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109th Congress, 2nd Session
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November 14, 2006 |
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| Home > Historical Highlights > Special Exhibits > House Members Who Became President or Presidential Candidates |
House Members Who Became President or Presidential Candidates
Since 1789, 17 presidents and 33 major presidential nominees had served in the U.S. House of Representatives at some point in their career. This chart identifies these individuals, listing their dates of House service, and it includes the other major offices they held. In this chart, presidents are identified in bold. Only in the case of John Quincy Adams (1824 and 1828) did a president become a Representative after White House service. The chart is in six parts, listing the elections in groups of ten.
Only Henry Clay (1824), James A. Garfield (1880), and John Anderson (1980) ran for president in the general election as House members. In Garfield’s case, the only successful instance of a Representative becoming president, he had already been elected by the Ohio legislature to the U.S. Senate. Anderson ran as an independent challenger, and Clay’s candidacy predated the rise of the modern two-party system.
| Election | Individual (House Service) | Other Service |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Gore, Jr., Democrat of Tennessee (1977-1985) | Vice President of the United States (1993-2001) Senator from Tennessee (1985-1993) | |
| Robert J. “Bob” Dole, Republican of Kansas (1961-1969) | Senator from Kansas (1969-1996) Country attorney, Russell County, Kansas (1953-1961) Kansas House of Representatives (1951-1953) | |
| George H.W. Bush, Republican of Texas (1967-1971) | President of the United States (1989-1993) Vice President of the United States (1981-1989) Director, Central Intelligence (1976-1977) Chief liaison officer to the People’s Republic of China (1974-1976) Ambassador to the United Nations (1971-1973) | |
| 1988 | George H.W. Bush, Republican of Texas (1967-1971) | President of the United States (1989-1993) Vice President of the United States (1981-1989) Director, Central Intelligence (1976-1977) Chief liaison officer to the People’s Republic of China (1974-1976) Ambassador to the United Nations (1971-1973) |
| 1984 | --- | --- |
| 1980 | John Anderson, Republican of Illinois (1961-1981) | Independent candidate for president, 1980 |
| 1976 | Gerald R. Ford, Republican of Michigan (1949-1973) | President of the United States (1974-1977) Vice President of the United States (1973-1974) |
| 1972 | Richard M. Nixon, Republican of California (1947-1951) | President of the United States (1969-1974) Vice President of the United States (1953-1961) Senator from California (1951-1953) |
| 1972 | George McGovern, Democrat of South Dakota (1957-1961) | Senator from South Dakota (1963-1981) |
| 1968 | Richard M. Nixon, Republican of California (1947-1951) | President of the United States (1969-1974) Vice President of the United States (1953-1961) Senator from California (1951-1953) |
| 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat of Texas (1937-1949) | President of the United States (1963-1969) Vice President of the United States (1961-1963) Senator from Texas (1949-1961) National Youth Administration, Texas (1935-1937) |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts (1947-1953) | President of the United States (1961-1963) Senator from Massachusetts (1953-1960) |
| 1960 | Richard M. Nixon, Republican of California (1947-1951) | President of the United States (1969-1974) Vice President of the United States (1953-1961) Senator from California (1951-1953) |
| 1956 | --- | --- |
| 1952 | --- | --- |
| 1948 | --- | --- |
| 1944 | --- | --- |
| 1940 | --- | --- |
| 1936 | --- | --- |
| 1932 | --- | --- |
| 1928 | --- | --- |
| 1924 | John W. Davis, Democrat of West Virginia (1911-1913) | Solicitor General of the United States (1913-1918) Ambassador to the Court of St. James (1918-1921) |
| 1924 | Robert M. La Follette, Republican of Wisconsin (1885-1891) | Progressive candidate for president, 1924 Senator from Wisconsin (1906-1925) Governor of Wisconsin (1901-1906) District attorney, Dane County, Wisconsin (1880-1884) |
| 1920 | James M. Cox, Democrat of Ohio (1909-1913) | Governor of Ohio (1913-1915, 1917-1921) |
| 1916 | --- | --- |
| 1912 | --- | --- |
| 1908 | William Jennings Bryan, Democrat of Nebraska (1891-1895) | Secretary of State (1913-1915) |
| 1904 | --- | --- |
| 1900 | William McKinley, Republican of Ohio (1877-1883, 1885-1891) | President of the United States (1897-1901) Governor of Ohio (1891-1896) |
| 1900 | William Jennings Bryan, Democrat of Nebraska (1891-1895) | Secretary of State (1913-1915) |
| 1896 | William McKinley, Republican of Ohio (1877-1883, 1885-1891) | President of the United States (1897-1901) Governor of Ohio (1891-1896) |
| 1896 | William Jennings Bryan, Democrat of Nebraska (1891-1895) | Secretary of State (1913-1915) |
| 1892 | James B. Weaver, Greenbacker of Iowa (1879-1881, 1885-1889) | Mayor of Colfax, Iowa (1901-1903) Populist candidate for president, 1892 National Greenback candidate for president, 1880 |
| 1888 | --- | --- |
| 1884 | James G. Blaine, Republican of Maine (1863-1876), Speaker of the House (1869-1875) | Secretary of State (1881, 1889-1892) Senator from Maine (1876-1881) Maine house of representatives (1859-1862) |
| 1880 | James A. Garfield, Republican of Ohio (1863-1880) | President of the United States (1881) Senator-elect from Ohio (1880) |
| 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes, Republican of Ohio (1866-1867) | Governor of Ohio (1868-1872, 1876-1877) |
| 1872 | Horace Greeley, Whig of New York (1848-1849) | Democratic and Liberal Republican candidate for president, 1872 |
| 1868 | --- | --- |
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln, Whig of Illinois (1847-1849) | President of the United States (1861-1865) Illinois house of representatives (1834-1842) |
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln, Whig of Illinois (1847-1849) | President of the United States (1861-1865) Illinois house of representatives (1834-1842) |
| 1860 | Stephen A. Douglas, Democrat of Illinois (1843-1847) | Senator from Illinois (1847-1861) Illinois house of representatives (1836-1837) |
| 1860 | John C. Breckinridge, Democrat of Kentucky (1851-1855) | Confederate Secretary of War (1865) General, Confederate Army (1861-1865) Senator from Kentucky (1861) Vice President of the United States (1857-1861) Kentucky house of representatives (1849) |
| 1860 | John Bell, Whig of Tennessee (1827-1841), Speaker of the House (1833-1835) | Senator from Tennessee (1847-1859) Tennessee house of representatives (1847) Secretary of War (1841) Tennessee senate (1817) |
| 1856 | James Buchanan, Democrat of Pennsylvania (1821-1831) | President of the United States (1857-1861) Minister to Great Britain (1853-1856) Secretary of State (1845-1849) Senator from Pennsylvania (1834-1845) Minister to Russia (1832-1834) Pennsylvania house of representatives (1814-1815) |
| 1856 | Millard Fillmore, Whig of New York (1833-1835, 1837-1843) | American candidate for president, 1856 President of the United States (1850-1853) Vice President of the United States (1849-1850) New York state comptroller (1847-1849) New York state assembly (1829-1831) |
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce, Democrat of New Hampshire (1833-1837) | Senator from New Hampshire (1837-1842) New Hampshire state general court (1829-1833) |
| 1848 | --- | --- |
| 1844 | James K. Polk, Democrat of Tennessee (1825-1839), Speaker of the House (1835-1839) | President of the United States (1845-1849) Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841) Tennessee house of representatives (1823-1825) |
| 1844 | Henry Clay, Jeffersonian Republican of Kentucky (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1825), Speaker of the House (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1825) | Secretary of State (1825-1829) Senator from Kentucky (1806-1807, 1810-1811, 1831-1842, 1849-1852) Kentucky house of representatives (1803, 1808-1809) |
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison, Jeffersonian Republican of Ohio (1816-1819) | President of the United States (1841) Minister to Columbia (1828-1829) Senator from Ohio(1825-1828) Ohio state senate (1819-1821) General, U.S. Army (1812-1814) Governor of Indiana Territory (1801-1813) Delegate, Northwest Territory (1799-1800) |
| 1836 | William Henry Harrison, Jeffersonian Republican of Ohio (1816-1819) | President of the United States (1841) Minister to Columbia (1828-1829) Senator from Ohio(1825-1828) Ohio state senate (1819-1821) General, U.S. Army (1812-1814) Governor of Indiana Territory (1801-1813) Delegate, Northwest Territory (1799-1800) |
| 1836 | Daniel Webster, Federalist of New Hampshire (1813-1817), Federalist/Administration of Massachusetts (1823-1827) | Secretary of State (1841-1843, 1850-1852) Senator from Massachusetts (1827-1841, 1845-1850) |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson, Jeffersonian Republican of Tennessee (1796-1797, ) | President of the United States (1829-1837) Governor, Florida Territory (1821) General, U.S. Army (1814- Tennessee supreme court (1798-1804) Senator from Tennessee (1797-1798, 1823-1825) |
| 1832 | Henry Clay, Jeffersonian Republican of Kentucky (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1825), Speaker of the House (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1825) | Secretary of State (1825-1829) Senator from Kentucky (1806-1807, 1810-1811, 1831-1842, 1849-1852) Kentucky house of representatives (1803, 1808-1809) |
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson, Jeffersonian Republican of Tennessee (1796-1797) | President of the United States (1829-1837) Governor, Florida Territory (1821) General, U.S. Army (1814- Tennessee supreme court (1798-1804) Senator from Tennessee (1797-1798, 1823-1825) |
| 1828 | John Quincy Adams, Whig of Massachusetts (1831-1848) | President of the United States (1825-1829) Secretary of State (1817-1825) Minister to Great Britain (1815-1817) Minister to Russia (1809-1814) Senator from Massachusetts (1803-1808) Massachusetts state senate (1802-1803) Minister to Prussia (1797-1801) Minister to Portugal (1796-1797) Minister to the Netherlands (1794-1796) |
| 1824 | John Quincy Adams, Whig of Massachusetts (1831-1848) | President of the United States (1825-1829) Secretary of State (1817-1825) Minister to Great Britain (1815-1817) Minister to Russia (1809-1814) Senator from Massachusetts (1803-1808) Massachusetts state senate (1802-1803) Minister to Prussia (1797-1801) Minister to Portugal (1796-1797) Minister to the Netherlands (1794-1796) |
| 1824 | Andrew Jackson, Jeffersonian Republican of Tennessee (1796-1797) | President of the United States (1829-1837) Governor, Florida Territory (1821) General, U.S. Army (1814- Tennessee supreme court (1798-1804) Senator from Tennessee (1797-1798, 1823-1825) |
| 1824 | Henry Clay, Jeffersonian Republican of Kentucky (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1825), Speaker of the House (1811-1814, 1815-1821, 1823-1825) | Secretary of State (1825-1829) Senator from Kentucky (1806-1807, 1810-1811, 1831-1842, 1849-1852) Kentucky house of representatives (1803, 1808-1809) |
| 1820 | --- | --- |
| 1816 | --- | --- |
| 1812 | James Madison, Jeffersonian Republican of Virginia (1789-1797) | President of the United States (1809-1817) Secretary of State (1801-1809) Virginia ratification convention (1788) Federal Convention (1787) Continental Congress (1780-1783, 1787-1788) Virginia executive council (1778) Virginia general assembly (1776, 1799) |
| 1808 | James Madison, Jeffersonian Republican of Virginia (1789-1797) | President of the United States (1809-1817) Secretary of State (1801-1809) Virginia ratification convention (1788) Federal Convention (1787) Continental Congress (1780-1783, 1787-1788) Virginia executive council (1778) Virginia general assembly (1776, 1799) |
| 1804 | --- | --- |
| 1800 | --- | --- |
| 1796 | --- | --- |
| 1792 | --- | --- |
| 1788 | --- | --- |
Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress [http://bioguide.congress.gov/biosearch/biosearch.asp].
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Page last modified:
February 23, 2004 |