Technically, everyone who has served as President of the United States has achieved the highest position over the military: Commander in Chief. However, this is not a military rank, as the United States maintains civilian control over its armed forces. However, many presidents served in the military, sometimes at a high rank. Reviewing this information, consider how important you believe military service is as an aspect of a president’s experience.
24/7 Wall St. Insights
- 31 presidents served in the military and 14 did not.
- Presidents’ military ranks ranged from private in a state militia all the way to army general.
- Also: Discover “The Next NVIDIA
Presidents Who Did Not Have Military Service
14 American presidents did not serve in the military. Interestingly, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, who led the country through World War I and II respectively, never served in the military themselves.
- Joe Biden
- Donald Trump
- Barack Obama
- Bill Clinton
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Herbert Hoover
- Calvin Coolidge
- Warren G. Harding
- Woodrow Wilson
- William Howard Taft
- Grover Cleveland
- Martin Van Buren
- John Quincy Adams
- John Adams
Presidents Who Served in the Military
Following are the 31 U.S. presidents who served in the military arranged in ascending order, along with the dates of their presidency, their military rank, and the branch of the military they last served in. When two or more presidents had the same rank, we ranked earlier presidents higher than later ones. We used the U.S. Department of Defense chart of officer insignia to find equivalencies between ranks for different branches of the military.
31. James Buchanan
- Presidency: 1857-1861
- Rank: Private
- Branch: Pennsylvania Militia
30. George W. Bush
- Presidency: 2001-2009
- Rank: First Lieutenant
- Branch: Air National Guard
29. George H.W. Bush
- Presidency: 1989-1993
- Rank: Lieutenant
- Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve
28. Ronald Reagan
- Presidency: 1981-1989
- Rank: Captain
- Branch: United States Army Reserve
27. John F. Kennedy
- Presidency: 1961-1963
- Rank: Lieutenant
- Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve
26. Jimmy Carter
- Presidency: 1977-1981
- Rank: Lieutenant
- Branch: U.S. Navy
25. William McKinley
- Presidency: 1897-1901
- Rank: Captain
- Branch: U.S. Army
24. Abraham Lincoln
- Presidency: 1861-1865
- Rank: Captain
- Branch: Illinois State Militia
23. John Tyler
- Presidency: 1841-1845
- Rank: Captain
- Branch: Virginia Militia
22. Gerald Ford
- Presidency: 1974-1977
- Rank: Lieutenant Commander
- Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve
21. Millard Fillmore
- Presidency: 1850-1853
- Rank: Major
- Branch: New York Militia
20. Richard Nixon
- Presidency: 1969-1974
- Rank: Commander
- Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve
19. Lyndon B. Johnson
- Presidency: 1963-1969
- Rank: Commander
- Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve
18. Harry S. Truman
- Presidency: 1945-1953
- Rank: Colonel
- Branch: United States Army Reserve
17. Theodore Roosevelt
- Presidency: 1901-1909
- Rank: Colonel
- Branch: U.S. Army
16. James K. Polk
- Presidency: 1845-1849)
- Rank: Colonel
- Branch: Tennessee Militia
15. James Monroe
- Presidency: 1817-1825
- Rank: Colonel
- Branch: Virginia Militia
14. James Madison
- Presidency: 1809-1817
- Rank: Colonel
- Branch: Virginia Militia
13. Thomas Jefferson
- Presidency: 1801-1809
- Rank: Colonel
- Branch: Virginia Militia
12. Benjamin Harrison
- Presidency: 1889-1893
- Rank: Brigadier General
- Branch: U.S. Army
11. Chester A. Arthur
- Presidency: 1881-1885
- Rank: Brigadier General
- Branch: New York Militia
10. Andrew Johnson
- Presidency: 1865-1869
- Rank: Brigadier General
- Branch: U.S. Army
9. Franklin Pierce
- Presidency: 1853-1857
- Rank: Brigadier General
- Branch: U.S. Army
8. James A. Garfield
- Presidency: 1881
- Rank: Major General
- Branch: U.S. Army
7. Rutherford B. Hayes
- Presidency: 1877-1881
- Rank: Major General
- Branch: U.S. Army
6. Zachary Taylor
- Presidency: 1849-1850
- Rank: Major General
- Branch: U.S. Army
5. William Henry Harrison
- Presidency: 1841
- Rank: Major General
- Branch: U.S. Army
4. Andrew Jackson
- Presidency: 1829-1837
- Rank: Major General
- Branch: U.S. Army
3. Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Presidency: 1853-1961
- Rank: General of the Army
- Branch: U.S. Army
2. Ulysses S. Grant
- Presidency: 1869-1877
- Rank: Ulysses S. Grant
- Branch: General of the Armies
1. George Washington
- Presidency: 1789-1797
- Rank: General of the Armies
- Branch: U.S. Army
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