11/2/1795 – 6/15/1849 Party: Democratic Timeline; 1845-1849 Polk had an interest in politics and practiced law early on, being admitted to the bar in 1820. He served On Tennessee’s House of Representative’s 6th district (1825-1833) and 9th district (1833-1839) as well as becoming the speaker of the house (1835-1839), before moving on to Governor of…
3/29/1790 – 1/18/1862 Party: Whig Timeline; 1841-1845 Tyler served as a Virginia state legislator, governor (1825-1827), U.S. representative (1816-1821), and U.S. senator (1827-1836) before his election as vice president (1841). He was put on the ticket to attract states’ rights Southerners to what was then a Whig coalition to defeat Van Buren’s re-election bid. Tyler was…
2/9/1773-4/4/1841 Party: Whig Timeline; 1841 Harrison served as the first territorial congressional delegate from the Northwest Territory (1799-1800), governor of the Indiana Territory (1801-1812), and later as a U.S. representative (1816-1819) and senator from Ohio (1825-1828). He originally gained national fame for leading U.S. forces against American Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, where he…
12/5/1782 – 7/24/1862 Party: Democratic Timeline; 1837-1841 Van Buren gained his fame as a political organizer and an accomplished lawyer as well as building the organizational structure for the Democratic Party, primarily in New York where he also held titles of Senator (1821-1828) and Governor (1829). He also held position of Secretary of State (1829-1831),…
3/15/1767 – 6/8/1845 Party: Democratic Timeline; 1829-1837 Andrew Jackson gained national fame through his role in the War of 1812, where he won a decisive victory over the main British invasion army at the Battle of New Orleans. Years later he responded to conflict with the Seminole in Spanish Florida by invading the territory in 1818…
7/11/1767 – 2/23/1848 Party: Democratic-Republican Timeline; 1825-1828 John Q. Adams was the son of the second President; John Adams. They became the first father and son duo to have served as Presidents. Historians believe he was one of the greatest diplomats and Secretaries of State in American History due to the Treaty of Ghent which ended the…
4/28/1758 – 7/4/1831 Party: Democratic-Republican Timeline; 1817-1825 Monroe held roles early on as diplomat to France (1794-1796) and to United Kingdom (1803-1808) as well as Governor of Virginia (1799-1802, 1811). During the War of 1812 he held critical roles as the Secretary of State (1811-1817) and Secretary of War (1814-1815) under Madison. He also helped negotiate…
3/16/1751 – 6/28/1836 Party: Democratic-Republican Timeline; 1809-1816 Madison was hailed as the Father of the Constitution as well as the Father of the Bill of Rights for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting each, respectively. He became a leader in the new House of Representatives, drafting many basic laws and working closely with George Washington…