President of the United States | |
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Presidential seal | |
Presidential flag | |
Executive branch of the U.S. government Executive Office of the President | |
Style | Mr. President (informal) The Honourable (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
Status | Head of state Head of government Commander-in-chief |
Abbreviation | POTUS |
Member of | Cabinet Domestic Matters Council National Economic Council National Security Council |
Residence | White House |
Seat | Washington City |
Appointer | Electoral College or via succession from vice presidency |
Term length | Four years, renewable once |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of the United States |
Precursor | the President of the Continental Congress |
Inaugural holder | George Washington |
Formation | 4 March 1789; 235 years ago |
Salary | 400,000 United States dollars per year |
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and the head of government of the United States of America. The president presides over the executive branch of the federal government and also acts as commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.
The power of the president has changed significantly since 1789, when George Washington became the first person to ascend the office. Being often restricted by the United States Congress in the 19th century, especially following the War for Southern Independence, the president's power increased in the 20th century, especially during the Albert B. Cummins and Hiram Johnson presidencies when the Great War and the Anglo-American War were taking place. In modern times, the United States president is considered one of the most important figures in the world, retaining high influence in the world as the leader of one of the two remaining superpowers.
The second article of the Constitution entrusts the president to preside over the executive branch of the federal government. This authority encompasses the implementation and enforcement of federal laws, as well as the duty to nominate individuals for various federal executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial positions. Rooted in constitutional clauses granting the president the power to appoint and receive ambassadors and negotiate treaties with foreign nations, coupled with subsequent legislative acts passed by Congress, the contemporary presidency plays a central role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. This role involves overseeing the nation's most costly military, equipped with the second-largest nuclear arsenal globally. The president also plays an important role in policymaking, having the authority to sign or veto bills passed by Congress as per Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution.
The president is indirectly elected by the Electoral College every four years, alongside the vice president. Originally, the presidential inauguration was held on March 4, but on December 1923, the Twentieth Amendment was adopted and the inauguration moved to January 2. This amendment was created because the Congress members feared the "lame duck" period between the 1924 elections and the next inauguration could impair decision making on the ongoing Anglo-American War. Since the ratification of the Twenty-second Amendment in 1970, nobody who has successfully run for president twice may be elected for a third, effectively codifying the traditional precedent that George Washington had set. In all, 46 individuals have served as presidents, with Cheri Callahan of the Progressive Party being the 46th and current president, having assumed office at noon EST on 2 January 2025.
List of presidents[]
No. | President | Took office | Left office | Party | Vice Presidents | Election | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | George Washington | April 30, 1789 | March 4, 1797 | Independent | John Adams | 1788-1789 | |
1792 | |||||||
2 | John Adams | March 4, 1797 | March 4, 1801 | Federalist | Thomas Jefferson | 1796 | |
3 | Thomas Jefferson | March 4, 1801 | March 4, 1809 | Democratic-Republican | Aaron Burr | 1800 | |
George ClintonD | 1804 | ||||||
4 | James Madison | March 4, 1809 | March 4, 1812 | 1808 | |||
Elbridge GerryD | 1812 | ||||||
5 | James Monroe | March 4, 1817 | March 4, 1825 | Daniel D. Tompkins | 1816 | ||
1820 | |||||||
6 | John Quincy Adams | March 4, 1825 | March 4, 1829 | John C. CalhounR | 1824 | ||
7 | Andrew Jackson | March 4, 1829 | March 4, 1837 | Democratic | 1828 | ||
Martin Van Buren | 1832 | ||||||
8 | Martin Van Buren | March 4, 1837 | March 4, 1841 | Richard Mentor Johnson | 1836 | ||
9 | William Henry Harrison | March 4, 1841 | April 4, 1841D | Whig | John Tyler | 1840 | |
10 | John Tyler | April 4, 1841 | March 4, 1845 | Vacant | |||
11 | James K. Polk | March 4, 1845 | March 4, 1849 | Democratic | George M. Dallas | 1844 | |
12 | Zachary Taylor | March 4, 1849 | July 9, 1850D | Whig | Millard Fillmore | 1848 | |
13 | Millard Fillmore | July 9, 1850 | March 4, 1853 | Vacant | |||
14 | Franklin Pierce | March 4, 1853 | March 4, 1857 | Democratic | William R. KingD | 1852 | |
15 | James Buchanan | March 4, 1857 | March 4, 1861 | John C. Breckinridge | 1856 | ||
16 | Abraham Lincoln | March 4, 1861 | March 4, 1865 | Republican | Hannibal Hamlin | 1860 | |
17 | George B. McClellan | March 4, 1865 | March 4, 1873 | Democratic | George H. Pendleton | 1864 | |
1868 | |||||||
18 | George H. Pendleton | March 4, 1873 | March 4, 1877 | James A. Bayard Jr. | 1872 | ||
19 | James G. Blaine | March 4, 1877 | March 4, 1881 | Unionist | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen | 1876 | |
20 | Winfield Scott Hancock | March 4, 1881 | February 9, 1886D | Democratic | William Hayden English | 1880 | |
1884 | |||||||
21 | William Hayden English | February 9, 1886 | March 4, 1889 | Vacant | |||
22 | John Sherman | March 4, 1889 | March 4, 1893 | Unionist | Benjamin Harrison | 1888 | |
23 | David B. Hill | March 4, 1893 | March 4, 1897 | Democratic | Adlai Stevenson I | 1892 | |
24 | William McKinley | March 4, 1897 | September 14, 1901A | Unionist | Garret HobartD | 1896 | |
Theodore Roosevelt | 1900 | ||||||
25 | Theodore Roosevelt | September 14, 1901 | March 4, 1909 | Vacant | |||
Charles W. Fairbanks | 1904 | ||||||
26 | William Howard Taft | March 4, 1909 | March 4, 1913 | James S. Sherman | 1908 | ||
27 | Theodore Roosevelt | March 4, 1913 | January 6, 1919 D | Progressive | Hiram Johnson | 1912 | |
1916 | |||||||
28 | Hiram Johnson | January 6, 1919 | January 2, 1925 | Vacant | |||
Leonard Wood | 1920 | ||||||
29 | Frank Orren Lowden | January 2, 1925 | January 2, 1933 | Unionist | Charles G. Dawes | 1924 | |
1928 | |||||||
30 | Theodore Roosevelt Jr. | January 2, 1933 | January 2, 1941 | Progressive | Herbert A. Hoover | 1932 | |
1936 | |||||||
31 | Henry A. Wallace | January 2, 1941 | January 2, 1945 | Alf Landon | 1940 | ||
32 | Thomas E. Dewey | January 2, 1945 | January 2, 1953 | Unionist | Harry F. Byrd | 1944 | |
1948 | |||||||
33 | Earl Warren | January 2, 1953 | January 2, 1961 | Progressive | Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. | 1952 | |
1956 | |||||||
34 | Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. | January 2, 1961 | November 22, 1963A | Nelson Rockefeller | 1960 | ||
35 | Nelson Rockefeller | November 22, 1963 | January 2, 1969 | Vacant | |||
Hubert H. Humphrey | 1964 | ||||||
36 | Richard Nixon | January 2, 1969 | April 13, 1972A | Unionist | Spiro Agnew | 1968 | |
37 | Spiro Agnew | April 13, 1972 | January 2, 1977 | Vacant | |||
John M. Ashbrook | 1972 | ||||||
38 | Robert F. Kennedy | January 2, 1977 | January 2, 1985 | Progressive | Shirley Chisolm | 1976 | |
1980 | |||||||
39 | Gary Hart | January 2, 1985 | January 2, 1989 | Jerry Springer | 1984 | ||
40 | Bob Dole | January 2, 1989 | January 2, 1997 | Unionist | Dick Gephardt | 1988 | |
1992 | |||||||
41 | Jerry Brown | January 2, 1997 | January 2, 2005 | Progressive | Tom Harkin | 1996 | |
2000 | |||||||
42 | Howard Dean | January 2, 2005 | January 2, 2013 | Unionist | John Kasich | 2004 | |
2008 | |||||||
43 | Robin Wright | January 2, 2013 | January 2, 2021 | Progressive | Bill Richardson | 2012 | |
2016 | |||||||
44 | Mike Pence | January 2, 2021 | January 2, 2025 | Unionist | Michael Bloomberg | 2020 | |
45 | Cheri Callahan | January 2, 2025 | Incumbent | Progressive | Megan Rapinoe | 2024 |
See also[]
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