List of presidents and their parties in order: What Most People Get Wrong

History is messy. We like to think of it as a clean timeline of blue versus red, but honestly, that’s just not how it started. If you look at a list of presidents and their parties in order, you’ll find that the first guy in charge didn’t even want a party. George Washington literally warned us against them. He thought "factions" would tear the country apart. Yet, here we are, 250 years later, and the team jersey you wear defines almost everything in American politics.

Getting the list right is kinda tricky because the names of the parties have changed. A "Republican" in 1800 is not a "Republican" in 2026. The words stay the same, but the people and the platforms? They swap places like a political game of musical chairs.

The Early Days: When Parties Weren't a Thing

For the first eight years, we had George Washington. He was an Independent. Basically, he was the only person everyone could agree on. But by the time he left, his cabinet was already fighting.

John Adams took over as a Federalist. They liked a strong central government. Think big banks and city living. Then came Thomas Jefferson, who hated all of that. He started the Democratic-Republicans. Yeah, both names in one. It’s confusing as heck. This group wanted power in the states and loved the idea of a nation of farmers.

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The First Few Guys

• George Washington (1789-1797): None. He was just Washington.
• John Adams (1797-1801): Federalist. He only got one term because people thought he was getting a bit too "king-like."
• Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): Democratic-Republican.
• James Madison (1809-1817): Democratic-Republican.
• James Monroe (1817-1825): Democratic-Republican. This era was called the "Era of Good Feelings" because the Federalists basically died out and everyone was under one tent. For a minute, anyway.

The Big Split and the Rise of the Whigs

By 1824, the "Good Feelings" were over. The Democratic-Republicans split. John Quincy Adams (the son of the second president) stayed with the traditionalist side, but Andrew Jackson—the guy on the twenty-dollar bill—blew the doors off the place. He formed the Democratic Party. It’s the same Democratic Party we have today, making it the oldest active party in the world.

The people who hated Jackson formed the Whig Party. Why Whigs? It was an old British term for people who opposed the King. They were calling Jackson "King Andrew." It didn't stick forever, but they won a few elections.

1. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829): National Republican (sorta the bridge between the old and new).
2. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837): Democrat. He was the "common man" hero.
3. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841): Democrat.
4. William Henry Harrison (1841): Whig. He died a month into office because he gave a long speech in the rain without a coat.
5. John Tyler (1841-1845): Whig (but he got kicked out of his own party while he was president).
6. James K. Polk (1845-1849): Democrat.
7. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): Whig. Another one who died in office.
8. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853): Whig.
9. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): Democrat.
10. James Buchanan (1857-1861): Democrat. Often ranked as the worst president because he watched the country fall apart over slavery and didn't do much.

The Civil War and the Modern "GOP"

This is where the list of presidents and their parties in order gets familiar. In 1854, the Republican Party was born. They were the anti-slavery party. Abraham Lincoln was their first big winner. After the Civil War, the Republicans (the "Grand Old Party" or GOP) dominated for a long, long time.

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The Democrats back then were actually the conservative ones, mostly based in the South. If you’re a modern voter, this feels upside down. It stays this way for nearly 70 years.

• Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865): Republican.
• Andrew Johnson (1865-1869): National Union (He was a Democrat on Lincoln's ticket).
• Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877): Republican.
• Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881): Republican.
• James A. Garfield (1881): Republican. Assassinated.
• Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885): Republican.
• Grover Cleveland (1885-1889): Democrat.
• Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893): Republican.
• Grover Cleveland (1893-1897): Democrat. (Yes, he’s the only guy to serve two non-consecutive terms until Donald Trump did it later).
• William McKinley (1897-1901): Republican.
• Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909): Republican. He was a wild card. He later left to start his own "Bull Moose" party, but he won as a Republican.
• William Howard Taft (1909-1913): Republican.
• Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921): Democrat.
• Warren G. Harding (1921-1923): Republican.
• Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): Republican.
• Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): Republican. He got blamed for the Great Depression.

The Switch: FDR to the Present

Everything changed with Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Great Depression made people want a big government to step in and help. The Democrats became the party of social safety nets. The Republicans became the party of small government and free markets.

From 1933 onward, the parties basically look like what we see on the news today.

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Why Does This Order Matter?

Knowing the list of presidents and their parties in order isn't just for winning bar trivia. It shows how the country's mood swings. We usually go in "cycles." After 8 years of one party, the country often gets tired and flips to the other side.

It’s also interesting to see how certain parties just disappear. Where are the Federalists? Gone. The Whigs? History books only. It makes you wonder what the parties will look like in another hundred years.

Honestly, the most important thing to remember is that the parties are flexible. They adapt to what voters want. If they don't, they die out. That's the real story behind the list.

What You Should Do Next

If you’re trying to memorize this for a test or just to be the smartest person in the room, don't try to learn all 47 at once. Break it down by era.

• Focus on the transitions: Look at the moments where a party died (like the Whigs in the 1850s) and a new one took over.
• Check out the "Anomalies": Look into guys like John Tyler or Andrew Johnson who didn't really fit into their own parties. It's way more interesting than just a list of names.
• Compare the platforms: Pick a year, like 1900, and see what a Republican stood for then versus now. You'll be surprised how much has flipped.

Sorting through the history of the presidency is basically sorting through the history of how we've argued with each other for over two centuries. It’s a wild ride, but it’s ours.