List of United States 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, many Presidents served in the military either before or after their terms of office.

Contents 1 Table: List of United States Presidents by military rank 1.1 General of the Armies of the United States 1.2 General of the Army (5 stars) (O-11) 1.3 General of the Army (4 stars) (O-10) 1.4 Major General (2 stars) (O-8) 1.5 Brigadier General (1 star) (O-7) 1.6 Colonel / Captain (O-6) 1.7 Lieutenant Colonel / Commander (O-5) 1.8 Major / Lieutenant Commander (O-4) 1.9 Captain / Lieutenant (O-3) 1.10 First lieutenant / Lieutenant, Junior Grade (O-2) 1.11 Private (E-1) 1.12 Did not serve 2 References 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Table: List of United States Presidents by military rank

[edit] General of the Armies of the United States

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat	Service notes
1	General of the Armies of the United States	Continental Army, Armies of the United States, Virginia militia	George Washington [1] [2]	Yes, French and Indian War, Revolutionary War	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, then 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.

[edit] General of the Army (5 stars) (O-11)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
2	General of the Army	United States Army (Regular Army)	Dwight Eisenhower	No, commanded during World War II	Attended West Point; served 1915–1948 and again 1951–1952. Served stateside during World War I and as Supreme Allied Commander during World War II.

[edit] General of the Army (4 stars) (O-10)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
3	General of the Army	United States Army (Regular Army)	Ulysses S. Grant	Yes, Mexican-American War and Civil War	Attended West Point; first Lieutenant General since Washington, appointed as four-star General of the Army in 1866.

[edit] Major General (2 stars) (O-8)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
4	Major General	Continental Army, United States Army	Andrew Jackson	Yes, Revolutionary War, Creek War, War of 1812, First Seminole War.	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.
4	Major General	United States Army	William Harrison	Yes, Northwest Indian War, War of 1812	Dates of service: 1791–1798, 1812–1814. Became national hero after success at the Battle of the Thames.
4	Major General	United States Army	Zachary Taylor	Yes, War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Second Seminole War, and Mexican-American War,	Became a national hero because of his achievements in the Mexican-American War.
4	Brevet Major General of Volunteers	United States Army (volunteers)	Rutherford B. Hayes	Yes, Civil War	Successful leadership in Virginia/West Virginia region; wounded at the Battle of South Mountain
4	Major General of Volunteers	United States Army (volunteers)	James A. Garfield	Yes, Civil War	His heroic ride at the Battle of Chickamauga later helped him to be elected President.

[edit] Brigadier General (1 star) (O-7)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
5	Brigadier General of Volunteers	United States Army (New Hampshire militia)	Franklin Pierce	Yes, Mexican-American War	Enlisted as Private
5	Brigadier General of Volunteers	United States Army	Andrew Johnson	No, appointed Military Governor of Tennessee during Civil War with rank of Brigadier General	None
5	Quartermaster General	New York State militia	Chester A. Arthur	Yes, Civil War	Quartermaster’s Corps. Dates of service: 1858–1862. As a state quartermaster, he could not be mustered into Federal service.
5	Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers	United States Army (volunteers) (began service with 70th Indiana Infantry regiment)	Benjamin Harrison	Yes, Civil War	None

[edit] Colonel / Captain (O-6)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
6	Colonel	Virginia militia regiment	Thomas Jefferson	No, served during peacetime	Apparently commanded a Virginia militia regiment in 1789.[citation needed] Other sources credit with no service.
6	Colonel	Orange County militia of Virginia	James Madison	No, but served briefly (1775) during the Revolutionary War. Also see Service Notes.	Left militia to enter Virginia legislature. (Some sources claim Madison briefly assumed command of an artillery battery during the British assault on Washington during the War of 1812. If true, he would join Washington (Whiskey Rebellion) as having seen military service as commander-in-chief.)
6	Colonel	Tennessee militia	James K. Polk	Unknown	None
6	Colonel	United States Army (New York National Guard, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment: the Rough Riders)	Theodore Roosevelt	Yes, Spanish American War	Famous for charge up San Juan Hill. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. As ex-president, volunteered for service in World War I, but President Wilson declined.
6	Colonel	United States Army (National Army)	Harry S Truman	Yes, World War I	Served 1905–1911, then in World War I, 129th Field Artillery (1917–1919) Some sources credit him with attaining Colonel in the reserves in 1927.

[edit] Lieutenant Colonel / Commander (O-5)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
7	Commander	United States Navy, U.S. Naval Reserve	Lyndon B. Johnson	Yes, World War II	Awarded Silver Star medal by General Douglas MacArthur for his role as an observer on a B-26 bomber mission [1].
7	Commander	United States Navy, U.S. Naval Reserve	Richard Nixon	Yes, World War II	Commanded SCAT units in the South Pacific. [2]

[edit] Major / Lieutenant Commander (O-4)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
8	Major	Continental Army, Virginia State Troops	James Monroe	Yes, Revolutionary War	Dates of service: 1776–1778. Crossed the Delaware River with Washington (he's holding the flag in the famous painting); injured in the Battle of Trenton. As Secretary of State during the War of 1812, scouted and deployed troops during the British invasion of Washington.
8	Major	United States Army (Volunteers)	Millard Fillmore	No	Served in the militia during the Civil War, after his Presidency.
8	Brevet Major of Volunteers	United States Army (Volunteers) (Began service with 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry regiment)	William McKinley	Yes, Civil War	Enlisted as Private
8	Lieutenant Commander	United States Navy (U.S. Naval Reserve)	Gerald Ford	Yes, World War II	Years of service: 1942–1963. Served on USS Monterey. Earned 10 battle stars. [3] [4]

[edit] Captain / Lieutenant (O-3)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
9	Captain	Virginia militia	John Tyler	Yes, War of 1812	Raised a company for the defense of Richmond in 1813
9	Captain	Illinois militia	Abraham Lincoln	No, served during Black Hawk War, did not see combat, only burying the dead shortly after battles ended.	Elected to the rank of Captain, re-enlisted as a private. Honorably discharged without seeing combat. He described the whole thing as a joke.[citation needed]
9	Lieutenant	U.S. Naval Reserve	John F. Kennedy	Yes, World War II	Commanded a PT boat. Earned Purple Heart and Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism in the PT-109 Incident. [5]
9	Lieutenant	United States Navy	Jimmy Carter [3] [4]	No, was a midshipman during World War II, served during Korean War, but never sent to Korea	Years of service: 1946–1953. Graduated 59th in class out of 820, United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Submarine service (Nuclear Specialist)
9	Captain	United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Reserve	Ronald Reagan	No, served during World War II but did not see combat	Served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve; served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. Was barred from combat because of poor eyesight. Narrated pre-flight training films under the Army Air Forces Motion Picture Unit.
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. [6]

[edit] First lieutenant / Lieutenant, Junior Grade (O-2)

Rank order	Highest rank ?	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
10	First Lieutenant	United States Air Force (Texas Air National Guard)	George W. Bush	No.	George W. Bush military service controversy

[edit] Private (E-1)

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
11	Private	United States Army (Pennsylvania militia)	James Buchanan	Yes, War of 1812	Only President who enlisted without going on to become an officer

[edit] Did not serve

Rank order	Highest rank	Branch	President	Combat?	Service notes
-			John Adams
-			John Quincy Adams
-			Martin Van Buren
-			Grover Cleveland		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, and the man survived the war).
-			William Taft
-			Woodrow Wilson		Served as President during World War I
-			Warren G. Harding
-			Calvin Coolidge
-			Herbert Hoover		None, served in a private (civilian) humanitarian capacity in Europe during World War I
-			Franklin D. Roosevelt		None, attempted to join the Navy during the Spanish American War but was unable as he contracted measles. Served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in World War I. Served as President during World War II
-			Bill Clinton		Student deferment.

[edit] References

1. ^ wikisource:Public Law 94-479
2. ^ wikisource:Order 31-3 Department of the Army Order Number 31-3 of 13 March 1978
3. ^ Jimmy Carter's Naval Service record from the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum
4. ^ Lieutenant James Earle Carter, Jr., USN from the Naval Historical Center

Military Service of the Presidents from Smithsonian National Museum of American History

[edit] See also

• United States Army officer rank insignia
• United States Navy officer rank insignia
• United States Air Force officer rank insignia
• List of United States military leaders by rank

[edit] External links

• Presidents - Other Service and Contributions

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