List of presidents of the United States by other offices held explained

This is a list of presidents of the United States by other offices (either elected or appointed) held. Every president of the United States except Donald Trump has served as at least one of the following:

Federal government

Executive branch

Vice presidents

Vice PresidentPresident served underYear(s) servedNotes
John AdamsGeorge Washington1789–1797Incumbent vice president succeeded Washington after winning the 1796 election
Thomas Jefferson1797–1801Incumbent vice president succeeded Adams after winning the 1800 election
Martin Van BurenAndrew Jackson1833–1837Incumbent vice president succeeded Jackson after winning the 1836 election
John TylerWilliam Henry Harrison1841Became president after Harrison's death, ran for election in 1844 as nominee of Democratic Party before dropping out and endorsing Polk, the eventual winner
Millard FillmoreZachary Taylor1849–1850Became president after Taylor's death, lost nomination for Whig Party in 1852 election bid, later also ran unsuccessfully in the 1856 election
Andrew JohnsonAbraham Lincoln1865Became president after Lincoln's assassination, lost nomination for Democratic Party in 1868 election bid
Chester A. ArthurJames A. Garfield1881Became president after Garfield's assassination, failed to secure Republican Party nomination in 1884 election bid
Theodore RooseveltWilliam McKinley1901Became president after McKinley's assassination, later elected to own term in 1904.
Calvin CoolidgeWarren G. Harding1921–1923Became president after Harding's death, later elected to own term in 1924.
Harry S. TrumanFranklin D. Roosevelt1945Became president after Roosevelt's death, later elected to own term in 1948.
Richard NixonDwight D. Eisenhower1953–1961Lost as incumbent vice president in the 1960 election, later ran and won the 1968 election becoming the first former vice president to win the presidency.
Lyndon B. JohnsonJohn F. Kennedy1961–1963Became president after Kennedy's assassination, later elected to own term in 1964.
Gerald FordRichard Nixon1973–1974Became president after Nixon's resignation, lost 1976 election in bid for own term.
George H. W. BushRonald Reagan1981–1989Incumbent vice president succeeded Reagan after winning the 1988 election
Joe BidenBarack Obama2009–2017Did not run as incumbent vice president in the 2016 election, later ran and won the 2020 election becoming the second former vice president to win the presidency.

Fourteen former vice presidents (R. Johnson, Breckinridge, Morton, Stevenson, Fairbanks, Garner, Wallace, Barkley, Nixon, Humphrey, Mondale, Quayle, Gore, and Pence) all made failed runs for the presidency. Breckinridge was nominated by the Southern Democratic Party in 1860 but came in second in the Electoral College. Humphrey, Mondale, and Gore received their party's nominations and Nixon received his party's nomination. Nixon would later be elected in a second run for the presidency becoming the first former vice president to try and win the presidency post-vice presidency. In 1984, Mondale would be the second former vice president to try for the presidency. In 1988, Vice President George H. W. Bush would be elected president. In 2020, Biden was the third former vice president to try for the presidency, and the second to win the presidency post-vice presidency. Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson would become president after a presidential death in office and go onto win their own subsequent elections.

Cabinet secretaries

SecretaryOfficePresident served underYear(s) served
Thomas JeffersonSecretary of StateGeorge Washington1790–1793
James MadisonSecretary of StateThomas Jefferson1801–1809
James MonroeSecretary of StateJames Madison1811–1817
Secretary of War1814–1815
John Quincy AdamsSecretary of StateJames Monroe1817–1825
Martin Van BurenSecretary of StateAndrew Jackson1829–1831
James BuchananSecretary of StateJames K. Polk1845–1849
Ulysses S. GrantActing Secretary of WarAndrew Johnson1867–1868
William Howard TaftSecretary of WarTheodore Roosevelt1904–1908
Herbert HooverSecretary of CommerceWarren G. Harding1921–1928
Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge (as the vice president) and Herbert Hoover both served in the Cabinet of Warren G. Harding.

Ambassadors

PresidentPositionPresident served underYear(s) served
John AdamsMinister to BritainCongress of the Confederation1785–1788
Thomas JeffersonMinister Plenipotentiary to FranceCongress of the Confederation1785–1789
James MonroeMinister Plenipotentiary to FranceGeorge Washington1794–1796
Minister to BritainThomas Jefferson1803–1807
John Quincy AdamsMinister to the NetherlandsGeorge Washington
John Adams
1794–1797
John Adams1797–1801
Minister to RussiaJames Madison1809–1814
Minister to BritainJames Madison1815–1817
Martin Van BurenMinister to BritainAndrew Jackson1831–1832
William Henry HarrisonMinister to Gran ColombiaJohn Quincy Adams1828–1829
James BuchananMinister to BritainFranklin Pierce1853–1856
George H. W. BushAmbassador to the United NationsRichard Nixon1971–1973
Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in BeijingGerald Ford1974–1975

Other federal appointees

PresidentOfficePresident appointed byYear(s) served
Franklin PierceUnited States Attorney for the District of New HampshireJames K. Polk1845–1847
Chester A. ArthurCollector of the Port of New YorkUlysses S. Grant1871–1878
Theodore RooseveltMember, United States Civil Service CommissionBenjamin Harrison1889–1895
Assistant Secretary of the NavyWilliam McKinley1897–1898
William Howard TaftSolicitor GeneralBenjamin Harrison1890–1892
Franklin D. RooseveltAssistant Secretary of the NavyWoodrow Wilson1913–1920
George H. W. BushDirector of Central IntelligenceGerald Ford1976–1977

Judicial branch

Other federal judges

Legislative branch

Senators

StatePresidentYear(s) served Notes
CaliforniaRichard Nixon1950–1953Resigned to become vice president
DelawareJoe Biden1973–2009Resigned to become vice president
IndianaBenjamin Harrison1881–1887
IllinoisBarack Obama2005–2008Third sitting senator elected to the presidency
MassachusettsJohn Quincy Adams1803–1808
John F. Kennedy1953–1960Second sitting senator elected to the presidency
MissouriHarry S. Truman1935–1945Resigned to become vice president
New HampshireFranklin Pierce1837–1842
New YorkMartin Van Buren1821–1828
OhioWilliam Henry Harrison1825–1828
Warren G. Harding1915–1921First sitting senator elected to the presidency
PennsylvaniaJames Buchanan1834–1845
TennesseeAndrew Jackson1797–1798
1823–1825
Andrew Johnson1857–1862
1875Only former president in the Senate
Lyndon B. Johnson1949–1961Senate minority leader 1953–1955
Senate majority leader 1955–1961
Resigned to become vice president
VirginiaJames Monroe1790–1794First former senator to become president
John Tyler1827–1836Only former president pro tempore to become president

A number of future presidents served together while in the Senate:

James A. Garfield was elected senator for Ohio in 1880, but he did not take up the office due to being elected president later that year.

Seven former senators (Monroe, Adams, Jackson, W.H. Harrison, Pierce, Buchanan, and B. Harrison) were elected to the presidency without ever serving as the vice president between their departure from the Senate and the beginning of their presidencies.

Members of the House of Representatives

StatePresidentYear(s) servedNotes
CaliforniaRichard Nixon1947–1950
IllinoisAbraham Lincoln1847–1849
MassachusettsJohn Quincy Adams1831–1848Only former president in the House of Representatives
John F. Kennedy1947–1953
Gerald Ford1949–1973House minority leader 1965–1973
Resigned to become vice president
New HampshireFranklin Pierce1833–1837
New YorkMillard Fillmore1833–1835
1837–1843
Northwest TerritoryWilliam Henry Harrison1799–1800Served as a non-voting delegate
OhioWilliam Henry Harrison1816–1819
Rutherford B. Hayes1865–1867
James A. Garfield1863–1880Republican floor leader 1877–1880
Only sitting representative elected to the presidency
William McKinley1877–1883
1885–1891
PennsylvaniaJames Buchanan1821–1831
TennesseeAndrew Jackson1796–1797
James K. Polk1825–1839Only former speaker to become president
Andrew Johnson1843–1853
TexasLyndon B. Johnson1937–1949
George H. W. Bush1967–1971
VirginiaJames Madison1789–1797First former representative to become president
John Tyler1816–1821

A number of future and former presidents served in the House together:

1835 was the year in which the most former and future presidents served together in Congress: six presidents (Representatives J.Q. Adams, Pierce, Fillmore, and Polk, and Senators Buchanan and Tyler), who all served under vice president (and future president) Martin Van Buren.

The time period between 1891 and 1915 (24 years) was the longest time period with no former or future presidents serving in Congress. In total, there were 65 years in which no former or future president was serving in Congress.

As of 2024, there were 10 presidents who served in both chambers of congress (J.Q. Adams, Jackson, Pierce, Buchanan, A. Johnson, Kennedy, L.B. Johnson, and Nixon), 2 presidents who served in both the Continental Congress and the Congress of the United States (Madison and Monroe), and 1 president who served in both the Congress of the United States and the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States (President John Tyler).

Continental Congress

PresidentStateYear(s) servedBody served
George WashingtonVirginia1774–1775First Continental Congress
John AdamsMassachusetts1774–1777
Thomas JeffersonVirginia1775–1776
1783–1784
Second Continental Congress
Congress of the Confederation
James MadisonVirginia1780–1783
1787–1788
Second Continental Congress, Congress of the Confederation
James MonroeVirginia1783–1786Congress of the Confederation

State and territorial government

Governors

State / TerritoryPresidentYear(s) servedNotes
American-occupied zone of GermanyDwight Eisenhower1945Military Governor
ArkansasBill Clinton1979–1981
1983–1992
CaliforniaRonald Reagan1967–1975
CubaWilliam Howard Taft1906Provisional Governor
Florida TerritoryAndrew Jackson1821Military Governor
GeorgiaJimmy Carter1971–1975
Indiana TerritoryWilliam Henry Harrison1801–1813
Louisiana DistrictWilliam Henry Harrison1804–1805Interim Authority
MassachusettsCalvin Coolidge1919–1921
New JerseyWoodrow Wilson1911–1913
New YorkMartin Van Buren1829
Grover Cleveland1883–1885
Theodore Roosevelt1899–1900
Franklin D. Roosevelt1929–1932
Northwest TerritoryWilliam Henry Harrison1798–1799Acting Governor
OhioRutherford B. Hayes1868–1872
1876–1877
William McKinley1892–1896
PhilippinesWilliam Howard Taft1901–1904Governor-General
TennesseeJames K. Polk1839–1841
Andrew Johnson1853–1857
1862–1865Military Governor
TexasGeorge W. Bush1995–2000
VirginiaThomas Jefferson1779–1781
James Monroe1799–1802
1811
John Tyler1825–1827

State legislators

See below for information about pre-1776 colonial offices held.

State legislaturePresidentYear(s)servedNotes
Georgia State SenateJimmy Carter1963–1967
Illinois House of RepresentativesAbraham Lincoln1834–1842
Illinois SenateBarack Obama1997–2004
Massachusetts House of RepresentativesCalvin Coolidge1907–1909
Massachusetts SenateJohn Quincy Adams1802
Calvin Coolidge1912–1915
New Hampshire House of RepresentativesFranklin Pierce1829–1833Speaker of the House 1832–1833
New York SenateMartin Van Buren1812–1820
Franklin D. Roosevelt1911–1913
New York State AssemblyMillard Fillmore1829–1831
Theodore Roosevelt1882–1884Assembly minority leader 1883
Ohio SenateWilliam Henry Harrison1819–1821
James A. Garfield1859–1861
Warren G. Harding1899–1903
Pennsylvania House of RepresentativesJames Buchanan1814–1816
Tennessee House of RepresentativesJames K. Polk1823–1825
Andrew Johnson1835–1837
Tennessee SenateAndrew Johnson1841–1843
Virginia House of DelegatesThomas Jefferson1776–1779
James Madison1776–1777
James Monroe1782–1783
John Tyler1811–1816
1823–1825

Other statewide offices

PresidentOffice and jurisdictionYear(s) served
Andrew JacksonJustice of the Tennessee Supreme Court1798–1804
Martin Van BurenAttorney General of New York1815–1819
Millard FillmoreNew York State Comptroller1847–1849
Warren G. HardingLieutenant Governor of Ohio1904–1906
Calvin CoolidgeLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts1916–1919
Bill ClintonAttorney General of Arkansas1977–1979

Local government

PresidentOffice and jurisdictionYear(s) served
George WashingtonCounty surveyor in Mount Vernon1749–1751
Martin Van BurenSurrogate of Columbia County, New York1808–1812
Abraham LincolnPostmaster of New Salem, Illinois1832–1833
County Surveyor for Sangamon County, Illinois1833–1834
Andrew JohnsonAlderman, Greeneville, Tennessee1828–1830
Mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee1834–1835
Grover ClevelandSheriff of Erie County, New York1871–1873
Mayor of Buffalo, New York1882–1883
William Howard TaftJudge on the Superior Court of Cincinnati1887–1890
Theodore RooseveltSuperintendent of the New York Board of Police Commissioners1895–1897
Calvin CoolidgeMayor of Northampton, Massachusetts1910–1911
Harry S. TrumanJudge of Jackson County, Missouri's Eastern District1923–1925
Presiding Judge of Jackson County, Missouri1927–1935
Joe BidenMember of the New Castle County, Delaware County Council1970–1972

Presidents who had not previously held elective office

With previous experience in government

PresidentTerm of officeNotes
Ulysses S. Grant1867–1868Acting Secretary of War
Herbert Hoover1929–1933Secretary of Commerce
Dwight Eisenhower1945Military Governor of American-occupied zone of Germany

With previous experience in the military

PresidentTerm of officePosition(s)
Major General Zachary Taylor1849–1850Major general in the United States Army
General of the Army of the United States Ulysses S. Grant1869–1877Commanding General of the United States Army (1864–1869)
General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower1953–1961Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1951–1952)

Without previous experience in government or the military

Colonial governments

Colonial and confederate legislators

LegislaturePresidentYear(s) servedNotes
Confederate CongressJohn Tyler1861 - 1862Delegate to the Provisional Confederate Congress and elected to the House of Representatives of the Confederate Congress of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, but died before entering office
Massachusetts House of RepresentativesJohn Adams1768–1774All served as regular members of their colonial legislature under the Kingdom of Great Britain before 1776.
Virginia House of BurgessesGeorge Washington1758–1774
Thomas Jefferson1769–1774

See also