Presidents Flashcards
1
George Washington 1789-97 (The Father of His Country)
· Political Party: Federalist
· Vice President: John Adams
· First Lady: Martha (Custis, nee Dandridge) Washington
· State: Virginia (retired to Mount Vernon in VA.)
· George Washington was a surveyor in his early life.
· George Washington fought in the French & Indian War of 1754-63 with the American Colonists on the side of the British, gaining valuable experience as a soldier, leader, and knowledge of British war tactics.
·He was the only president to not live in the White House.
· He was the only president to have a state named after him.
· He was the only president elected by unanimous electoral vote.
· He had no natural children.
2
John Adams
1797-1801 (The Duke of Braintree)
· Political Party: Federalist
· Vice President: Thomas Jefferson
· First Lady: Abigail Adams
· State: Massachusetts (Braintree)
· John Adams graduated from Harvard University.
· He opposed the Stamp Act.
· He was delegate to first Continental Congress.
· He is the first president alphabetically.
· He is the father of John Quincy Adams.
3
(The Sage of Monticello)
· Political Party: Democratic-Republican
· Vice Presidents: Aaron Burr (killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel); George Clinton
· First Lady: none (his wife Martha died before he took office)
· State: Virginia Monticello
· Home: Monticello
· Thomas Jefferson was elected to his first term by the House of Representatives after being tied with Aaron Burr.
· He wrote the Declaration of Independence.
· He was the first president inaugurated in Washington D.C.
· He made the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon in 1803.
· He founded The University of Virginia.
· He fathered one and probably several children by slave Sally Hemming.
· He played the violin.
4
James Madison 1809-17 (The Father of the Constitution, The Sage of Montpelier)
· Political Party: Democratic-Republican
· Vice Presidents: George Clinton , Elbridge Gerry (Gerrymandering was named for him-rearranging voting districts for political purposes)
· First Lady: Dolley Madison (noted for her being a great hostess in the White House)
· State: Virginia (Montpelier)
· James Madison was president during the War of 1812.
· He is credited with writing the Bill of Rights.
· He was the shortest president at 5’ 4”.
5
James Monroe 1817-25
· Political Party: Democratic-Republican
· Vice President: Daniel Tompkins
· First Lady: Eliza Monroe
· State: Virginia (Ash Lawn)
· James Monroe fought as a major in the American Revolution and was wounded in the Battle of Trenton.
· He served in the cabinet of Thomas Jefferson and as governor of Virginia.
· In 1820 he ran unopposed for president.
· He established Monroe Doctrine in 1823 that opposed European intervention in the affairs of the western hemisphere.
· He presided over “The Era of Good Feelings.”
· Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, is named for him.
· His picture is on the $5,000 bill.
6
John Quincy Adams 1825-29 (Old Man Eloquent)
· Political Party: National-Republican
· Vice President: John C. Calhoun
· First Lady: Louise (Johnson) Adams
· State: Massachusetts (Braintree)
· John Quincy Adams won the election of 1824 over Andrew Jackson by decision of the House of Representatives.
· He returned to the House of Representatives after being president.
· He was the attorney for the slaves of the mutiny ship Amistad.
· He was the son of John Adams.
7
Andrew Jackson 1829-37 (Old Hickory)
· Political Party: Democrat
· Vice Presidents: John C. Calhoun (first V.P. to resign), Martin Van Buren
· First Lady: Rachel Jackson
· State: Tennessee (The Hermitage)
· Andrew Jackson led the American troops in the Battle of New Orleans.
· His wife Rachel died seven weeks into his first term.
· His cabinet was nicknamed the “Kitchen Cabinet”
· He was the first president from a state west of the Appalachians.
· He withdrew all funds from the Bank of the United States.
· He adopted the “spoils system” of appointing political supporters to government positions.
· He was the first president involved in an assassination attempt.
· He was the first president born in a log cabin.
· He defeated the Creek Indians in Alabama.
8
Martin Van Buren 1837-41 (The Sage of Kinderhook)
· Political Party: Democrat
· Vice President: Richard Johnson
· First Lady: none (wife died in 1819, never remarried)
· State: New York
· Martin Van Buren was of Dutch descent.
· He served as governor of New York.
· He served in the cabinet of Andrew Jackson as Secretary of State.
· He was the first president born in the USA.
· He was beaten decisively by W. H. Harrison in the 1840 election, mainly because of a depression during his administration.
9
William Henry Harrison 1841 (Old Tippecanoe)
· Political Party: Whig
· Vice President: John Tyler
· William Henry Harrison was the first president to die in office.
· He gave a 3.5 hour inauguration speech in the cold and rain, caught pneumonia and died 32 days later.
· He was grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison.
10
John Tyler 1841-45
· Political Party: Whig
· Vice president: none
· First Lady: Julia Tyler (married while president)
· State: Virginia
· Secretary of State: Daniel Webster
· John Tyler served as governor of Virginia.
· He was the first VP to succeed to presidency upon the death of a president.
· He served briefly in the Confederate Congress.
· He was the president with the most children. (15)
11
James Knox Polk 1845-49 (First Dark Horse, Young Hickory)
· Political Party: Democrat
· Vice president: George M. Dallas (Dallas, TX namesake)
· First Lady: Sarah (Childress) Polk
· State: Tennessee
· James K. Polk served as governor of Tennessee and as Speaker of the House of Representatives.
· His administration fought and won the war with Mexico, annexing Texas and a vast amount of land west of the Rocky Mountains.
· He ran on the platform of “Manifest Destiny”, i.e., all land west to the Pacific Ocean should become part of the United States.
12
Zachary Taylor 1849-50 (Old Rough and Ready)
· Political Party: Whig
· Vice president: Millard Fillmore
· State: Virginia
· First Lady: Margaret (Smith) Taylor
· Zachary Taylor was a general in the Mexican-American War.
· He won the Battle of Buena Vista, defeating Mexican general Santa Anna.
· He was the second president to die in office July 9, 1850.
· He was Jefferson Davis’ father in law.
13
Millard Fillmore 1850-53
· Political party: Whig
· Vice president: none
· First Lady: Abigail Fillmore
· State: New York
· Millard Fillmore became president upon the death of Zachary Taylor.
· He established the first trade talks with Japan.
· He was the last Whig president.
14
Franklin Pierce 1853-57 (Handsome Frank)
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president: William Rufus King
· First Lady: Jane (Appleton) Pierce
· State: New Hampshire (only New Hampshire president)
· Franklin Pierce graduated from Bowdoin College.
· He served in the Mexican-American War.
· He made Gadsden Purchase from Mexico.
· He was the first president to have a full time bodyguard.
∙ He is a relative of First Lady Barbara (Pierce) Bush
15
James Buchanan 1857-61 (The Bachelor President)
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice President: John C. Breckinridge (youngest V.P.)
· First Lady: none
· State: Pennsylvania (Wheatland)
· James Buchanan was James Polk’s Secretary of State.
· He was the only president to never marry.
· He retired to his Wheatland estate in Lancaster, PA.
16
Abraham Lincoln 1861-65 (Honest Abe)
· Political Party: Republican
· Vice presidents: Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson
· First Lady: Mary Todd Lincoln (spoke French and died in mental ward)
· State: Illinois
· Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky.
· He fought in The Blackhawk War.
· He participated in Lincoln-Douglas debates.
· He was the first Republican president.
· He was the tallest president.
· He enacted Emancipation Proclamation. (He called it his greatest achievement).
· He was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater.
· Son Robert Lincoln was Secretary of War under Chester Arthur.
17
Andrew Johnson 1865-69
· Political Party: Republican
· Vice president: none
· State: Tennessee
· Andrew Johnson served as governor of Tennessee.
· He was impeached and tried during his tenure (won trial by one vote).
· He was the only president to return to the Senate after his presidency.
18
Ulysses Simpson Grant 1869-77 (The Galena Tanner)
· Political party: Republican
· Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax (involved in the Credit Mobilier scandal), Henry Wilson
· First Lady: Julia (Dent) Grant
· State: Ohio
· Ulysses S. Grant graduated from West Point Military Academy.
· He served under Zachary Taylor in the Mexican-American War.
· He captured Vicksburg and Chattanooga during the Civil War.
· He became commander of the Union Armies toward the end of the Civil War.
· He established Yellowstone National Park as the nation’s first national park.
19
Rutherford Birchard Hayes 1877-81
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: William Wheeler
· First Lady: Lucy Hayes (Lemonade Lucy)
· State: Ohio
· Rutherford Hayes studied law at Harvard.
· He served as governor of Ohio.
20
James Abram Garfield 1881
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Chester A. Arthur
· State: Ohio
· James Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881 by Charles Guiteau and died on September 19th after serving 199 days.
· His term was the second-shortest of any president.
· He was the first left-handed president.
· He had a dog named Veto.
21
Chester Alan Arthur 1881-1885
· Political party: Republican
· Vice President: none
· State: New York
· Chester Arthur became president upon the assassination of James Garfield.
· Robert Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, served as his Secratary of War.
· He renovated the White House.
22
Stephen Grover Cleveland 1885-89
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice President: Thomas Hendricks
· First Lady: Francis Folsom Cleveland
· State: New York
· Grover Cleveland served as governor of New York.
· He dedicated the Statue of Liberty, October 28, 1886.
· He was the first president married in the White House.
· He was the only president reelected after losing the presidency.
· His picture is on the $1,000 bill.
23
Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Levi P. Morton
· First Lady: Caroline (Scott) Harrison
· State: Indiana
· Benjamin Harrison commanded Indiana’s 70th Infantry during Civil War.
· He defeated incumbent Grover Cleveland in 1888.
· He was grandson of William Henry Harrison.
24
Grover Cleveland 1893-97
· Vice president: Adlai E. Stevenson
· He became the first and only president to serve non-consecutive terms.
25
William McKinley 1897-1901
· Political party: Republican
· Vice presidents: Garrett A. Hobart, Theodore Roosevelt
· First Lady: Ida (Saxton) McKinley
· State: Ohio (Canton)
· William McKinley was governor of Ohio.
· He promised a full dinner pail.
· He was assassinated in Buffalo, New York by Leon Czolgosz on Sept. 6, 1901.
· His picture is on the $500 bill.
26
Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 (The Squire of Sagamore Hill)
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president first term: none
· Vice president second term: Charles W. Fairbanks (Fairbanks, Alaska namesake)
· First Lady: Edith Roosevelt
· State: New York
· Teddy Roosevelt’s first wife died in 1884.
· He led the charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War.
· He became president when McKinley was assassinated.
· He was the youngest president to assume office. (JFK youngest elected)
· He sponsored antitrust legislation.
· He enacted Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, which established the FDA.
· He was the first president to travel outside the USA during his presidency to dedicate the Panama Canal.
· He mediated an end to the Russo-Japanese War for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize.
· Was shot and wounded in 1912 while running for president as a candidate of the Bull Moose Party.
· His motto was “speak softly and carry a big stick”.
· Had a daughter named Alice Blue.
· Teddy Bear was named after him.
27
William Howard Taft 1909-1913
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: James S. Sherman
· First Lady: Helen (Herron) Taft
· State: Ohio
· William Taft served as civilian governor of the Philippines after they were ceded to United States at the end of the Spanish-American War.
· He was the only president to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
· He was the heaviest president.
· He was president when the last of the contiguous U.S. states joined the union.
· He created Dollar Diplomacy policy of low cost loans to Latin America and East Asia.
· He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
28
Thomas Woodrow Wilson 1913-21
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president: Thomas R. Marshall
· First Lady: Edith (Galt) Wilson
· State: Virginia
· Woodrow Wilson Graduated from Princeton University.
· He is the only president with a PhD.
· He served as president of Princeton University and governor of New Jersey.
· He brought the U.S. into WWI.
· He established peace program of 14 points at end of the war.
· He helped establish the League of Nations.
· He is the only president buried in Washington, DC.
· His picture is on the $100,000 bill.
29
Warren Gamaliel Harding 1921-23
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Calvin Coolidge
· First Lady: Florence (DeWolfe) Harding
· Warren Harding was president during the Teapot Dome Scandal in which his interior secretary, Albert Fall, was sent to jail for taking bribes to secure oil leases on Federal lands.
· Herbert Hoover was his Secretary of Commerce.
· He died in office of an embolism.
30
John Calvin Coolidge 1923-29 (Silent Cal)
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president first term: none
· Vice president second term: Charles G. Dawes
· First Lady: Grace (Goodhue) Coolidge
· State: Massachusetts
· Calvin Coolidge became president upon the death of Warren Harding.
· “The business of America is business.”
31
Herbert Hoover 1929-33
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Charles Curtis
· First Lady: Lou Hoover
· State: Iowa
· Herbert Hoover had an engineering degree from Stanford University.
· He made his fortune with mining rights in Asia.
· He was in China with wife Lou during the Boxer Rebellion.
· He was Commerce Secretary under Harding and Coolidge.
· He was president during the start of the Great Depression, which ended his political career.
32
Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1933-1945
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice presidents: John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Harry S Truman
· First Lady: Eleanor (Roosevelt) Roosevelt, a distant cousin to FDR
· State: New York
· Franklin Roosevelt served as governor of New York.
· Was the only president elected four times.
· He had an advisory group called “The Brain Trust.”
· He sponsored New Deal program in response to the Great Depression.
· He created the Tennessee Valley Authority.
· He created the Good Neighbor Policy to improve relation with Latin America.
· He contracted polio in 1921.
· He died in office April 12, 1945 of a cerebral hemorrhage.
· His father was a distant cousin of Theodore Roosevelt.
· He had dog named Fala.
33
Harry S Truman 1945-53
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president first term: none
· Vice president second term: Alben W. Barkley (Veep)
· First Lady: Elizabeth (Bess) Truman
· State: Missouri (Independence)
· Harry Truman served as an artillery commander during WWI.
· He became president upon the death of FDR.
· He made the decision to use the atom bomb to end WWII.
· He implemented the Marshall Plan to aid reconstruction of Europe after WWII.
· He sponsored legislative program “Fair Deal”.
· He was the last president without a college degree.
34
Dwight David Eisenhower 1953-61
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Richard M. Nixon
· First Lady: Mamie (Doud) Eisenhower
· State: Texas
· “Ike” Eisenhower graduated from West Point Military Academy.
· He commanded a tank corps training center during WWI.
· He served as Allied Supreme Commander during WWII.
· He had an affair with his WWII chauffeur Kay Somersby.
· He was president of Columbia University.
· He did not hold public office before becoming president.
· He warned against the “military-industrial complex”.
· His Secretary of State was John Foster Dulles.
· He had a home in Gettysburg, PA.
· He was the first president to have a pilot’s license.
35
John Fitzgerald (Jack) Kennedy 1961-63
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president: Lyndon Johnson
· First Lady: Jacqueline (Bouvier) Kennedy
· State: Massachusetts
· John F. Kennedy was the son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.
· He graduated from Harvard University.
· He won Pulitzer Prize for his book Profiles in Courage.
· He served on the “PT-109”, which was sunk during WWII.
· His father served as ambassador to Great Britain.
· He was the youngest president ever elected.
· He made “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin.
· He established the Peace Corps.
· He considered the failed Bay of Pigs invasion his worst personal embarrassment.
· He was president during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
· He laid the ground work for the manned moon missions.
· His brother Robert Kennedy was his Attorney General.
· He was assassinated November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald.
· He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
· He had a home in Hyannisport, MA.
36
Lyndon Baines Johnson 1963-69
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president first term: none
· Vice president second term: Hubert H. Humphrey
· First Lady: Lady Bird (Claudia Taylor) Johnson
· State: Texas (The Elms)
· Lyndon Johnson became president upon the death of JFK.
· He launched the “Great Society” program to raise living standards.
· He expanded the war in Vietnam.
37
Richard Milhous Nixon 1969-74
· Political party: Republican
· Vice presidents: Spiro Agnew (resigned), Gerald R. Ford (first VP named under the 25th amendment)
· First Lady: Pat Nixon
· State: California
· Richard Nixon served as a supply officer during WWII.
· He served as two term VP under Dwight Eisenhower.
· He had “Kitchen Debate” with Nikita Khrushchev.
· He was defeated by JFK in 1960 presidential election.
· He ordered gradual removal of U.S. troops during Vietnam War.
· He opened relations with Communist China.
· He resigned presidency in 1974 due to Watergate Scandal.
· He was pardoned for “all offenses against the U.S.” by Gerald Ford.
· He had a dog named Checkers.
· He had a home in Casa Pacifica, CA.
∙ He has been on the cover of Time Magazine more often than any other person
38
Gerald R. Ford 1974-77
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Nelson Rockefeller
· First Lady: Betty Ford
· State: Michigan
· Gerald Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.
· He played football at University of Michigan.
· He served on the commission investigating the assassination of JFK.
· He survived two assassination attempts by Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Sara Jane Moore.
· He was the only VP and president not to be elected by vote.
39
Jimmy (James Earl) Carter 1977-81
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president: Walter F. Mondale
· First Lady: Rosalyn (Smith) Carter
· State: Georgia (Plains)
· Jimmy Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
· He worked as a peanut farmer before his public life.
· He served as governor of Georgia.
· He signed Panama Canal Treaty and Salt II Treaty.
· He boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics due to USSR invasion of Afghanistan.
· He provided framework for Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
· He served during Iran hostage crisis.
· He lived the longest of any president after his presidency.
40
Ronald Wilson Reagan 1981-89 (The Great Communicator, Dutch, The Teflon President)
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: George Bush
· First Lady: Nancy (Davis) Reagan
· State: Illinois (Tampico)
· Ronald Reagan graduated from Eureka College in Illinois.
· He appeared in approximately 50 motion pictures.
· He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
· He served two terms as governor of California.
· He survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr.
· He initiated the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI or Star Wars).
· He was the oldest president elected and the oldest to serve.
· He was the only divorced president.
41
George Herbert Walker Bush 1989-93
· Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Dan Quayle
· First Lady Barbara Bush (The Silver Fox)
· State: Texas
· George Bush was shot down as a fighter pilot in WWII.
· He served as director of CIA.
· He served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
· He served two terms as VP under Ronald Reagan.
· He coordinated United Nations effort to win the Persian Gulf War.
· He has vacation home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
· His sons, George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, served as Governors of Texas and Florida.
∙ He was the first vice president to be directly elected to the presidency since Martin Van Buren.
42
William Jefferson Clinton 1993-2001
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president: Al Gore
· First Lady: Hillary Rodham Clinton
· State: Arkansas
· Bill Clinton had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
· He was impeached and acquitted during his second term.
· He had a chocolate lab named Buddy.
43
Political party: Republican
· Vice president: Richard Cheney
· First Lady: Laura (Welch) Bush
· State: Texas
· George W. Bush became the fourth president in U.S. history to lose the popular vote and still win the election.*
· He is the second son of a president to become president.
* Others: J.Q. Adams v. Jackson, 1824, Hayes v. Tilden, 1876, Cleveland v. B. Harrison, 1888
44
Barack Hussein Obama II 2009-
· Political party: Democrat
· Vice president: Joseph Biden
· First Lady: Michelle (Robinson) Obama
· State: Illinois
· Barrack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
· He graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School.
· He has two daughters named Malia and Sasha.
· In 2009 he became the third U.S. president to win the Noble Peace Prize.
· His pet Portuguese Water Hound named Bo was a gift from Ted Kennedy.
