Twenty-nine U.S. presidents have been military veterans in some form of service, from the Revolutionary War through the modern National Guard era.

Key number and context

  • Out of the 45 men who served as president up through the late 2010s, 31 had some kind of military service, but not all are typically counted as “veterans” in the narrower sense.
  • Commonly cited lists that focus on more formal or recognized military service put the figure at about 29 U.S. presidents who were veterans , including well-known names like George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

What “veteran” usually means here

  • These counts usually include presidents who served in:
    • The Continental Army or early state militias in wartime (for example, Washington, Monroe, Jackson).
* The U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or National Guard/Reserve components (for example, Eisenhower in the Army, Kennedy in the Naval Reserve, George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard).
  • Some sources distinguish between holding a nominal militia role and seeing active duty or combat, which is why one source may say 31 had military service and another highlights 29 as more clear-cut veterans.

Mini historical snapshot

  • Early republic: Many early presidents were veterans of the Revolutionary War or early frontier conflicts, which boosted their public stature.
  • 19th century: Service in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, or the Civil War helped launch or strengthen the careers of presidents like Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, and Ulysses S. Grant.
  • 20th century: World War I and World War II produced several future presidents with notable service, including Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

Information gathered from public data available on the internet and historical reference sites.