US Presidents and Year

1901–1909: Theodore Roosevelt (Republican)

• Trust-buster, expanded national parks, led Progressive reforms, built Panama Canal.

1909–1913: William H. Taft (Republican)

• Strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission, later Chief Justice of the U.S.

1913–1921: Woodrow Wilson (Democrat)

• Led U.S. in WWI, created League of Nations, passed Federal Reserve Act.

1921–1923: Warren G. Harding (Republican)

• Teapot Dome scandal, died in office, called for a “return to normalcy.”

1923–1929: Calvin Coolidge (Republican)

• Pro-business, cut taxes, presided over economic boom.

1929–1933: Herbert Hoover (Republican)

• Blamed for Great Depression response, supported limited government action.

1933–1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) (Democrat)

• New Deal, WWII leadership, expanded federal government’s role.

1945–1953: Harry S. Truman (Democrat)

• Ended WWII with atomic bombs, Marshall Plan, desegregated military.

1953–1961: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)

• Interstate Highway System, warned against "military-industrial complex."

1961–1963: John F. Kennedy (Democrat)

• Cuban Missile Crisis, New Frontier programs, assassinated.

1963–1969: Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat)

• Civil Rights Act, Great Society, escalated Vietnam War.

1969–1974: Richard Nixon (Republican)

• Opened China, ended Vietnam War, Watergate scandal (resigned).

1974–1977: Gerald Ford (Republican)

• Pardoned Nixon, economic struggles, survived two assassination attempts.

1977–1981: Jimmy Carter (Democrat)

• Camp David Accords, energy crisis, Iran hostage crisis.

1981–1989: Ronald Reagan (Republican)

• Reaganomics, Cold War escalation then détente, increased defense spending.

1989–1993: George H. W. Bush (Republican)

• Gulf War, Americans with Disabilities Act, recession hurt re-election.

1993–2001: Bill Clinton (Democrat)

• Economic boom, welfare reform, NAFTA, impeached (acquitted).