Highest military rank held by U.S. presidents 1789-1973

A total of 31 out of 44 U.S. presidents (officially 45, as Grover Cleveland is counted twice) were military veterans, including five who served in the American War of Independence, six in the War of 1812, seven in the American Civil War (Millard Fillmore did so after leaving office), and eight in the Second World War. In early years, many presidents served in their respective state militias, while all who fought in the Civil War did so as part of the United States Army (Union). Of the eight who served during the Second World War, five were in the Naval Reserve, while Jimmy Carter was in the Navy, Ronald Reagan was in the US Army Air Forces, and Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. The only US president to have served since the Second World War was George W. Bush, who was a First Lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War (although he remained in the US throughout the war).

Responsibilities

U.S. presidents have occupied a variety of positions in their respective armed forces, ranging from George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant and Eisenhower, who obtained the highest possible position in their respective armies, to James Buchanan, who was a private, and therefore the only U.S. president with a military background not to obtain the rank of an officer. Of the seven presidents who served during the Civil War, five achieved the rank of brigadier general or higher. The level of action also varied among presidents, with some, such as Thomas Jefferson, Chester A. Arthur and Ronald Reagan acting in a purely administrative or educational role, although a majority saw active conflict.

Honors

Several presidents also received commendations for bravery during or after their service, including John F. Kennedy, who was awarded both a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and Purple Heart in 1944, and Theodore Roosevelt, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001, for his actions in the Spanish-American War in 1898 (Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was also awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, as he was the oldest man and only general to lead troops on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day; this makes the Roosevelt's one of just two father-son pairs to receive these accolades).