US President mil experience summary table

Year Start 1789 Year End President 1797 George Washington George Washington John Adams Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Madison Party Summary of Military Experience Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army 1797 1801 1809 1801 1809 1817 Federalist Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democratic-Republican Democrat Democrat Democrat Whig Whig Democrat Whig Whig Democrat Democrat Republican Republican Brigadier General, Union Army Career General; General-inchief of all armies of US during Civil War Career General; General-inchief of all armies of US during Civil War Civil War, breveted to Major General Civil War; positions include: Fought in the Continental Army Fought in the Continental Army General in War of 1812 General in War of 1812 Colonel in the Virginia militia 1817 1825 James Monroe James Monroe John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison John Tyler James Knox Polk Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore Franklin Pierce James Buchanan Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln 1825 1829 1837 1841 1841 1845 1849 1850 1853 1857 1861 1829 1837 1841 1841 1845 1849 1850 1853 1857 1861 1865 General in War of 1812 Captain of a volunteer military company in 1813 Colonel in the Tennessee militia. Career General *After leaving presidency raised volunteer army Colonel and then Brigadier General during Mexican war War of 1812 Captain, Illinois Militia (1832) 1865 1869 Andrew Johnson 1869 1877 Ulysses Grant Republican Ulysses Grant 1877 1881 1881 1881 Rutherford Hayes James Abraham Republican Republican Republican Garfield 1881 1885 1889 1893 1897 1885 1889 1893 1897 1901 Chester Alan Arthur Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland William McKinley William McKinley Republican Democrat Republican Democrat Republican Republican Brigadier General, and Major General inspector general and quartermaster general Civil War; brevetted to brigadier general Civil War, brevetted to Major General Civil War, brevetted to Major General Spanish-American War, positions include: Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel Spanish-American War, positions include: Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel 1901 1909 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 1909 1913 1921 1923 1929 1933 1913 1921 1923 1929 1933 1945 Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Warren Harding Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt Republican Republican Democrat Democrat Republican Republican Republican Republican Democrat Democrat Democrat Democrat 1945 1953 Harry S. Truman Democrat Harry S. Truman Democrat 1953 1961 Dwight David Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican WW 1; positions: Captain in the Field Artillery. Previously Colonel in National Guard WW 1; positions: Captain in the Field Artillery. Previously Colonel in National Guard WW II; General of the Army; Army Chief of Staff in 1945, Commander in Chief of NATO forces starting 1950 WW II; General of the Army; Army Chief of Staff in 1945, 1961 1963 1963 1969 John Fitzgerald Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Democrat Democrat Democrat Republican Republican Republican Commander in Chief of NATO forces starting 1950 WW II; Lieutenant, commanded a patrol torpedo (PT) WW II; Navy Lieutenant Commander WW II; Navy Lieutenant Commander WW II; Navy Lieutenant Commander WW II; Navy Lieutenant Commander WW II; trainer, Lieutenant, anti-aircraft battery officer Korean War; graduate of naval academy, Engineering Officer, Lieutenant WW II; Motion Picture Unit, First Lieutenant, Captain, Executive Officer WW II; Motion Picture Unit, First Lieutenant, Captain, Executive Officer WW II; Naval aviator, Lieutenant 1969 1974 Richard Nixon Richard Nixon 1974 1977 Gerald Ford 1977 1981 Jimmy Carter Democrat 1981 1989 Ronald Reagan Republican 1989 1993 2001 1993 2001 2009 Ronald Reagan George Herbert Walker Bush William Clinton William Clinton George W. Bush George W. Bush Republican Republican Democrat Democrat Republican Republican National Guard National Guard