Presidents in Uniform
Gallery
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This portrait of George Washington was painted in 1776, shortly before the Second Continental Congress convened and issued the Declaration of Independence. Washington wears the light blue sash of Commander in Chief, a commission he received in June 1775. Washington served as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
White House Collection/White House Historical Association -
Andrew Jackson was president from March 4, 1829 until March 4, 1837. He had served in the House of Representatives and the Senate prior to his time in the White House, but was most famous for his victories as a major general in the War of 1812.
White House Collection/White House Historical Association -
President Zachary Taylor had a distinguished military career before being elected president. He fought in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War (where he earned the nickname "Old Rough and Ready"), and became a national hero during the Mexican-American War.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection) -
Franklin Pierce served in the Mexican American War and was given a commission by President James Polk. He had the rank of brigadier general when he arrived in Mexico and commanded over two thousand men. Pierce had no military experience prior to the war and saw it as an opportunity to advance himself politically.
Library of Congress -
Ulysses S. Grant was a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy from 1839 to 1843. He entered the army after his graduation and served until 1869. In March 1864 President Lincoln named Grant lieutenant general and commander of the Union Army. The Civil War ended just over a year later with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee.
Library of Congress -
James Garfield served during the Civil War, organizing the 42d Ohio Infantry Regiment in August 1861 and quickly rising to the rank of colonel. He eventually achieved the rank of major general, serving as the chief of staff to General William S. Rosencrans until he resigned to take his seat in Congress in December 1863.
Library of Congress -
Theodore Roosevelt volunteered to fight in the Spanish American War, resigning his position as assistant secretary of the Navy in order to command the 1st Volunteer Cavalry or “Rough Riders.”
Library of Congress -
Harry S. Truman served as captain of Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery Regiment in World War I. He and his regiment, attached to the 35th Division, served in the Vosges mountains and the Meuse-Argonne campaign in 1918.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
Dwight D. Eisenhower, seen here with former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, served in the Army during World War II. He rose to Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Eisenhower served as president from 1953 to 1961.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
John F. Kennedy entered the navy in September 1941 and was commissioned a lieutenant junior grade in October 1942. He then became skipper of the assault boat PT-109. In the early morning of August 2, 1943, the Amagiri, a Japanese destroyer, rammed the PT-109 and tore away its starboard aft side, killing two seamen and throwing many others overboard into a blazing gasoline slick. Kennedy towed an injured crewman by a life jacket strap back to the damaged boat. After it capsized the crewmen swam to nearby land, with Kennedy again aiding his wounded comrade. For this deed he received the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
Lyndon B. Johnson was a congressman when he was appointed a lieutenant commander in the naval reserve in June 1940. He reported for duty after Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and served in 1942 as an aerial observer in Australia and New Guinea. In June 1942 his plane was nearly shot down by Japanese aircraft, and for his gallantry on this occasion he was awarded the Silver Star by General Douglas MacArthur.
Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
Richard M. Nixon joined the Navy in June 1942 and served mainly in naval air transport in the South Pacific. Vice Admiral J.H. Newton cited Nixon’s service in the Solomon Island Campaign, commenting he “made possible the immediate supply by air of vital material and key personnel, and the prompt evacuation of battle casualties from these stations to rear areas.” By the war's end, Nixon had achieved the rank of lieutenant commander; he left the navy for the naval reserve in March 1946.
National Archives and Records Administration -
Gerald R. Ford commissioned as an ensign in the naval reserve in April 1942, and subsequently entered active duty on the aircraft carrier USS Monterey as gunnery officer and assistant navigator. While aboard the Monterey, Ford participated in the assaults on Wake Island and Okinawa as well as the Philippine campaign, and was nearly killed in a typhoon in December 1944.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
Jimmy Carter completed the Naval Academy’s accelerated wartime program, excelling in gunnery, naval tactics and electronics, and graduated with distinction at Annapolis in 1946, 59th in a class of 820 students. Subsequently commissioned an ensign and later promoted to lieutenant, he served aboard one of America’s first atomic submarines under Admiral Hyman Rickover before resigning his commission in 1953.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
A second lieutenant in the army reserve, Ronald Reagan was called to active duty on April 19, 1942. Defective eyesight prevented him from serving in a combat unit. He supervised the loading of convoys at Fort Mason in San Francisco and later worked in the Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit as narrator for preflight training films.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
George H. W. Bush enlisted in the navy to become a pilot on his 18th birthday in June 1942. One year later he became the youngest aviator in the navy and was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto. During the war, Bush flew fifty-eight combat missions in the Pacific. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross after his plane was shot down while on a bombing mission; even though his plane was burning, Bush pressed home the attack on his target.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
About this Gallery
From the beginning of our country, the United States has a history of leaders that have served in the armed forces. From the Revolutionary War to World War II, these men have served their country first as sailors, soldiers, pilots, and generals before being elected to the highest office to lead the country. Take a look through our collection of images featuring some of those presidents in their military uniforms.
