House for 28 years out of the last 46.
- Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
- George H.W. Bush (1989–1993)
- George W. Bush (2001–2009)
- Donald Trump (2017–2021, and 2025–present)
Why the Number 19 is Tricky
You might see some lists online that say 18 or 20. Why the confusion?
It mostly comes down to Andrew Johnson. He was Lincoln’s Vice President. When Lincoln was assassinated, Johnson took over. But here’s the thing: Johnson was a Democrat who ran on a "National Union" ticket with Lincoln. He wasn't really a Republican, and the Republicans in Congress actually tried to impeach him because they hated him so much. So, most historians don't count him as a Republican president.
Then there's the 2024 election. With Donald Trump winning his second term and taking office in early 2025, he remains the 19th unique Republican to hold the office. He's just the first one since Grover Cleveland (who was a Democrat) to do it in non-consecutive terms.
The Full List of 19 Republican Presidents
If you want to keep them straight, here they are in order:
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- Abraham Lincoln (16th)
- Ulysses S. Grant (18th)
- Rutherford B. Hayes (19th)
- James A. Garfield (20th)
- Chester A. Arthur (21st)
- Benjamin Harrison (23rd)
- William McKinley (25th)
- Theodore Roosevelt (26th)
- William Howard Taft (27th)
- Warren G. Harding (29th)
- Calvin Coolidge (30th)
- Herbert Hoover (31st)
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th)
- Richard Nixon (37th)
- Gerald Ford (38th)
- Ronald Reagan (40th)
- George H.W. Bush (41st)
- George W. Bush (43rd)
- Donald Trump (45th and 47th)
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that the party has always stood for the same thing. It hasn't. Not even close.
Early Republicans were the "big government" party of the North. They wanted high tariffs to protect industry. Today’s GOP is often associated with free trade (though that’s changing again under the current administration) and smaller federal spending.
Also, people often forget about James A. Garfield. He was only in office for a few months before being shot in 1881. He’s often just a footnote, but his death actually led to huge reforms in how government jobs were given out. It ended the "spoils system" where you just gave jobs to your buddies.
What’s Next for the GOP?
As of January 2026, we are living through the second presidency of Donald Trump. The party is in a very different place than it was during the Bush years. It’s more populist, more focused on trade protectionism, and has a tighter grip on the working-class vote in the "Rust Belt" than at any time in the last century.
Whether the number stays at 19 for a while or jumps to 20 in the next cycle depends on how the current realignment sticks. For now, the "Party of Lincoln" has successfully navigated 19 different leaders, each leaving a wildly different mark on the map of American history.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you want to dive deeper into how these 19 men shaped the country, start with these three steps:
- Visit the Birthplace: If you're ever in the Midwest, check out the "Little White Schoolhouse" in Ripon, Wisconsin. It's a tiny building that explains a massive shift in US history.
- Compare the "Two Trumps": Look at the policy differences between the 2017-2021 term and the current 2025-2029 term. It’s a rare chance to see how a single Republican president evolves his platform over time.
- Audit the "Party of Lincoln" Claim: Read Lincoln’s second inaugural address and compare his view of federal power to the platform of modern Republicans. It's a great way to see how political labels can mean completely different things depending on the century.