List of United States Presidents by military rank

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The United States Constitution names the President of the United States the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. armed forces. However, many Presidents served in the military either before or after their terms of office.

Contents


Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat Service notes
1 General of the Armies of the United States Continental Army, Armies of the United States, Virginia militia George Washington[1][2] Yes, French and Indian War, Revolutionary War Served in the Virginia militia (1752–1758), attaining the rank of colonel; 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 at his death. In 1976, then president, Gerald R. Ford posthumously appointed Washington as General of the Armies of the United States and specified that he would forever rank above all officers of the Army, past, present and future.

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
2 General of the Army United States Army (Regular Army) Dwight D. Eisenhower No, commanded during World War II Attended West Point; served 1915–1952. Served stateside during World War I and as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II.

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
3 General United States Army (Regular Army) Ulysses S. Grant Yes, Mexican-American War and Civil War Attended West Point; first Lieutenant General since Washington, appointed as four-star General of the Army in 1866.

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
4 Major General Continental Army, United States Army Andrew Jackson Yes, Revolutionary War, Creek War, War of 1812, First Seminole War. Served at the age of 13 with the Continental Army (1780) during the Revolutionary War as a messenger, and was held as a prisoner of war (the only U.S. president to be so); 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.
4 Major General United States Army William H. Harrison Yes, Northwest Indian War, War of 1812 Dates of service: 1791–1798, 1812–1814. Became national hero after success at the Battle of the Thames.
4 Major General United States Army Zachary Taylor Yes, War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Second Seminole War, and Mexican-American War, Became a national hero because of his achievements in the Mexican-American War.
4 Brevet Major General of Volunteers United States Army (volunteers) Rutherford B. Hayes Yes, Civil War Successful leadership in Virginia/West Virginia region; wounded at the Battle of South Mountain
4 Major General of Volunteers United States Army (volunteers) James A. Garfield Yes, Civil War His heroic ride at the Battle of Chickamauga later helped him to be elected President.

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
5 Brigadier General of Volunteers United States Army (New Hampshire militia) Franklin Pierce Yes, Mexican-American War Enlisted as Private
5 Brigadier General of Volunteers United States Army Andrew Johnson No, appointed Military Governor of Tennessee during Civil War with rank of Brigadier General None
5 Quartermaster General New York State militia Chester A. Arthur No, non-combatant service only during Civil War Quartermaster’s Corps. Dates of service: 1860–1862. As a state quartermaster, he could not be mustered into Federal service.
5 Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers United States Army (volunteers) (began service with 70th Indiana Infantry regiment) Benjamin Harrison Yes, Civil War None

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
6 Colonel Virginia militia regiment Thomas Jefferson No, served during peacetime Apparently commanded a Virginia militia regiment in 1789.[citation needed] Other sources credit with no service.
6 Colonel Orange County militia of Virginia James Madison No, but served briefly (1775) during the Revolutionary War. Also see Service Notes. 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.)
6 Colonel Tennessee militia James K. Polk Unknown None
6 Colonel United States Army (New York National Guard, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment: the Rough Riders) Theodore Roosevelt Yes, Spanish American War 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.
6 Colonel United States Army (National Army) Harry S Truman Yes, World War I Served 1905–1911, then in World War I, 129th Field Artillery (1917–1919) Some sources credit him with attaining Colonel in the reserves in 1927.

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
7 Commander United States Navy, U.S. Naval Reserve Lyndon B. Johnson Yes, World War II Awarded Silver Star medal by General Douglas MacArthur for his role as an observer on a B-26 bomber mission [1].
7 Commander United States Navy, U.S. Naval Reserve Richard Nixon Yes, World War II Commanded SCAT units in the South Pacific. [2]

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
8 Major Continental Army, Virginia State Troops James Monroe Yes, Revolutionary War Dates of service: 1776–1778. Crossed the Delaware River with Washington (he's holding the flag in the famous painting); injured in the Battle of Trenton. As Secretary of State during the War of 1812, scouted and deployed troops during the British invasion of Washington.
8 Major United States Army (Volunteers) Millard Fillmore No Served in the militia during the Civil War, after his Presidency.
8 Brevet Major of Volunteers United States Army (Volunteers) (Began service with 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry regiment) William McKinley Yes, Civil War Enlisted as Private
8 Lieutenant Commander United States Navy (U.S. Naval Reserve) Gerald Ford Yes, World War II Years of service: 1942–1946. Served on USS Monterey. Earned 10 battle stars. [3] [4]

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
9 Captain Virginia militia John Tyler Yes, War of 1812 Raised a company for the defense of Richmond in 1813
9 Captain Illinois militia Abraham Lincoln No, served during Black Hawk War, did not see combat, only burying the dead shortly after battles ended. Elected to the rank of Captain, re-enlisted as a private. Honorably discharged without seeing combat.
9 Lieutenant U.S. Naval Reserve John F. Kennedy Yes, World War II Commanded a PT boat. Earned Purple Heart and Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism in the PT-109 Incident. [5]
9 Lieutenant United States Navy Jimmy Carter[3][4] No, was a midshipman during World War II, served during Korean War, but never sent to Korea Years of service: 1946–1953. Graduated 59th in class out of 820, United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Submarine service (Nuclear Specialist)
9 Captain United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Reserve Ronald Reagan No, served during World War II but did not see combat 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.
9 Lieutenant United States Navy, U.S. Naval Reserve George H. W. Bush Yes, World War II Youngest pilot in the United States Navy during World War II (age 19). Earned Distinguished Flying Cross. [6]

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
10 First Lieutenant Alabama Air National Guard George W. Bush No, served during the Vietnam War but did not see combat.

Rank order Highest rank Branch President Combat? Service notes
11 Private United States Army (Pennsylvania militia) James Buchanan Yes, War of 1812 Only President who enlisted without going on to become an officer

President Service notes
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Martin Van Buren
Grover Cleveland He was drafted during the Civil War, but paid $150 for a substitute (a legal option under the terms of the Conscription Act of 1863, and the man survived the war).
William H. Taft He was Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1904 to 1908.
Woodrow Wilson Served as President during World War I
Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover None, served in a private (civilian) humanitarian capacity in Europe during World War I
Franklin D. Roosevelt None, 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. Served as President during World War II
Bill Clinton Student deferment.

  1. ^ wikisource:Public Law 94-479
  2. ^ wikisource:Order 31-3 Department of the Army Order Number 31-3 of 13 March 1978
  3. ^ Jimmy Carter's Naval Service record from the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum
  4. ^ Lieutenant James Earle Carter, Jr., USN from the Naval Historical Center

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidents_by_military_rank"
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