List of U.S. Presidents in Chronological Order

Updated August 20, 2019
Mount Rushmore National Memorial

The U.S. presidents are an important part of history. But sometimes remembering who was the first and who was the 37th can be difficult. Finding and using a list of U.S. presidents can come in handy in your classroom. Not only will it help for memorization but your student(s) can use it as a great jumping off point for creating some biography projects and activities.

List of Former and Current U.S. Presidents

  1. George Washington 1789-1797
  2. John Adams 1797-1801
  3. Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809
    Thomas Jefferson
    Thomas Jefferson
  4. James Madison 1809-1817
  5. James Monroe 1817-1825
  6. John Quincy Adams 1825-1829
  7. Andrew Jackson 1829-1837
  8. Martin Van Buren 1837-1841
  9. William Henry Harrison 1841-1841 (died in office)
  10. John Tyler 1841-1845
  11. James K. Polk 1845-1849
  12. Zachary Taylor 1849-1850
  13. Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
  14. Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
  15. James Buchanan 1857-1861
  16. Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865
    Abraham Lincoln
    Abraham Lincoln
  17. Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
  18. Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877
  19. Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881
  20. James A. Garfield 1881-(Died in Office)
  21. Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885
  22. Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
  23. Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
  24. Grover Cleveland 1893-1897
  25. William McKinley 1897-1901
  26. Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
    Theodore Roosevelt
    Theodore Roosevelt
  27. William Howard Taft 1909-1913
  28. Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921
  29. Warren G. Harding 1921-1923
  30. Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
  31. Herbert Hoover 1929-1933
  32. Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945
  33. Harry S. Truman 1945-1953
  34. Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953-1961
  35. John F. Kennedy 1961-1963
    John Fitzgerald Kennedy
    John F. Kennedy
  36. Lyndon B. Johnson 1963-1969
  37. Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974
  38. Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
  39. Jimmy Carter 1977-1981
  40. Ronald Reagan 1981-1989
  41. George Bush 1989-1993
  42. Bill Clinton 1993-2001
  43. George W. Bush 2001-2009
  44. Barack Obama 2009-2017
    Barack Obama
    Barack Obama
  45. Donald Trump 2017-2021
  46. Joe Biden 2021-

Printable US President List

A printable may be more useful for students. Printables can come in handy for games and activities that you might be doing that include the presidents. If you need help downloading the printable list, check out these helpful tips.

List of US Presidents in Chronological Order
Click here to download.

Using the List in Your Classroom

Having a list of the presidents in chronological order is great, especially if you are working with your students on memorizing them. However, memorization isn't always everyone's strong suit. Using the list to create games and activities will make studying the presidents much more fun. Try out some of these fun ideas in your homeschool classroom.

President of the Week

Using the list, create a president of the week feature. Starting from George Washington, you'll feature one president each week. Not only will you talk about something he's famous for besides being president but fashions, family, vice president, etc. This will help your student(s) to more fully understand and appreciate the presidents.

Presidential Poster

On a poster board, your student(s) will create a poster featuring all 45 presidents. In addition to adding their image in chronological order, they will add a fun quote and one fun fact.

Fantastic First Lady

Using the list as a jumping off point, have students create a slideshow, skit or video about each first lady. Starting with Martha Washington, students will create a fun and engaging skit about inspirational or important things that each president's wives did during their career.

Singing Sensation

Allow your student(s) to select a musical genre like rap, classical, hip-hop, etc. and create a song about the presidents in chronological order. Not only will the student(s) state the presidents name and what president he was but give a fact too. Once their song is completed, they can present it. Not only will this be a great memorization tool but fun as well.

Prestige of the Presidents

The U.S. presidents unit can be kind of boring for students. However, jazz it up by giving them a chronological list of the presidents and letting them get creative. Not only can creating projects be a great memory tool but it's a lot of fun. The printable can also be laminated and thrown in their folder so they always have it on hand.

List of U.S. Presidents in Chronological Order