US Presidents and Wars

US Presidents in Chronological Order and Their Wars

a table compiled in an evening of looking things up
by Laurie Spiegel

# Name Lived Held Office War(s)

- - - - King Philip's War (1675)

- - - - King William's War (1689-1697)

- - - - Queen Anne's War (1702-1713)

- - - - Yamasee War (1715-16)
(South Carolina Yamasee Tribe)

- - - - King George's War (1744-1748)

- - - - French and Indian Wars (1754-1763)

1 Washington, George 1732-1799 1789-1797 Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

2 Adams, John 1735-1826 1797-1801 -

3 Jefferson, Thomas 1743-1826 1801-1809 Tripolitan War (1801-1805)
against Tripoli (now in Libya)

4 Madison, James 1751-1836 1809-1817 War of 1812
the Creek War (1813-14)

5 Monroe, James 1758-1831 1817-1825 Indian Wars of 1817-1821
First Seminole War (1817-18)
Monroe Doctrine (1823)

6 Adams, John Quincy 1767-1848 1825-1829 -

7 Jackson, Andrew
"Old Hickory" 1767-1845 1829-1837 Black Hawk War (1832)
Second Seminole War (1835-42)

8 Van Buren, Martin 1782-1862 1837-1841 -

9 Harrison, William Henry* 1773-1841 1841 -

10 *Tyler, John 1790-1862 1841-1845 -

11 Polk, James Knox 1795-1849 1845-1849 Mexican War (1846-1848)

12 *Taylor, Zachary
"Old Rough and Ready" 1784-1850 1849-1850 -

13 *Fillmore, Millard 1800-1874 1850-1853 -

14 Pierce, Franklin 1804-1869 1853-1857 Third Seminole War (1855-58)

15 Buchanan, James 1791-1868 1857-1861 -

16 Lincoln, Abraham* 1809-1865 1861-1865 Civil War (1861-65)

17 *Johnson, Andrew 1808-1875 1865-1869 -

18 Grant, Ulysses Simpson (Hiram Ulysses) 1822-1885 1869-1877 Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)

19 Hayes, Rutherford Birchard 1822-1893 1877-1881 -

20 Garfield, James Abram* 1831-1881 1881 -

21 *Arthur, Chester Alan 1829-1886 1881-1885 -

22 Cleveland, (Stephen) Grover 1837-1908 1885-1889 Apache Wars against Geronimo (1876-1886)

23 Harrison 2, Benjamin 1833-1901 1889-1893 1st Pan-American Conference (1889)

24 Cleveland, (Stephen) Grover 1837-1908 1893-1897 -

25 McKinley, William* 1843-1901 1897-1901 Spanish-American War (1898)

26 *Roosevelt, Theodore 1858-1919 1901-1909 won 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in Russo-Japanese War

27 Taft, William Howard 1857-1930 1909-1913 -

28 Wilson, (Thomas) Woodrow 1856-1924 1913-1921 World War I (1914-1918)
League of Nations
won 1919 Nobel Peace Prize

29 Harding, Warren Gamaliel* 1865-1923 1921-1923 -

30 *Coolidge, (John) Calvin 1872-1933 1923-1929 -

31 Hoover, Herbert Clark 1874-1964 1929-1933 -

32 Roosevelt, Franklin Delano* 1882-1945 1933-1945 World War II (1939-1945)

33 *Truman, Harry S. 1884-1972 1945-1953 atomic bombing of Japan (1945)
Cold War with Soviet Union
United Nations, Marshall Plan (1948)
NATO (1949)
Korean War (1950-1953)

34 Eisenhower, Dwight David
"Ike" 1890-1969 1953-1961 Cold War with Soviet Union continues

35 Kennedy, John Fitzgerald* 1917-1963 1961-1963 established Peace Corps (1961)
Bay of Pigs incident

36 *Johnson, Lyndon Baines 1908-1973 1963-1969 escalated involvement in Vietnam War (1954-1975)

37 Nixon, Richard Milhous** 1913-1994 1969-1974 "War on Drugs" (1971)
visited China (1972)
détente with U.S.S.R.
eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Southeast Asia

38 **Ford, Gerald Rudolph. 1913- 1974-1977 -

39 Carter, James Earl, Jr. "Jimmy." 1924- 1977-1981 Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel (1979)

40 Reagan, Ronald Wilson 1911- 1981-1989 military involvements in Grenada, Central America, Lebanon, Libya

41 Bush, George Herbert Walker 1924- 1989-1993 Persian Gulf War I with Iraq (1990)

42 Clinton, William Jefferson "Bill" 1946- 1993- Persian Gulf War II with Iraq (1999)
Serbia vs. Bosnia, Kosovo, NATO...

43 Bush, George W. "Dubya" 1946- 2001-2009 Afgan War against the Talliban and Al Qaeda (2001...)
Iraqi Invasion and Occupation (2003...)
"War on Terror"

#	Name	Lived	Held Office	War(s)
-	-	-	-	King Philip's War (1675)
-	-	-	-	King William's War (1689-1697)
-	-	-	-	Queen Anne's War (1702-1713)
-	-	-	-	Yamasee War (1715-16) (South Carolina Yamasee Tribe)
-	-	-	-	King George's War (1744-1748)
-	-	-	-	French and Indian Wars (1754-1763)
1	Washington, George	1732-1799	1789-1797	Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
2	Adams, John	1735-1826	1797-1801	-
3	Jefferson, Thomas	1743-1826	1801-1809	Tripolitan War (1801-1805) against Tripoli (now in Libya)
4	Madison, James	1751-1836	1809-1817	War of 1812 the Creek War (1813-14)
5	Monroe, James	1758-1831	1817-1825	Indian Wars of 1817-1821 First Seminole War (1817-18) Monroe Doctrine (1823)
6	Adams, John Quincy	1767-1848	1825-1829	-
7	Jackson, Andrew "Old Hickory"	1767-1845	1829-1837	Black Hawk War (1832) Second Seminole War (1835-42)
8	Van Buren, Martin	1782-1862	1837-1841	-
9	Harrison, William Henry*	1773-1841	1841	-
10	*Tyler, John	1790-1862	1841-1845	-
11	Polk, James Knox	1795-1849	1845-1849	Mexican War (1846-1848)
12	*Taylor, Zachary "Old Rough and Ready"	1784-1850	1849-1850	-
13	*Fillmore, Millard	1800-1874	1850-1853	-
14	Pierce, Franklin	1804-1869	1853-1857	Third Seminole War (1855-58)
15	Buchanan, James	1791-1868	1857-1861	-
16	Lincoln, Abraham*	1809-1865	1861-1865	Civil War (1861-65)
17	*Johnson, Andrew	1808-1875	1865-1869	-
18	Grant, Ulysses Simpson (Hiram Ulysses)	1822-1885	1869-1877	Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)
19	Hayes, Rutherford Birchard	1822-1893	1877-1881	-
20	Garfield, James Abram*	1831-1881	1881	-
21	*Arthur, Chester Alan	1829-1886	1881-1885	-
22	Cleveland, (Stephen) Grover	1837-1908	1885-1889	Apache Wars against Geronimo (1876-1886)
23	Harrison 2, Benjamin	1833-1901	1889-1893	1st Pan-American Conference (1889)
24	Cleveland, (Stephen) Grover	1837-1908	1893-1897	-
25	McKinley, William*	1843-1901	1897-1901	Spanish-American War (1898)
26	*Roosevelt, Theodore	1858-1919	1901-1909	won 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in Russo-Japanese War
27	Taft, William Howard	1857-1930	1909-1913	-
28	Wilson, (Thomas) Woodrow	1856-1924	1913-1921	World War I (1914-1918) League of Nations won 1919 Nobel Peace Prize
29	Harding, Warren Gamaliel*	1865-1923	1921-1923	-
30	*Coolidge, (John) Calvin	1872-1933	1923-1929	-
31	Hoover, Herbert Clark	1874-1964	1929-1933	-
32	Roosevelt, Franklin Delano*	1882-1945	1933-1945	World War II (1939-1945)
33	*Truman, Harry S.	1884-1972	1945-1953	atomic bombing of Japan (1945) Cold War with Soviet Union United Nations, Marshall Plan (1948) NATO (1949) Korean War (1950-1953)
34	Eisenhower, Dwight David "Ike"	1890-1969	1953-1961	Cold War with Soviet Union continues
35	Kennedy, John Fitzgerald*	1917-1963	1961-1963	established Peace Corps (1961) Bay of Pigs incident
36	*Johnson, Lyndon Baines	1908-1973	1963-1969	escalated involvement in Vietnam War (1954-1975)
37	Nixon, Richard Milhous**	1913-1994	1969-1974	"War on Drugs" (1971) visited China (1972) détente with U.S.S.R. eventual withdrawal of U.S. troops from Southeast Asia
38	**Ford, Gerald Rudolph.	1913-	1974-1977	-
39	Carter, James Earl, Jr. "Jimmy."	1924-	1977-1981	Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel (1979)
40	Reagan, Ronald Wilson	1911-	1981-1989	military involvements in Grenada, Central America, Lebanon, Libya
41	Bush, George Herbert Walker	1924-	1989-1993	Persian Gulf War I with Iraq (1990)
42	Clinton, William Jefferson "Bill"	1946-	1993-	Persian Gulf War II with Iraq (1999) Serbia vs. Bosnia, Kosovo, NATO...
43	Bush, George W. "Dubya"	1946-	2001-2009	Afgan War against the Talliban and Al Qaeda (2001...) Iraqi Invasion and Occupation (2003...) "War on Terror"

Use of asterisks (*):

name* died in office

*name replaced preceding President who died

name** left office before completion of term

**name replaced preceding living President

name*	died in office
*name	replaced preceding President who died
name**	left office before completion of term
**name	replaced preceding living President