List of presidents of the United States by previous experience explained

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

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.
• 27 presidents were previously lawyers.
• 20 presidents previously served as governors; 17 presidents were state governors;^[2] 9 were governors immediately before election as presidents. Two, William Henry Harrison and William Howard Taft, served as territorial governors. One, Andrew Jackson, served as a military governor of a territory (Florida) before it became a state. Andrew Johnson served in Tennessee during the Civil War.
• 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.^[3]
• 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. One, Gerald Ford, was appointed to the vice presidency, succeeded to the presidency, and then failed to win the next election, making him the only president to never be elected to office as either president or vice president.
• 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.
• 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 president of the United States for two non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump.
• 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 had a PhD, Woodrow Wilson.
• 1 president had neither prior government nor military experience before becoming president, Donald Trump.

List

	style=white-space:nowrap	Previous 1 !	style=white-space:nowrap	Previous 2 !	style=white-space:nowrap	Previous 3 !	style=white-space:nowrap	Previous 4 !	Occupation	State
1			Out of office		Out of office	Military	Planter, land surveyor
2				Foreign service		State legislator	Lawyer, farmer
3			Vice President		Foreign service		Planter, lawyer, land surveyor, architect	Virginia
4			Secretary of State		Constitutional Convention	State legislator	Planter	Virginia
5			Secretary of State	Foreign service	State governor		Planter, lawyer	Virginia
6			Secretary of State	Foreign service	US Senator	State legislator	Lawyer	Massachusetts
7			Out of office	US Senator	Military	US Senator	Lawyer, military officer
8			Vice President	Secretary of State	State governor	US Senator	Lawyer
9		style=white-space:nowrap		Out of office	Foreign service	US Senator / US Representative	Territorial governor	Military
10			Vice President	US Senator	State governor	US. Representative	Lawyer	Virginia
11			Out of office	State governor	Speaker of the House	US Representative	Lawyer, planter	Tennessee
12			Military	—	—	—	Military	Kentucky
13			Vice President	State office	Out of office	US Representative	Lawyer	New York
14			Out of office	Military	US Senator	style=white-space:nowrap	U.S. representative	Lawyer
15			Foreign service	Out of office	Secretary of State	US Senator	Lawyer
16			Out of office	style=white-space:nowrap	US Representative	State legislator	Military	Lawyer, land surveyor
17			Vice President	Military governor	US Senator	State governor	Tailor	Tennessee
18			Military	—	—	—	Military	Illinois
19			State governor	Out of office	State governor	US Representative	Lawyer	Ohio
20			US Representative	Military	State legislator	—	Ordained minister, lawyer, teacher	Ohio
21			Vice President	Out of office	Federal office	Out of office	Lawyer, teacher, tariff collector	New York
22			State governor	Local office	—	—	Lawyer	New York
23			Out of office	US Senator	Out of office	Military	Court reporter
24			Out of office	President of the U.S.	State governor	Local office	Lawyer	New York
25			State governor	US Representative	Military	—	Lawyer	Ohio
26			Vice President	State governor	Military	Federal office	Historian, public servant, naturalist, military officer, policeman, rancher	New York
27				Territorial governor	Judicial	Federal office	Lawyer, dean	Ohio
28			State governor	—	—	—	Academic
29			US Senator	Out of office	State legislator	—	Journalist, publisher	Ohio
30			Vice President	State governor	State office	State legislator	Lawyer	Massachusetts
31				Out of office	Federal office	—	Businessman, mining engineer
32			State governor	Out of office	Federal office	State legislator	Lawyer	New York
33			Vice President	US Senator	County commissioner (County court)	Military	Farmer
34			Military	—	—	—	Military officer, President of Columbia University
35			US Senator	US Representative	Military	—	Journalist, naval officer	Massachusetts
36			Vice President	US Senator	US Representative	Federal office	Teacher, naval officer, rancher
37			Out of office	Vice President	US Senator	US Representative	Lawyer, naval officer	California
38			Vice President	US Representative	Military	—	Lawyer, naval officer
39			Out of office	State governor	State legislator	Military	Farmer, naval officer
40			Out of office	State governor	—	Military	Actor, Screen Actors Guild president	California
41			Vice President	Out of office	Federal office	Foreign service	Businessman, naval aviator	Texas
42			State governor	State attorney general	—	—	Lawyer, law professor at the University of Arkansas
43			State governor	Out of office^[6]	Military^[7]	—	Businessman, Air National Guard pilot	Texas
44			US Senator	State legislator	—	—	Lawyer, law professor at the University of Chicago	Illinois
45			Out of office align="center"	—	—	—	—	Businessman, real estate developer, reality television personality	New York
46			Out of office	Vice President	US Senator	Local office	Lawyer	Delaware
47			Out of office	President	—	—	Businessman, real estate developer, reality television personality	Florida-->

See also

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

Notes and References

1. International Law, US Power: The United States' Quest for Legal Security, p 10, Shirley V. Scott - 2012
2. Christensen, Tricia (January 5, 2023). "How Many United States Presidents Were Governors First?" www.unitedstatesnow.org. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
3. Book: Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861–1865 Volume 1. 1904. U.S. Government Printing Office. 303, 658.
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. Web site: P.O. Box 400406 . George W. Bush: Life Before the Presidency—Miller Center . Millercenter.org . 2016-12-27.
7. Web site: York . Byron . Byron York on George W. Bush & National Guard on National Review Online . 2016-12-27 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20080830012958/http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/york200408261025.asp . 2008-08-30 .