Celebrity Stories
Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States in 2016. Four years later, Mr Trump lost the race to defeat Democrat Joe Biden to become the tenth one-term president in US history.
On November 7, after a closely run contest, the former vice-president became the 46th president of the United States, finally claim the presidency 32 years after his first run in 1988.
With the 2020 US election result now called, we look back at the 44 men before Mr Trump who have taken the presidential oath and the major events that marked their presidencies.
1. George Washington
April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797
No party affiliation
Commander-in-chief during the War of Independence
2. John Adams
March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
Federalist
Founding Father who sought peace with France and Britain
Credit:
HULTON ARCHIVE
3. Thomas Jefferson
March 4, 1801 – March 4, 1809
Democratic-Republican
Drafted the Declaration of Independence
4. James Madison
March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
Democratic-Republican
Wrote the Bill of Rights and led US during Anglo-American War
5. James Monroe
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
Democratic-Republican
The Monroe Doctrine barred European powers from interfering in US affairs
Credit:
Getty
6. John Quincy Adams
March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829
Democratic-Republican/National Republican
Son of former President John Adams, attempted to modernise America’s infrastructure
Credit:
Getty Images
7. Andrew Jackson
March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837
Democrat
Isolationist who led westward expansion and pushed out Native Americans
Credit:
Getty
8. Martin Van Buren
March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841
Democrat
Economic downturn overshadowed his presidency
Credit:
Getty
9. William Henry Harrison
March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
Whig
Died 31 days after giving inaugural address in freezing temperatures with no coat
Credit:
Getty
10. John Tyler
April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845
Whig
Presided over the annexation of Texas
Credit:
Getty
11. James K. Polk
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849
Democrat
Oversaw large expansion and opened the US Naval Academy
12) Zachary Taylor
March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
Whig
A slave owner with little political experience, died after 16 months
13) Millard Fillmore
July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1953
Whig
Ordered free states to return runaway slaves to their masters
14. Franklin Pierce
March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857
Democrat
Considered one of the worst presidents, sought to expand slave trade
Credit:
Getty
15. James Buchanan
March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861
Democrat
Only unmarried president, failed to stop drift to civil war
16. Abraham Lincoln
March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
Republican
Reunited the country and abolished slavery, then assassinated
Credit:
Getty
17. Andrew Johnson
April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
Democrat
First to face impeachment after being accused of abusing office, but survived by one Senate vote
18. Ulysses Grant
March 4, 1869-March 4, 1877
Republican
A civil war union general and initiator of early civil rights policies
He died in July 1885 of throat cancer
Credit:
AP
19. Rutherford Hayes
March 4, 1877-March 4, 1881
Republican
Restored reputation of the presidency after rumours of corruption surrounding previous administrations
He died in 1893 of complications from a heart attack
Credit:
AP
20. James Garfield
March 4, 1881-September 19, 1881
Republican
Assassinated after four months by man denied job as Paris consul
Credit:
Getty
21. Chester Arthur
September 19th, 1881-March 4, 1885
Republican
Survived a series of corruption scandals to become a success
He died in November 1886 of ‘convulsions’
22. Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1885-March 4, 1889
Democrat
Only president to serve two non-consecutive terms
Credit:
AP
23. Benjamin Harrison
March 4, 1889-March 4, 1893
Republican
First to have annual federal spending reach $1 billion
He died in March 1901 of complications from influenza.
24. Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897
Democrat
Helped ease economic panic leftover from Harrison
He died from a gastric ulcer in June 1908
25. William McKinley
March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901
Republican
Shot by an anarchist and at a fair and died a week later in September 1901
26. Theodore Roosevelt
September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909
Republican
Popular president was the first American to win Nobel Peace Prize
Roosevelt died in his sleep in January 1919, after a blood clot had detached from a vein and travelled to his lungs.
27. William Howard Taft
March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913
Republican
He was famous for his very large size. At six feet tall, he weighed over 350 pounds. There are unfounded rumours that he got stuck in the White House bathtub
Taft died in March 1930 of cardiovascular problems.
28. Woodrow Wilson
March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921
Democrat
Drafted post WWI peace plan, won Nobel Peace Prize
Wilson died from a stroke and heart complications in February, 1924.
29. Warren Harding
March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923
Republican
Mired in scandal, died of a heart attack in office
30. Calvin Coolidge
August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929
Republican
Major proponent of an unregulated economy
Coolidge died suddenly from coronary thrombosis in January, 1933.
31. Herbert Hoover
March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
Republican
Failed to stop the Great Depression
Hoover wrote many articles and books, one of which he was working on when he died in October, 1964.
Credit:
Getty
32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
Democrat
Wartime president who launched the New Deal and saved the economy
Roosevelt died in office in April, 1945. He collapsed and died as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage.
33. Harry Truman
April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953
Democrat
Gave the order to drop atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
He died on December 26, 1972.
Credit:
Getty Images
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961
Republican
A five-star general in the Army during WW2 who served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe. Started highway system, ended the Korean War with a ceasefire
He died in March 1969 with congestive heart failure.
35. John F. Kennedy
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
Democrat
First Catholic president and hope of a generation
Shot dead in Dallas.
Credit:
Getty Images/Getty Images
36. Lyndon B. Johnson
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
Democrat
Outlawed segregation but massively escalated Vietnam War
He died of a heart attack in January, 1973.
Credit:
GETTY IMAGES
37. Richard Nixon
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
Republican
Resigned after Watergate bugging scandal before he could be impeached, but opened up China
He died in April 1994, after suffering a stroke four days earlier.
Credit:
AP
38. Gerald Ford
August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977
Republican
Finished Nixon’s term during which he oversaw the end of Vietnam War
He died in December 2006, after suffering from arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis.
Credit:
Rex
39. Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
Democrat
Failed to handle petrol shortage or rescue American hostages in Iran
Credit:
REUTERS
40. Ronald Reagan
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
Republican
One of the most popular. Ended Cold War, boosted economy
Died in 2004, after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Credit:
AP
41. George H. W. Bush
January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
Republican
Led Gulf War against Saddam Hussein but undermined by economic problems
42. Bill Clinton
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
Democrat
Survived impeachment over Monica Lewinsky affair but balanced budget
43. George W. Bush
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
Republican
Presidency marked by 9/11, “War on Terror”, the subsequent invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and the opening of Guantanamo Bay detention centre
Credit:
AFP
44. Barack Obama
January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017
Democrat
First black president of the USA. Made expanding healthcare his biggest campaign issue, ended the Iraq War and eliminated Osama Bin Laden.
Credit:
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
45. Donald Trump
January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
Republican
Pledged to “Make America Great Again” with divisive policies on immigration and trade. Installed three Supreme Court Justices. Survived impeachment for abuse of power over dealings with Ukraine.
Mr Trump falsely accused that the 2020 US presidential election was fraudulent after losing to Joe Biden, who takes office on Inauguration Day, January 20.
Banned from Facebook and Twitter due to “risk of inciting violence” after rioting that saw his supporters breaking into the Capitol.
He may face the possibility of a second impeachment trial as a result.
Read more: The best and worst moments from Donald Trump’s presidency
Credit:
Carlos Barria/Reuters
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