List All the Presidents of the United States: What Most People Get Wrong

History is messy. Honestly, if you're looking to list all the presidents of the United States, you’ll find it’s not just a clean 1-to-47 tally. It's a weird, winding road of guys who died in a month, guys who served twice but separately, and one guy who wasn't even elected.

As of January 2026, we are currently in the 47th presidency. But here is the kicker: only 45 different men have actually held the job. Grover Cleveland is the reason your math probably feels off. He was both the 22nd and 24th president. And now, Donald Trump has done the same thing, serving as the 45th and 47th.

Basically, the "number" of the presidency refers to the term sequence, not the human being in the chair.

The Founders and the "Virginia Dynasty"

It all started with George Washington in 1789. He didn't even want the job, really. He had to borrow money just to travel to his own inauguration.

Then you've got the heavy hitters. John Adams was the first to live in the White House, though it was still a damp, unfinished mess when he moved in. His son, John Quincy Adams, would later take the 6th spot, making them the first father-son duo.

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Here’s a quick look at that early stretch:

1. George Washington (1789-1797): No party. The only one ever elected unanimously.
2. John Adams (1797-1801): Federalist. He and Thomas Jefferson died on the exact same day—July 4, 1826. Talk about a coincidence.
3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): Democratic-Republican. He bought Louisiana and loved macaroni and cheese.
4. James Madison (1809-1817): The shortest president. He stood about 5'4" and weighed roughly 100 pounds.
5. James Monroe (1817-1825): He was the "Last Cocked Hat" because he refused to give up Revolutionary War-era fashion.

The Era of Chaos and the Civil War

By the mid-1800s, things got dark. Andrew Jackson (7th) was a wild card who was involved in dozens of duels. He even had a parrot that had to be removed from his funeral because it wouldn't stop screaming profanities.

Then came the "accidental" presidents. William Henry Harrison (9th) gave a two-hour speech in the rain, got pneumonia, and died 31 days later. John Tyler (10th) took over, and nobody really knew if he had the actual power of a president or was just a "placeholder." He ended up having 15 kids—more than any other commander-in-chief.

11. James K. Polk (1845-1849): He worked himself to death, literally. Died three months after leaving office.
12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): A war hero who died after eating too many cherries and cold milk at a July 4th party.
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853): He didn't have a Vice President. Not a single one for his whole term.
14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): A tragic figure. He saw his last surviving son die in a train wreck just before his inauguration.
15. James Buchanan (1857-1861): Our only lifelong bachelor.

Then, of course, Abraham Lincoln (16th). He's the first Republican and the man who held the country together through the Civil War. He was also a Hall of Fame wrestler. Only lost one match out of about 300.

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The Gilded Age and the Move Toward Modernity

After the war, we had Andrew Johnson (17th), who was the first to be impeached. Then Ulysses S. Grant (18th), who once got a speeding ticket in D.C. for driving his horse and buggy too fast.

The late 1800s were a blur of facial hair.

• Rutherford B. Hayes (19th): First to have a phone in the White House. His number? Just the digit "1."
• James A. Garfield (20th): He could write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other simultaneously. He was assassinated after only a few months.
• Chester A. Arthur (21st): A dandy who owned 80 pairs of pants.
• Grover Cleveland (22nd & 24th): The "non-consecutive" guy.
• Benjamin Harrison (23rd): He was so scared of the newly installed electricity in the White House that he wouldn't touch the light switches.

The 20th Century Powerhouses

The 1900s brought us the "Imperial Presidency." Teddy Roosevelt (26th) was a force of nature. He was blinded in one eye during a boxing match in the White House but kept it a secret so he wouldn't look weak.

27. William Howard Taft (1909-1913): He later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. That was the job he actually wanted.
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921): Led the US through WWI.
29. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923): His presidency was buried in scandals like Teapot Dome.
30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): "Silent Cal." He once had a pet raccoon named Rebecca.
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): Great guy, bad timing. The Great Depression hit on his watch.

Then came FDR (32nd). Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only person to serve more than two terms. He served four. He led us through the Depression and WWII while paralyzed from the waist down.

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The post-war era gave us Truman (33rd), who didn't even have a middle name (the 'S' doesn't stand for anything), and Eisenhower (34th), the general who built the Interstate Highway System.

The Television Era to Now

John F. Kennedy (35th) changed everything with the first televised debates. After his assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson (36th) took over. LBJ was famous for "The Treatment"—getting in people's faces to intimidate them into voting for his bills. He also had an amphibious car he used to prank visitors by driving into a lake while screaming that the brakes were out.

37. Richard Nixon (1969-1974): The only president to resign.
38. Gerald Ford (1974-1977): The only person to serve as VP and President without ever being elected to either office.
39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981): A peanut farmer who is still active in humanitarian work well into his 100s.
40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989): "The Great Communicator" and former Hollywood actor.
41. George H.W. Bush (1989-1993): He was a decorated naval aviator in WWII.
42. Bill Clinton (1993-2001): The first Baby Boomer president.
43. George W. Bush (2001-2009): He was the first president with an MBA (from Harvard).
44. Barack Obama (2009-2017): The first African American president.
45. Donald Trump (2017-2021): The first president who had never held a political or military office before.
46. Joe Biden (2021-2025): The oldest person to be inaugurated.
47. Donald Trump (2025-Present): The second person to win non-consecutive terms.

Actionable Insights for History Buffs

If you're trying to memorize this list or just understand the flow of American power, stop looking at it as a dry list of names. Look at the transitions.

• Pay attention to the Vice Presidents. A huge chunk of the list (9 people) only became president because the person above them died or quit.
• Watch the "Firsts." Every few decades, a president introduces a new technology (like Hayes' phone or Obama's social media) that fundamentally changes how the office works.
• Visit the sites. Most of these men have National Historic Sites at their birthplaces. If you really want to "know" them, seeing the modest houses they came from—like Lincoln's cabin or Truman's farmhouse—makes the history feel human instead of legendary.

To truly master the history of the executive branch, your next step should be to look into the contested elections. Start with 1824, 1876, and 2000. These are the moments where the "list" almost looked very different, and they explain the quirks of the Electoral College better than any textbook.