List of presidents of the United States by military rank

The United States Constitution names the president of the United States the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. Many presidents, however, also served in the military before taking office. All but 13 of the 45 ^[a] persons to become president have served.

Of the 32 presidents with military service, 31 have been commissioned officers, of whom five began their careers as regular officers (Jimmy Carter transferred to the Navy Reserve after five years in the Navy). There have been 13 presidents who held general officer rank (four regular officers, six militia officers, three volunteers).

Table of United States presidents by military rank

General of the Armies

Further information: General of the Armies

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Service experience	Service notes
1	No official insignia [b] General of the Armies of the United States	Virginia militia (1752–1758) Continental Army (1775–1783) [1] United States Army (1798–1799) [2] [ page needed ]	George Washington [c] [3]	French and Indian War (1754–1758) [d] [4] [ page needed ] [5] [ page needed ] War for Independence (1775–1783) [e] [6] [ page needed ] [7] [ page needed ] Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794) [8] [ page needed ] [9] [ page needed ] - Thanks of Congress	Served in the Virginia militia (1752–1758) during the French and Indian War. Served as commander in chief of the Continental Army (1775–1783) during the Revolutionary War, with the rank of "General and Commander in Chief." Washington was a lieutenant general in the United States Army at his death. In 1976, as part of the Bicentennial, then-president Gerald R. Ford posthumously appointed Washington as General of the Armies of the United States, a rank that ensured he would forever rank above all other officers. [10] [11]
		United States Army (Regular Army)	Ulysses S. Grant	Mexican–American War Civil War - Thanks of Congress	Graduated West Point; first Lieutenant General since Washington, appointed as four-star General of the Army of the United States in 1866. In 2022 Grant was promoted by the United States Congress to General of the Armies to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth. The rank of General of the Armies is considered senior to General of the Army. Grant became the third person to become General of the Armies after John J. Pershing and George Washington. Grant and Pershing are outranked only by Washington.

General of the Army (Special grade)

Further information: General of the Army (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
2	General of the Army	United States Army (Regular army)	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Supreme Commander of the Allied Invasion of Europe, primarily the Battles for Normandy, France and Germany World War II. - Army Distinguished Service Medal (5) Navy Distinguished Service Medal	Graduated West Point; served 1915–1952, resigned to run for president. Commission and rank restored by Congress in 1961. Commissioned but inactive until death. Served stateside during World War I and as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II.

Major general (O-8)

Further information: Major general (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
3	Major General	United States Army North Carolina Militia Tennessee Militia	Andrew Jackson	Revolutionary War Creek War War of 1812 First Seminole War. - Thanks of Congress	Served at age 13 as a militia messenger during the Revolutionary War; was captured, becoming the only president to have been held as a prisoner of war (Washington had surrendered in the French and Indian War but was immediately paroled); served in the War of 1812, attaining the rank of major general and became a national hero after his success at the Battle of New Orleans.
		United States Army	William H. Harrison	Northwest Indian War War of 1812 - Thanks of Congress	Dates of service: 1791–1798, 1812–1814. Became national hero after success at the Battle of the Thames.
			Zachary Taylor	War of 1812 Black Hawk War Second Seminole War Mexican–American War - Thanks of Congress	Became a national hero because of his achievements in the Mexican–American War.
	Major General of Volunteers	United States Army (volunteers)	James A. Garfield	Civil War	His heroic ride at the Battle of Chickamauga later helped him to be elected president.
	Major General	American Red Cross (Under jurisdiction of the US War Dept)	William Howard Taft	None	He was Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1904 to 1908. Taft also joined a Connecticut Home Guard unit during World War I. He was commissioned with military rank in the American Red Cross by President Wilson August 1917 [12]

Brigadier general (O-7)

Further information: Brigadier general (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
4	Brigadier General	United States Army New Hampshire Militia	Franklin Pierce	Mexican–American War	Served in New Hampshire Militia from 1831 to 1847 and attained the rank of Colonel. Appointed to command 9th Infantry Regiment during Army expansion for Mexican–American War. Subsequently, promoted to Brigadier General and command of a brigade.
		New York State Militia	Chester A. Arthur	Inspector General of the New York Militia – Civil War	Joined militia as Judge Advocate of 2nd Brigade. Appointed Quartermaster General on Governor's staff, and later appointed Inspector General. Offered command of brigade raised in New York City, but Governor declined to allow him to leave state service. Left service in 1863 after new Governor appointed a successor.
		United States Army	Andrew Johnson	Military Governor of Tennessee – Civil War	Served in the 90th Regiment of Tennessee Militia in 1830s. Later appointed Colonel.
		United States Army (volunteers)	Rutherford B. Hayes	Civil War	Successful leadership in Virginia/West Virginia region; wounded at the Battle of South Mountain. Later appointed Brevet Major General.
		United States Army Indiana State Militia	Benjamin Harrison	Civil War	Battle of Perryville Atlanta Campaign Battle of Nashville

Colonel (O-6)

Further information: Colonel (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
5	Colonel	Virginia State Militia Albemarle County	Thomas Jefferson	None	Like other Virginia gentlemen, he had militia duties, and did administrative work
		Virginia Colonial Militia Orange County	James Madison	None	Left militia to enter Virginia legislature. (Some sources claim Madison briefly assumed command of an artillery battery during the British assault on Washington during the War of 1812. If true, he would join Washington (Whiskey Rebellion) as having seen military service as commander-in-chief.)
		Continental Army Virginia State Militia	James Monroe	Revolutionary War	Dates of service: 1776–1779. Wounded and nearly died in the Battle of Trenton. Returned to Virginia to recruit and lead a regiment as a militia Lieutenant Colonel, but the regiment was never raised. Commissioned as a Colonel during the British invasion of Virginia in 1780 to command the militia raised in response and act as liaison to the Continental Army in North Carolina. Appointed As Secretary of State during the War of 1812, scouted and deployed troops during the British invasion of Washington.
		Tennessee Militia	border[ James K. Polk	None	Captain in a cavalry unit beginning in 1821. Subsequently, appointed Colonel on staff of Governor William Carroll.
		United States Army	Theodore Roosevelt	Spanish–American War – Medal of Honor (posthumously; 2001)	Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the New York National Guard's 8th Regiment in 1882. Company commander with rank of Captain when he resigned in 1886. Famous for charge up San Juan Hill. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. As ex-president, volunteered for service in World War I, but President Wilson declined.
			Harry S. Truman	World War I - Armed Forces Reserve Medal (2)	Served 1905–1911, then in World War I, 129th Field Artillery (1917–1919), Army Reserves (1919–1953) [13]

Commander (O-5)

Further information: Commander (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
6	Commander	United States Navy (Reserve)	Lyndon B. Johnson	World War II – Silver Star Medal	Awarded Silver Star by General Douglas MacArthur for his role as an observer on a Martin B-26 Marauder bomber mission. This award has been the subject of controversy. [14] [15] [16] [ page needed ] [17]
			Richard Nixon	World War II - Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal	Served 1942–1945 on various islands in the South Pacific and commanded SCAT units in the South Pacific. United States Naval Reserve (1946–1966). [18]

Major / Lieutenant commander (O-4)

Further information: Major (United States) and Lieutenant commander (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
7	Major	New York State Militia	Millard Fillmore	None	Years of service: 1820s–1830s, 1860s–1870s
	Brevet Major	United States Army (volunteers)	William McKinley	Civil War	Served in the Army of the Potomac, originally with the 23rd Ohio Infantry, the same unit as President Rutherford B. Hayes. First major engagement in West Virginia in 1861 and was present at the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.
	Lieutenant Commander	United States Navy (Reserve)	Gerald Ford	World War II - American Campaign Medal Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal	Years of service: 1942–1946. Served on USS Monterey. Earned 10 battle stars. [19] [20]

Captain / Lieutenant (naval) (O-3)

Further information: Captain (United States O-3) and Lieutenant (United States)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
8	Captain	Virginia State Militia	John Tyler	War of 1812	Raised a company for the defense of Richmond in 1813
		Illinois State Militia	Abraham Lincoln	Black Hawk War	Initially elected to command a company as a captain. Was mustered in and out of service during the Black Hawk War, going from Captain to Private and finishing his service in an independent spy company commanded by Captain Jacob Early. Honorably discharged without seeing combat. Also served in Stillman's Run and the Battle of Kellogg's Grove.
		United States Army Air Forces (Reserve)	Ronald Reagan	None	Served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. Was barred from combat because of poor eyesight. Narrated pre-flight training films under the Army Air Forces Motion Picture Unit.
	Lieutenant	United States Navy (Reserve)	John F. Kennedy	World War II – Navy and Marine Corps Medal	Commanded a PT boat. Earned Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism in the PT-109 Incident. [21]
			George H. W. Bush	World War II – Distinguished Flying Cross	Years of service: 1942–1955 (on active service 1942–1945). Second [22] youngest pilot in the United States Navy during World War II (Three days before turning 19). [23] Earned Distinguished Flying Cross.
			Jimmy Carter	World War II - China Service Medal	Years of service: 1946–1961 (on active service 1946–1953). Graduated 59th in class of 1946 out of 820, United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Submarine service (Nuclear Specialist). Midshipman during World War II, served during the Korean War, but never sent to Korea

First lieutenant (O-2)

Further information: First lieutenant § United States

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
9
	First lieutenant	United States Air Force (Air National Guard)	George W. Bush	None - Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award	He performed Air National Guard duty as an F-102 pilot through April 1972, logging 336 hours, when he lost his authorization to be a pilot for failing to meet attendance and physical examination requirements. [24] He was later discharged eight months short of his six-year service requirement. [25]

Private

Further information: Private (rank) § United States

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat experience	Service notes
10	Private	Pennsylvania National Guard	James Buchanan	War of 1812	Joined volunteer light dragoon unit and served in defense of Baltimore. Only future president with military service who did not serve as an officer.

Did not serve

President	Service notes
John Adams	Adams was 41 years old when the Revolutionary War broke out and did not serve in the field. In addition to his diplomatic duties during the war, he served an executive role in managing the distribution of ammunition and other supplies for the Continental Army and coordinating strategic communication among the generals of the various theaters. He is sometimes called the "de facto Secretary of War" during this time.
John Quincy Adams	The U.S. did not fight any major wars during the time when Adams was of the usual age for military service (18 to 33) and the peacetime armed forces were very small during this time. It would not have been expected for a member of a prominent, wealthy family to serve unless a war broke out.
Martin Van Buren	Van Buren was a member of the New York state senate when the War of 1812 began and was involved in the military justice system and on issues of military administration during the war.
Grover Cleveland	Drafted during the Civil War, but paid $150 for a substitute (a legal option under the terms of the Enrollment Act of 1863, and his substitute survived the war).
Woodrow Wilson	The U.S. did not fight any major wars during the time when Wilson was of the usual age for military service (18 to 33) and the peacetime armed forces were very small during this time. Wilson was in his mid-40s and working as a professor at Princeton during the Spanish-American War. Moreover, his poor health (he had experienced a minor stroke in 1896), [26] would have disqualified him from any active service.
Warren G. Harding	Harding was a 33-year-old member of the Ohio state senate when the Spanish-American War broke out.
Calvin Coolidge	Coolidge was 26 years old, practicing as an attorney, and serving as a city council member when the Spanish-American War broke out.
Herbert Hoover	Served in a private humanitarian capacity as a civilian in Europe during World War I. He was also involved in the Siege of Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion as a guide for U.S. Marines.
Franklin D. Roosevelt	Attempted to join the Navy during the Spanish–American War but was unable as he contracted measles. Served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1913 and through World War I; when the U.S. entered the war in 1917 he offered his resignation so that he could apply for a commission in the Navy, but was refused by the president. However he did visit the Western Front 1918.
Bill Clinton	Received a 2-A student draft deferment during the Vietnam War, and later registered for the draft. He received a high draft number, was not drafted and did not serve.
Barack Obama	Reached age 18 in 1979, six years after the end of the military draft in the U.S.
Donald Trump	Attended New York Military Academy for secondary school, graduating in 1964. Received four draft deferments while attending college, then one for medical reasons after he was diagnosed with bone spurs on his heels. [27]
Joe Biden	While in school, received five student draft deferments and afterward was classified as unavailable for military service due to asthma.

See also

• List of presidents of the United States
• United States military seniority

Notes

1. As of 2021 ^[update] . While there have been 46 presidencies, only 45 individuals have served as president: Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is numbered as both the 22nd and 24th U.S. president.
2. Only person that received the rank while still on active service, John J. Pershing, only ever wore 4 silver stars like other 4-star generals.
3. See Military career of George Washington for additional information.
4. Washington attained the rank of colonel in the French and Indian War; see George Washington in the French and Indian War for additional information.
5. For additional information, see George Washington in the American Revolution.

References

• Nicolas Hobbes. "US Presidents of Military Rank (in order of presidency)". Essential Militaria. Atlantic Books, an imprint of Grove Atlantic. 2003. ISBN 1-84354-229-3. p 59.

1. Middlekauff, R. (2005). The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. Oxford University Press. p. 603. ISBN   978-0-19-516247-9.
2. Wood, G. S. (2009). "Chapter 7: The crisis of 1798-99". Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815. Oxford University Press.
3. "Papers of George Washington", Founders Online, University of Virginia Press, retrieved 12 April 2024
4. Anderson, F. (2007). "Chapter 4: Washington steps onto the stage". Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766. Knopf.
5. Fowler, W. M., Jr (2009). "Chapter 2: George Washington helps start a war". Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763. Bloomsbury.
6. Flexner, J. T. (1968). George Washington in the American Revolution. Little, Brown & Company. ISBN   978-0-316-28595-7.
7. Chernow, R. (2010). "Part Three: The General". Washington: A Life. Penguin.
8. Crytzer, B. J. (2023). The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis. Westholme Publishing. ISBN   978-1-59416-400-2.
9. Hogeland, W. (2006). The Whiskey Rebellion: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Frontier Rebels Who Challenged America's Newfound Sovereignty. Scribner. ISBN   978-0-7432-5490-8.
10. wikisource:Public Law 94-479
11. wikisource:Order 31-3 Department of the Army Order Number 31-3 of 13 March 1978
12. "Night Final". The Washington Times. August 7, 1917. p. 3 – via Chronicling America at the Library of Congress. See Image 3.
13. "Military Personnel File of Harry S. Truman". Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum . Retrieved January 1, 2009.
14. "American Warriors Home Page". americanwarriorsfivepresidents.com. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
15. Commander Lyndon B. Johnson, USNR from the Naval Historical Center
16. Caro, Robert (1982). The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power . Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN   0-394-49973-5. The most you can say about Lyndon Johnson and his Silver Star is that it is surely one of the most undeserved Silver Stars in history, because if you accept everything that he said, he was still in action for no more than 13 minutes and only as an observer. Men who flew many missions, brave men, never got a Silver Star.
17. Tillman, Barrett; Sakaida, Henry. "LBJ's Silver Star: The Mission That Never Was" . Retrieved March 22, 2009. The fact is LBJ never got within sight of Japanese forces.
18. "Richard Milhous Nixon: 9 January 1913–22 April 1994". Naval History and Heritage Command. United States Navy. February 18, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
19. "CNN.com Specials". cnn.com. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
20. Lieutenant Commander Gerald R. Ford, USNR from the Naval Historical Center
21. Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, USN from the Naval Historical Center
22. Ryder, Robert Randall "My War Chuck Downey Youngest Naval Aviator in WWII." Sea Classics, August 2013. "Off he went for training in Memphis, Tenn., before heading to Pensacola, Fla., for flight school, where he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy on July 16, 1943. Downey was the tender age of 18 years, 11 months, and 14 days when he earned his wings."
23. Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush, USNR from the Naval Historical Center Archived 1997-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
24. "Democratic Group's Ad Revives "AWOL" Allegation Against Bush". FactCheck.org. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
25. Roane, Kit R. "Bush's military service in question – again (9/8/04)". USNews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
26. Lynn, Kenneth S. (2004). "The Hidden Agony of Woodrow Wilson". The Wilson Quarterly. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
27. Eder, Steve; Philipps, Dave (August 1, 2016). "Donald Trump's Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet". The New York Times . New York, NY. p. A1.

External links

• Military Service of the Presidents from Smithsonian National Museum of American History