Military

These U.S. Presidents Had The Highest Military Ranks

Eisenhower
Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

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

Joe Biden | Joe Biden Accepts Party's Nomination For President In Delaware During Virtual DNC
Win McNamee / Getty Images News via Getty Images

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

The White House, Official Residence and Workplace of the President of the United States, Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., USA
Zack Frank / Shutterstock.com

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

James Buchanan
Library of Congress / Archive Photos via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1857-1861
  • Rank: Private
  • Branch: Pennsylvania Militia

30. George W. Bush

George W. Bush | President Bush Holds Press Conference At White House
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 2001-2009
  • Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Branch: Air National Guard

29. George H.W. Bush

Mark Reinstein / Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1989-1993
  • Rank: Lieutenant
  • Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve

28. Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan Turns 92
2003 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1981-1989
  • Rank: Captain
  • Branch: United States Army Reserve

27. John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy | John F. Kennedy
National Archives / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1961-1963
  • Rank: Lieutenant
  • Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve

26. Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter | Jimmy Carter In Front Of U.S. Flag
Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1977-1981
  • Rank: Lieutenant
  • Branch: U.S. Navy

25. William McKinley

William McKinley, (1843-1901), U.S. President 1897-1901, c. 1890's.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1897-1901
  • Rank: Captain
  • Branch: U.S. Army

24. Abraham Lincoln

US President Abraham Abe Lincoln on USA five dollar bill macro, 5 usd
biggunsband / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1861-1865
  • Rank: Captain
  • Branch: Illinois State Militia

23. John Tyler

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Presidency: 1841-1845
  • Rank: Captain
  • Branch: Virginia Militia

22. Gerald Ford

Gary Newkirk / Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1974-1977
  • Rank: Lieutenant Commander
  • Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve

21. Millard Fillmore

Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1850-1853
  • Rank: Major
  • Branch: New York Militia

20. Richard Nixon

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Presidency: 1969-1974
  • Rank: Commander
  • Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve

19. Lyndon B. Johnson

Keystone / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1963-1969
  • Rank: Commander
  • Branch: U.S. Navy Reserve

18. Harry S. Truman

manley099 / E+ via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1945-1953
  • Rank: Colonel
  • Branch: United States Army Reserve

17. Theodore Roosevelt

A close up of Theodore Roosevelt, one of four presidential profiles atop Mount Rushmore in South Dakota's Black Hills
Keith J Finks / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1901-1909
  • Rank: Colonel
  • Branch: U.S. Army

16. James K. Polk

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Presidency: 1845-1849)
  • Rank: Colonel
  • Branch: Tennessee Militia

15. James Monroe

James Monroe
Samuel Finley Breese Morse/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
  • Presidency: 1817-1825
  • Rank: Colonel
  • Branch: Virginia Militia

14. James Madison

James Madison
John Vanderlyn / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Presidency: 1809-1817
  • Rank: Colonel
  • Branch: Virginia Militia

13. Thomas Jefferson

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson on the U.S. two-dollar bill.
Robson90 / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1801-1809
  • Rank: Colonel
  • Branch: Virginia Militia

12. Benjamin Harrison

Eastman Johnson / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
  • Presidency: 1889-1893
  • Rank: Brigadier General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

11. Chester A. Arthur

Chester Arthur, 21st President of the United States, (1881 - 1885).
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1881-1885
  • Rank: Brigadier General
  • Branch: New York Militia

10. Andrew Johnson 

Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1865-1869
  • Rank: Brigadier General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

9. Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce
Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1853-1857
  • Rank: Brigadier General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

8. James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield
National Archives / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1881
  • Rank: Major General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

7. Rutherford B. Hayes

Hulton Archive / Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1877-1881
  • Rank: Major General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

6. Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor, (1784-1850), U.S. President 1849-1850, 1849.
Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1849-1850
  • Rank: Major General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

5. William Henry Harrison

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

  • Presidency: 1841
  • Rank: Major General
  • Branch: U.S. Army

4. Andrew Jackson

Portrait of former U.S. president Andrew Jackson. macro from 20 dollars bill.money, banking and investment.
CHARAN RATTANASUPPHASIRI / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1829-1837
  • Rank: Major General 
  • Branch: U.S. Army

3. Dwight D. Eisenhower

traveler1116 / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Presidency: 1853-1961
  • Rank: General of the Army
  • Branch: U.S. Army

2. Ulysses S. Grant

A U.S. fifty 50 Dollar Bill close up of Ulysses S. Grant. Highly detailed picture of American money. Portrait of Ulysses S. Grant on the fifty dollar banknote.
Min C. Chiu / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1869-1877
  • Rank: Ulysses S. Grant
  • Branch: General of the Armies

1. George Washington

Portrait of president George Washington.
Ilyashenko Oleksiy / Shutterstock.com
  • Presidency: 1789-1797
  • Rank: General of the Armies
  • Branch: U.S. Army

 

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