A Century of U. S. Presidents: Qualifications
Education, Experience and Background Events Compared
Sep 10, 2008
The profile of a United States president would have to be tweaked--and list exceptions to the rule--in order to apply to the last 17 United States presidents, yet some common trends emerge.
Education of Presidents
Beginning with Theodore Roosevelt, all presidents except Harry Truman had a college education. Eight out of the 17 had either a Harvard or Yale degree. Woodrow Wilson, a Princeton and Johns Hopkins graduate, was the only one that had a Phd. Bill Clinton, with degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Law School, was a prestigious Rhodes Scholar at England’s Oxford University.
Four of these presidents—William Taft, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton—had law school degrees. Four others went to law school but didn’t finish. Theodore Roosevelt left Columbia University’s law school to enter politics. Franklin Roosevelt passed the bar exam before finishing at Columbia’s Law School and quit. Harry Truman wanted to go to West Point, but couldn’t pass the physical because of poor eyesight; he spent two years at the Kansas City Law School and dropped out. Lyndon Johnson left Georgetown’s law school to embark on his career.
Two presidents—Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter—were graduates of the country’s top military academies, Eisenhower graduating from West Point (Army) and Carter from Annapolis (Navy).
Military Background of Presidents
Seven of the last 17 American presidents were World War II officers. Dwight Eisenhower was a five-star general who served as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe. John F. Kennedy received a Purple Heart.
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush were Navy officers. Ronald Reagan served in the Army.
Teddy Roosevelt was a Spanish-American war hero.
Political Experience of Presidents
Seven of the last 17 presidents were governors. Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas, George W. Bush was governor of Texas, Ronald Reagan was California Governor, Jimmy Carter was Georgia governor, Woodrow Wilson was New Jersey governor and both Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt were New York Governors.
Gerald Ford served 13 terms in Congress, Nixon was both a representative and senator, LBJ served in both the House and Senate, John F. Kennedy served in the House, and Truman and Warren Harding were senators.
Other Life Experience
George H. W. Bush had founded his own oil company and become a millionaire before entering politics. Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild during the McCarthy era when many actors and actresses were accused of having communist ties. Gerald Ford was a member of the 1935 Collegiate All-Star football team. John F. Kennedy‘s college thesis became a best seller.
Eisenhower was president of Columbia University and Woodrow Wilson was president of Princeton University. Herbert Hoover and William Taft served in the cabinet of former presidents.
Common Traits
All but three of the last 17 presidents were identified early in life as being popular among their peers and having exceptional abilities. For most, their leadership began as high school class or student council leaders, outstanding athletes or excellent scholars. The biggest exception was Harry Truman, who had few educational opportunities and held no public office until he was age 50.
A companion article gives criteria for selecting effective leaders.
SOURCES: Presidential history section of White House website, Wikipedia biographies, Congressional Biographical Directory, S9.com Biographical Dictionary
