By José Carlos Palma *
The Presidency of the United States was created in 1787 when the United States Constitution was drafted and subsequently ratified by the states. Prior to the ratification of the Constitution, the United States had operated under the Articles of Confederation, which provided for a weak central government and no executive branch.
Under the new Constitution, the President was established as the head of the executive branch, responsible for executing and enforcing the laws of the United States, and for serving as Commander-in-Chief of the military. The President was also given the power to negotiate treaties with foreign nations and to nominate and appoint judges, ambassadors, and other officials with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The creation of the Presidency was a contentious issue during the Constitutional Convention, with some delegates arguing for a single executive, while others favored a council of executives or a weak executive. Ultimately, the delegates settled on a single executive, with limited powers and subject to checks and balances by the legislative and judicial branches of government.
The first President of the United States was George Washington, who was elected by the Electoral College in 1788 and took office in 1789. Since then, 46 individuals have served as President of the United States, each with their own leadership style, priorities, and challenges.
Presidents of the United States chronologically by year:
- 1789-1797: George Washington
- 1797-1801: John Adams
- 1801-1809: Thomas Jefferson
- 1809-1817: James Madison
- 1817-1825: James Monroe
- 1825-1829: John Quincy Adams
- 1829-1837: Andrew Jackson
- 1837-1841: Martin Van Buren
- 1841: William Henry Harrison
- 1841-1845: John Tyler
- 1845-1849: James K. Polk
- 1849-1850: Zachary Taylor
- 1850-1853: Millard Fillmore
- 1853-1857: Franklin Pierce
- 1857-1861: James Buchanan
- 1861-1865: Abraham Lincoln
- 1865: Andrew Johnson
- 1869-1877: Ulysses S. Grant
- 1877-1881: Rutherford B. Hayes
- 1881: James A. Garfield
- 1881-1885: Chester A. Arthur
- 1885-1889: Grover Cleveland
- 1889-1893: Benjamin Harrison
- 1893-1897: Grover Cleveland
- 1897-1901: William McKinley
- 1901-1909: Theodore Roosevelt
- 1909-1913: William Howard Taft
- 1913-1921: Woodrow Wilson
- 1921-1923: Warren G. Harding
- 1923-1929: Calvin Coolidge
- 1929-1933: Herbert Hoover
- 1933-1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt
- 1945-1953: Harry S. Truman
- 1953-1961: Dwight D. Eisenhower
- 1961-1963: John F. Kennedy
- 1963-1969: Lyndon B. Johnson
- 1969-1974: Richard Nixon
- 1974-1977: Gerald Ford
- 1977-1981: Jimmy Carter
- 1981-1989: Ronald Reagan
- 1989-1993: George H. W. Bush
- 1993-2001: Bill Clinton
- 2001-2009: George W. Bush
- 2009-2017: Barack Obama
- 2017-2021: Donald Trump
- 2021-present: Joe Biden
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* Expert in international relations, such as foreign policy, international trade, domestic security, international security, developing nations, and domestic security, intelligence, and military.