List of U.S. Presidents by military rank
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The United States Constitution names the President of the United States the commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces. However, previous service in the military is not a pre-requisite for the position of president. The following list outlines the military service (or lack) of each president before becoming the commander in chief.
| Rank Order | Highest Rank | Branch | Name | Saw Combat | Service Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General of the Armies of the United States (posthumous), General and Commander in Chief (living), Lieutenant General | Continental Army, Armies of the United States, Virginia militia | George Washington | Yes, French and Indian War, Revolutionary War | George Washington: served in the Virginia militia (1752-1758), attaining the rank of colonel; served as commander in chief of the Continental Army (1775-1783) during the Revolutionary War, with the rank of "General and Commander in Chief. (Washington was a Lieutenant General at his death — in 1976, President Gerald R. Ford posthumously appointed Washington as General of the Armies of the United States and specified that he would forever rank above all officers of the Army, past present and future.) |
| 2 | Supreme Allied Commander World War II, General of the Army | Allied Forces of World War II, U.S. Army | Dwight David Eisenhower | Yes, World War I and World War II | Attended West Point; served 1915-1948 and again 1951-1952. |
| 2 | General of the Army | United States Army | Ulysses S. Grant | Yes, Mexican-American War and Civil War | Attended West Point; possibly first since George Washington to have rank of “General of the Army”. |
| 3 | Major General | United States Army | Zachary Taylor | Yes, War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Second Seminole War, and Mexican-American War, | He became a national hero because of his achievements in the Mexican-American War. |
| 3 | Major General | Continental Army | Andrew Jackson | Yes, Revolutionary War, War of 1812. | Served at the age of 13 with the Continental Army (1780) during the Revolutionary War as a messenger, and was held as a prisoner of war (the only U.S. president to do so); served in the War of 1812, attaining the rank of major general and became a national hero after his success at the Battle of New Orleans. |
| 3 | Major General | United States Army | James A. Garfield | Yes, Civil War | None |
| 3 | Major General | United States Army (23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry regiment) | Rutherford B. Hayes | Yes, Civil War | None |
| 3 | Major General | United States Army | William Henry Harrison | Yes, War of 1812 | Dates of service: 1791-1798, 1812-1814. Became national hero after success at the Battle of the Thames. |
| 4 | Brigadier General | United States Army | Andrew Johnson | Yes, Civil War | None |
| 4 | Brigadier General | 70th Indiana Infantry regiment | Benjamin Harrison | Yes, Civil War | None |
| 4 | Quartermaster General | New York State militia (1858-1862) | Chester A. Arthur | Yes, Civil War | Quartermaster’s Corps. |
| 5 | Colonel | United States Army | Franklin Pierce | Yes, Mexican-American War | None |
| 5 | Colonel | United States Army (militia cavalry regiment) | James K. Polk | Unknown | None |
| 5 | Colonel | Orange County militia of Virginia | James Madison | Revolutionary War | Dates of service: 1775. |
| 5 | Colonel | New York National Guard (1882-1885); 1st U.S. Volunteer cavalry regiment, the Rough Riders | Theodore Roosevelt | Yes, Spanish American War | Famous for charge up San Juan Hill (in Cuba against Spanish soldiers) |
| 6 | Commander | United States Navy during World War II, U.S. Naval Reserve | Lyndon Baines Johnson | Yes, World War II | Was awarded a Silver Star medal. |
| 6 | Commander | United States Navy (World War II), U.S. Naval Reserve | Richard Milhous Nixon | Yes, World War II | None |
| 6 | Commander (?) | Virginia militia regiment | Thomas Jefferson | Unknown | Apparently commanded a Virginia militia regiment in 1789 |
| 7 | Lieutenant Commander | United States Navy (World War II), U.S. Naval Reserve | Gerald R. Ford | Yes, World War II | Earned 10 battle stars |
| 7 | Major | Missouri Army National Guard | Harry S. Truman | Yes, World War I | Served 1905-1911, then in World War I, 129th Field Artillery (1917-1919) |
| 7 | Major | Continental Army | James Monroe | Revolutionary War | Dates of service: 1776-1778. Was among those who crossed the Delaware River with Washington. |
| 8 | Brevet Major | 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry | William McKinley | Yes, Civil War | None |
| 9 | Lieutenant | United States Navy, U.S. Naval Reserve | George H. W. Bush | Yes (World War II) | Youngest pilot in the United States Navy during World War II (age 19). Earned Distinguished Flying Cross. |
| 9 | Lieutenant | United States Navy | James Earl Carter | No (though some can argue that subs are always at war) | Years of service: 1946-1953. Submarine service (nuclear specialist) |
| 9 | Lieutenant | United States Navy | John Fitzgerald Kennedy | Yes, World War II | Captained a Pursuit Torpedo boat. Earned Purple Heart and Meritorious Conduct Medals for PT-109 Incident. |
| 9 | Captain | United States Army | Abraham Lincoln | Yes, Black Hawk War | Attained the rank of Captain, was reprimanded twice; re-enlisted as a private. |
| 9 | Captain | Unknown | John Tyler | War of 1812 | None |
| 9 | Captain | United States Army, U.S. Army Reserve | Ronald Reagan | No | Served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; served in the United States Army during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. He was barred from combat because of poor eyesight. He narrated pre-flight training films under the Army Air Force Motion Picture Unit |
| 10 | First Lieutenant | Texas Air National Guard | George W. Bush | No | Piloted F-104 jet fighter |
| 100 | None | None | Calvin Coolidge | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | Grover Cleveland | None | He was drafted during the Civil War, but paid $150 for a substitute (a legal option under the terms of the Conscription Act of 1863). |
| 100 | None | None | Herbert Hoover | None | None |
| 100 | Unknown | Unknown | James Buchanan | Yes, War of 1812 | None |
| 100 | None | None | John Adams | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | John Quincy Adams | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | Martin Van Buren | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | Millard Fillmore | None | Served in the milita during the Civil War, after his Presidency. |
| 100 | None | None | Warren G. Harding | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | William Howard Taft | None | None |
| 100 | None | None | William Jefferson Clinton | None | College deferrment (Rhodes Scholar) |
| 100 | None | None | Woodrow Wilson | None | None |