Special Report
A Quick Family History of Every US President
December 3, 2020 8:34 am
John Quincy Adams
> Heritage: English
> Birthplace Braintree, Massachusetts
> Time in office: 1825-1829
As the son of John Adams, the second president of the United States, John Quincy Adams has the same English heritage.
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Andrew Jackson
> Heritage: Irish
> Birthplace Waxhaws, border of North and South Carolina
> Time in office: 1829-1837
Andrew Jackson’s parents emigrated from Ireland a few years before the future president was born.
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Martin Van Buren
> Heritage: Dutch
> Birthplace Kinderhook, New York
> Time in office: 1837-1841
As his last name may suggest, Martin Van Buren was the first American president with no direct British or Irish heritage. Both of his parents were of Dutch descent.
Source: Derek Jensen (Tysto) / Wikimedia Commons
William Henry Harrison
> Heritage: English
> Birthplace Charles City County, Virginia
> Time in office: 1841-1841
William Henry Harrison, the first U.S. president to die in office, just a month into his term, has English roots. His family moved from England to Virginia in the 1630s. His great-grandfather Archibald Irwin may have been born in Ireland.
Source: iip-photo-archive / Flickr
John Tyler
> Heritage: English
> Birthplace Charles City County, Virginia
> Time in office: 1841-1845
John Tyler was a descendant of Henry Tyler, who was born in Shropshire, England, and eventually moved to York County, Virginia.
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