Ever tried to name every U.S. commander-in-chief in a row? It’s a nightmare. Honestly, most of us tap out somewhere around James K. Polk or Millard Fillmore. But when you start looking at the list of presidents in order and their party, you realize the history of American power isn't just a straight line. It’s a messy, loud, and sometimes weird evolution of how we think the country should be run.
Politics wasn't always just "Red vs. Blue." Not even close.
The early days of "No Party" and the Federalists
George Washington hated the idea of political parties. Kinda ironic, right? In his farewell address, he basically warned that factions would tear the country apart. He’s the only one on the list of presidents in order and their party who officially didn't have one. He was just... Washington.
Then came John Adams. He was a Federalist. They liked big government and strong banks. But they didn't last long. After Adams, the Federalists basically vanished into the history books, leaving a massive vacuum.
The era of the Democratic-Republicans
For a solid chunk of time, one party ruled the roost. We call them the Democratic-Republicans now, but they were mostly just "Jeffersonians."
- Thomas Jefferson (3rd) – Democratic-Republican
- James Madison (4th) – Democratic-Republican
- James Monroe (5th) – Democratic-Republican
- John Quincy Adams (6th) – Democratic-Republican
It’s easy to think this was a peaceful time because there was only one major party. Wrong. It was a total civil war inside the party. By the time 1824 rolled around, things got so heated that the party literally split in half.
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The birth of the Democrats and the Whigs
Andrew Jackson changed everything. He was a "Democrat"—the first one. He focused on the "common man," or at least his version of it. To fight him, a group called the Whigs popped up. They were basically the "Anyone But Jackson" party.
- Andrew Jackson (7th) – Democrat
- Martin Van Buren (8th) – Democrat
- William Henry Harrison (9th) – Whig (He died after 31 days. Wear a coat, folks.)
- John Tyler (10th) – Whig (Sorta. His own party kicked him out while he was in office.)
- James K. Polk (11th) – Democrat
- Zachary Taylor (12th) – Whig
- Millard Fillmore (13th) – Whig
- Franklin Pierce (14th) – Democrat
- James Buchanan (15th) – Democrat
The Whigs eventually fell apart because they couldn't agree on slavery. It’s a recurring theme in American history: when a party can't decide what it stands for on a massive moral issue, it dies.
The rise of the Republicans and the modern era
Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican. At the time, the GOP was the new, radical kid on the block. They were the party of the North and anti-slavery. After the Civil War, the Republicans basically owned the White House for decades, with a few exceptions like Grover Cleveland.
Cleveland is a weird one on the list of presidents in order and their party. He is the 22nd and 24th president. He won, lost, and then won again. He's the reason why the number of people who have been president is different from the number of presidencies.
The 20th century shift
If you look at the 1900s, you see the parties start to look more like what we know today, but the "flip" is what trips people up. In the early 1900s, Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt were actually the big environmentalists and "trust-busters."
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By the time we get to the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and his "New Deal" moved the Democratic party toward the idea of a massive social safety net.
- Herbert Hoover (31st) – Republican
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd) – Democrat
- Harry S. Truman (33rd) – Democrat
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th) – Republican
- John F. Kennedy (35th) – Democrat
- Lyndon B. Johnson (36th) – Democrat
- Richard Nixon (37th) – Republican
The modern lineup (1974 to Present)
Since the 70s, it’s been a fairly steady back-and-forth. The parties have become much more polarized.
Gerald Ford (38th) took over after Nixon resigned. He was a Republican. Then came Jimmy Carter (39th), a Democrat from Georgia.
The 80s were the Ronald Reagan (40th) and George H.W. Bush (41st) years—both Republicans.
Then Bill Clinton (42nd) brought the Democrats back for two terms, followed by George W. Bush (43rd), the Republican.
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Barack Obama (44th) was the first Black president and a Democrat.
Then things got interesting. Donald Trump (45th) won as a Republican, followed by Joe Biden (46th) as a Democrat.
As of early 2026, we are in the middle of Donald Trump’s second, non-consecutive term. He is the 47th president, making him only the second person in U.S. history—after Grover Cleveland—to serve two terms that weren't back-to-back.
Why the "Party" label is actually tricky
Parties change. A "Democrat" in 1840 would probably be horrified by a "Democrat" in 2026, and the same goes for Republicans. The labels stay the same, but the platforms move.
Actually, the "Republican" party was originally founded to stop the expansion of slavery. Today, people associate it more with tax cuts and deregulation. The "Democratic" party used to be the party of states' rights and small farmers. Now it's the party of federal social programs and urban centers.
Practical insights for history buffs
If you're trying to memorize this list or just understand how we got here, don't just look at the names. Look at the crises.
- War usually keeps a party in power (until people get tired of it).
- Economic crashes almost always lead to a party switch.
- Third parties (like the Bull Moose or the Reform Party) rarely win, but they always steal enough votes to change who does win.
To really get a handle on this, start by grouping them by "Eras." Don't try to learn all 47 at once. Break it down into the "Founding Era," the "Civil War Era," and the "Post-War Era." It makes way more sense that way. You should also check out the White House Historical Association for the deep-dive biographies on the more obscure guys like Chester A. Arthur or Rutherford B. Hayes. They’re more interesting than you’d think.