List of presidents of the United States by previous experience

Although many paths may lead to the presidency of the United States, the most common job experience, occupation or profession of U.S. presidents has been that of a lawyer.^[1] This sortable table enumerates all holders of that office, along with major elective or appointive offices or periods of military service prior to election to the presidency. The column immediately to the right of the presidents' names shows the position or office held just before the presidency. The next column to the right lists the next previous position held, and so on. Note that the total number of previous positions held by an individual may exceed four; the number of columns was limited to what would fit within the page width. The last two columns on the right list the home state (at the time of election to the presidency) and primary occupation of each future president, prior to beginning a political career.

By the numbers

There have been 46 presidencies (including the current president, Joe Biden, whose term began in 2021), and 45 people have served as president. Grover Cleveland was elected to two nonconsecutive terms, and as such is considered the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Of the 45 different people who have been or are currently serving as president:

• 32 presidents had previous military experience; 9 were generals in the US Army.^[a]
• 27 presidents were previously lawyers.
• 18 presidents previously served as U.S. representatives; 6 of 18 held this office prior to the four 'previous positions' shown in this table. Only one – James A. Garfield – was a representative immediately before election as president. Only Garfield and Abraham Lincoln had served in no higher office than representative when elected president. Only John Quincy Adams served as a U.S. representative after being president. Additionally, after being president, John Tyler served in the Provisional Confederate Congress and was later elected to the Confederate House of Representatives, but he died before taking his seat.^[2]
• 19 presidents previously served as governors; 17 presidents were state governors;^[3] 9 were governors immediately before election as presidents. One, William Howard Taft, served as a territorial governor. One, Andrew Jackson, served as a military governor of a territory (Florida) before it became a state. Johnson served in Tennessee during the Civil War.
• 17 presidents previously served as U.S. senators; only 3 immediately before election as president. Only one president, Andrew Johnson, served as a U.S. senator after his presidency.
• 15 presidents previously served as vice presidents. All except Richard Nixon and Joe Biden were vice presidents immediately before becoming president; 9 of the 15 succeeded to the presidency upon the death or (in one case) resignation of the elected president; 5 of those 9 were not later elected.
• 9 presidents were out of office (for at least one year) immediately before election as president.
• 8 presidents previously served as Cabinet secretaries; 6 as secretary of state; 5 of the 8 served immediately before election as president.
• 7 presidents had previous experience in foreign service.^[b]
• 5 presidents had never been elected to public office before becoming president: Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Donald Trump. Most of these had, however, been appointed to several prominent offices. Hoover's contributions toward the Treaty of Versailles preceded his appointment as United States Secretary of Commerce. Taylor, Grant, and Eisenhower led U.S. forces to victory in the Mexican–American War, American Civil War, and World War II, respectively – each occupying the highest-ranking command post of their time. Trump is the group's sole exception, having never held any public office nor any military position.
• 5 presidents taught at a university: James A. Garfield, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
• 2 presidents served as party leaders of the House of Representatives, James A. Garfield and Gerald Ford.
• 1 president served as an ordained minister, serving as a pastor in the Disciples of Christ (Christian) Church, James A. Garfield.^[4][5]
• 1 president served as speaker of the House of Representatives, James K. Polk.
• 1 president served as president pro tempore of the United States Senate, John Tyler.
• 1 president served as party leader of the United States Senate, Lyndon B. Johnson.
• 1 president served as president of the United States for two non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland.
• 1 president had a PhD, Woodrow Wilson.
• 1 president had neither prior government nor military experience before becoming president, Donald Trump.

List

President			Previous 1	Previous 2	Previous 3	Previous 4	Occupation	State^[c]
1		George Washington	Out of office^[d]	Constitutional Convention^[e]	Out of office	Military^[f]	Planter, land surveyor	Virginia
2		John Adams	Vice President	Foreign service^[g]	Continental Congress	State legislator^[h]	Lawyer, farmer	Massachusetts
3		Thomas Jefferson	Vice President	Secretary of State	Foreign service^[g]	Congressman	Planter, lawyer, land surveyor, architect	Virginia
4		James Madison	Secretary of State	U.S. representative	Constitutional Convention	State legislator^[h]	Planter	Virginia
5		James Monroe	Secretary of State	Foreign service^[g]	State governor	U.S. senator	Planter, lawyer	Virginia
6		John Quincy Adams	Secretary of State	Foreign service^[g]	U.S. senator	State legislator^[h]	Lawyer	Massachusetts
7		Andrew Jackson	Out of office^[d]	U.S. senator	Military	U.S. senator	Lawyer, military officer	Tennessee
8		Martin Van Buren	Vice President	Secretary of State	State governor^[i]	U.S. senator	Lawyer	New York
9		William Henry Harrison	Out of office^[d]	Foreign service^[g]	U.S. senator U.S. representative	Territorial governor	Military	Ohio
10		John Tyler	Vice President^[j]	U.S. senator	State governor	U.S. representative	Lawyer	Virginia
11		James K. Polk	Out of office^[d]	State governor	Speaker of the House	U.S. representative	Lawyer, planter	Tennessee
12		Zachary Taylor	Military	—	—	—	Military	Kentucky
13		Millard Fillmore	Vice President^[k]	State office	Out of office^[d]	U.S. representative	Lawyer	New York
14		Franklin Pierce	Out of office^[d]	Military	U.S. senator	U.S. representative	Lawyer	New Hampshire
15		James Buchanan	Foreign service^[g]	Out of office^[d]	Secretary of State	U.S. senator	Lawyer	Pennsylvania
16		Abraham Lincoln	Out of office^[d]	U.S. representative	State legislator^[h]	Military	Lawyer, land surveyor	Illinois^[l]
17		Andrew Johnson	Vice President^[m]	Military governor^[n]	U.S. senator	State governor	Tailor	Tennessee
18		Ulysses S. Grant	Military	—	—	—	Military	Illinois^[o]
19		Rutherford B. Hayes	State governor	Out of office^[d]	State governor	U.S. representative	Lawyer	Ohio
20		James A. Garfield	U.S. representative	Military	State legislator^[h]	—	Ordained minister, lawyer, teacher	Ohio
21		Chester A. Arthur	Vice President^[p]	Out of office^[d]	Federal office^[q]	Out of office	Lawyer, teacher, tariff collector	New York
22		Grover Cleveland	State governor	Local office^[r]	—	—	Lawyer	New York
23		Benjamin Harrison	Out of office^[d]	U.S. senator	Out of office	Military	Court reporter	Indiana
24		Grover Cleveland	Out of office^[d]	President of the U.S.	State governor	Local office^[r]	Lawyer	New York
25		William McKinley	State governor	U.S. representative	Military	—	Lawyer	Ohio
26		Theodore Roosevelt	Vice President^[s]	State governor	Military	Federal office^[q]^[t]	Historian, public servant, naturalist, military officer, policeman, rancher	New York
27		William Howard Taft	Secretary of War	Territorial governor^[u]	Judicial^[v]	Federal office^[q]^[w]	Lawyer, dean	Ohio
28		Woodrow Wilson	State governor	—	—	—	Academic^[x]	New Jersey
29		Warren G. Harding	U.S. senator	Out of office^[d]	State legislator^[h]	—	Journalist, publisher	Ohio
30		Calvin Coolidge	Vice President^[y]	State governor	State office	State legislator^[h]	Lawyer	Massachusetts^[z]
31		Herbert Hoover	Secretary of Commerce	Out of office^[d]^[aa]	Federal office^[q]^[ab]	—	Businessman, mining engineer	California
32		Franklin D. Roosevelt	State governor	Out of office^[d]	Federal office^[q]^[t]	State legislator^[h]	Lawyer	New York
33		Harry S. Truman	Vice President^[ac]	U.S. senator	County commissioner (County court)	Military	Farmer	Missouri
34		Dwight D. Eisenhower	Military	—	—	—	Military officer, President of Columbia University	Kansas
35		John F. Kennedy	U.S. senator	U.S. representative	Military	—	Journalist, military officer	Massachusetts
36		Lyndon B. Johnson	Vice President^[ad]	U.S. senator	U.S. representative	Federal office^[q]^[ae]	Teacher, military officer, rancher	Texas
37		Richard Nixon	Out of office^[d]	Vice President	U.S. senator	U.S. representative	Lawyer, naval officer	California
38		Gerald Ford	Vice President^[af]	U.S. representative	Military	—	Lawyer, naval officer	Michigan^[ag]
39		Jimmy Carter	Out of office^[d]	State governor	State legislator^[h]	Military	Farmer, naval officer	Georgia
40		Ronald Reagan	Out of office^[d]	State governor	—	Military	Actor, Screen Actors Guild President	California^[ah]
41		George H. W. Bush	Vice President	Out of office^[d]	Federal office^[q]^[ai]	Foreign service^[g]	Businessman, naval aviator	Texas^[aj]
42		Bill Clinton	State governor	State attorney general	—	—	Lawyer, law professor at the University of Arkansas	Arkansas
43		George W. Bush	State governor	Out of office^[d]^[8]	Military^[9]	—	Businessman, Air National Guard pilot	Texas
44		Barack Obama	U.S. senator	State legislator^[h]	—	—	Lawyer, law professor at the University of Chicago^[ak]	Illinois^[al]
45		Donald Trump	—	—	—	—	Businessman, real estate developer, reality television personality	New York^[am]
46		Joe Biden	Out of office^[d]	Vice President	U.S. senator	Local office^[r]	Lawyer	Delaware

See also

• President of the United States
• List of presidents of the United States by other offices held

Notes

1. George Washington was commanding general of the Continental Army, the pre-independence equivalent of the US Army. The 9 US Army generals were Jackson, W. H. Harrison, Taylor, Pierce, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, B. Harrison and Eisenhower. Others with military experience were Monroe, McKinley, T. Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, L. B. Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Ford, Reagan, G. H. W. Bush, G. W. Bush.
2. Martin van Buren's brief foreign service is not counted since, although he was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the appointment was rejected by the U.S. Senate
3. "State" refers to the state generally considered "home", not necessarily the state where the president was born
4. This designation is used whenever the subject was out of public office for more than one year
5. Washington was first chosen by the Virginia State Legislature to be a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Then he was elected by the delegates to be president of the convention.
6. Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
7. This is a general designation for any appointive position representing the United States to a foreign government
8. This is a general designation for any elected state legislator
9. Van Buren served just over two months of his term as governor of New York before President Jackson appointed him Secretary of State
10. Tyler succeeded President Harrison, who died in office. He was not elected.
11. Fillmore succeeded President Taylor, who died in office. He was not elected.
12. Lincoln was born in Kentucky, but moved to Indiana, then Illinois at an early age
13. Johnson succeeded President Lincoln, who was assassinated. He was not elected.
14. President Lincoln appointed Johnson military governor of Tennessee during the Civil War
15. Grant was born and raised in Ohio. He rose to prominence as a Civil War general from Illinois and Illinois was his residence for his political career.^[6][7]
16. Arthur succeeded President Garfield, who was assassinated. He was not elected.
17. This is a general designation for appointive domestic Federal offices below cabinet level
18. This is a general designation for local elective offices
19. Roosevelt succeeded President McKinley, who was assassinated. He was elected to a full term in 1904, chose not to run again in 1908, and ran unsuccessfully in 1912.
20. Assistant Secretary of the Navy
21. President McKinley appointed Taft governor-General of the Philippines
22. United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
23. Solicitor General of the United States
24. Wilson served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910
25. Coolidge succeeded President Harding, who died in office. He was elected to a full term in 1924, chose not to run again in 1928.
26. Born and raised in Vermont, Coolidge permanently moved to Massachusetts to attend college.
27. Following World War I, Hoover was involved with several humanitarian organizations.
28. Director of United States Food Administration
29. Truman succeeded President Roosevelt, who died in office. He was elected to a full term in 1948, chose not to run again in 1952.
30. Johnson succeeded President Kennedy, who was assassinated. He was elected to a full term in 1964, chose not to run again in 1968.
31. head of the National Youth Administration in Texas
32. Ford succeeded President Nixon, who resigned. He lost election in 1976. Previously, Ford was appointed Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned. Currently, only president not to have been elected to the executive branch.
33. Ford was born in Nebraska, but moved to Michigan at an early age
34. Reagan was born, raised and educated in Illinois; he moved permanently to California after graduation from college.
35. Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
36. Bush was born in Massachusetts, and raised in Connecticut, but moved to Texas after graduation from college.
37. Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004
38. Obama was born in Hawaii and mostly raised there. His career was based in Illinois.
39. Trump, who was born in New York, ran for office in 2016 from there, but moved his official residence to Mar-a-Lago in Florida during his term.

References

1. International Law, US Power: The United States' Quest for Legal Security, p 10, Shirley V. Scott - 2012
2. Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861–1865 Volume 1. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1904. pp. 303, 658.
3. Christensen, Tricia (January 5, 2023). "How Many United States Presidents Were Governors First?" www.unitedstatesnow.org. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
4. The Preacher President http://punditwire.com/2012/03/03/the-preacher-president/
5. The Singular Humility of America's Only Ordained President https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2016/april-web-exclusives/singular-humility-of-americas-only-ordained-president.html
6. "The Congressional Globe". Library of Congress. 1868. p. 1063.
7. McFeely, William S. (1981). Grant: A Biography. Norton. pp. 232–233. ISBN 0-393-01372-3.
8. P.O. Box 400406. "George W. Bush: Life Before the Presidency—Miller Center". Millercenter.org. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
9. York, Byron. . Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2016-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)