Religious Affiliation of Past Presidents

With Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46^th president of the United States, he becomes just the second Catholic ever to hold the highest office in the land – joining John F. Kennedy. A look at past presidents’ religious affiliations shows a broad mix of different Christian denominations and which ones have been dominant among the top U.S. executive office.

According to data collected by the Pew Research Center, among past presidents, the Episcopal Church has had the most members hold the office of president over the past 232 years. Starting with George Washington, there have been 11 Episcopalian presidents out of the 46 that have held office, with other notable Episcopal presidents being James Madison, Franklin D. Roosevelt and George H.W. Bush. Presbyterians are the next most common with 8 presidents, notably Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan. Baptists, Unitarians and general Christians were tied with four apiece, with other smaller denominations rounding out the religious tree.