9/15/1857 – 3/8/1930 Party: Republican Timeline; 1909-1913 #27 William Howard Taft- The President Who Became Chief Justice Taft served as a Solicitor general of the U.S. (1890-1892), Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (1892-1900), Governor of the Phillipines (1901-1903), Secretary of War (1904-1908) and Governor of Cuba (1906). 1909; 1910; ANGEL ISLAND IMMIGRATION STATION…
10/27/1858 – 1/6/1919 Party: Republican Timeline; 1901-1909 #26 Theodore Roosevelt- Trust Buster Roosevelt made a name for himself from his service in the New York National Guard (1882-1886) where he also served on the New York Assembly and authored his first book “The Naval War of 1812“. He was assistant to the secretary of the Navy…
1/29/1843 – 9/14/1901 Party: Republican Timeline; 1897-1901 #25 William Mckinley- The Expansion and Empire Builder McKinley was the last President to serve in the Civil War (1861-1865), enlisting as a private and finishing as a brevet major. After the war he practiced law and studied politics. He eventually won a seat in Congress as a…
3/18/1837 – 6/24/1908 Party: Democratic Timeline; 1893-1897 #24 Grover Cleveland- First Two-Term Split Grover Cleveland spent the four years of the Harrison presidency in New York City, working for a prominent law firm. After the Harrison administration and his Republican party enacted the very high McKinley Tariff in 1890 and made the surplus in the…
8/20/1833 – 3/13/1901 Party: Republican Timeline; 1889-1893 #23 Benjamin Harrison- Industrial Age President Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of the 9th President, William Henry Harrison and he was known as a man of moral courage. Early on he studied law and followed his political ambitions. When the Civil war broke out he joined the Union…
3/18/1837 – 6/24/1908 Party: Democratic Timeline; 1885-1889 #22 Grover Cleveland- The Comeback President Cleveland distinguished himself as one of the few truly honest and principled politicians of the gilded age. His father passed in 1853 forcing him to abandon school to help take care of his mother and sisters. Clerking in a law firm helped…
10/5/1829 – 11/18/1886 Party: Republican Timeline; 1881-1885 #21 Chester A. Arthur- The Unexpected Reformer Arthur spent his early career as an attorney and in politics. During the Civil War, he served as Engineer-in-Chief (1861-1863), Inspector General (1862) and Quartermaster General (1862-1863) in the New York Militia. After the war he devoted more time to politics,…
11/19/1831 – 9/19/1881 Party: Republican Timeline; 1881 #20 James A. Garfield- The Fallen Reformer Garfield worked various jobs in his younger years entering politics in 1857. He served on the Ohio Senate (1859-1861) and then joined the Union Army where he helped recruit the 42nd Ohio Volunteer infantry and became its colonel. After commanding a…
10/4/1822 – 1/17/1893 Party: Republican Timeline; 1877-1881 #19 Rutherford B. Hayes- The Contested President Hayes was an attorney and city solicitor of Cincinnati (1858-1861) but when the Civil War began he left politics to join the Union Army, as an officer. He was wounded a few different times, the worst being the Battle of South…
4/27/1822 – 7/23/1885 Party: Republican Timeline; 1869-1877 #18 Ulysses S. Grant- Union General President Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but an error on his application to West Point changed his name to Ulysses Simpson Grant. He liked the initials so much that he kept the name. Not only was Grant the top Union military…