The Presidents: United States Presidential Fact Book
1 George Washington 1789–1797 Federalist Vice President John Adams Born February 22 1732 Westmoreland County VA Occupation Surveyor Farmer Soldier Married Martha Dandridge Custis Died December 14 1799 Mount Vernon VA Early Years Washington had no formal schooling At 17 he became a surveyor for Culpeper County Virginia At 20 he was managing the family plantations and in 1775 became commander of the Continental Army His Presidency Washington had presided over the Constitutional Convention and was so well liked that he received every electoral vote and became the first president under the new Constitution The people's faith in him kept the country together In 1792 he was reelected Under his administration a national bank was approved peace was made with the Native Americans and the federal government was proved capable of enforcing its laws Did you know Washington wore size 13 shoes and had only one tooth at the time of his inauguration
2 John Adams 1797–1801 Federalist Vice President Thomas Jefferson Born October 30 1735 Braintree Quincy MA Occupation Lawyer Writer Married Abigail Smith Died July 4 1826 Braintree MA Early Years Adams grew up on a farm and was very athletic He especially liked hunting playing games flying kites and shooting marbles At 16 he went to Harvard and after graduation he taught school and studied law His Presidency Adams was the first president to occupy the White House although it was unfinished His decision to maintain peace with France when the U.S. was not strong enough to fight and his signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts to stop foreign and American opposition to the government made him so unpopular that he was defeated in the next election In spite of all this Adams was a courageous patriot Did you know John Adams great great grandparents were John and Priscilla Alden two of the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620
3 Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 Democratic Republican Vice President Aaron Burr 1801-1805 George Clinton 1805–1809 Born April 13 1743 Shadwell Plantation VA Occupation Lawyer Planter Married Martha Wayles Skelton Died July 4 1826 Monticello near Charlottesville VA Early Years Jefferson was well educated and studied several languages At 17 he went to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg interested in science and mathematics He became a lawyer at 24 and wrote the Declaration of Independence at 33. He was the first secretary of state under George Washington He was also an accomplished architect linguist and naturalist His Presidency The first to be inaugurated in Washington D.C. he was extremely popular He reduced taxes and believed in as much freedom as possible One of his greatest achievements was purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. This doubled the size of the United States Did you know Jefferson designed his own tombstone and wrote his own epitaph but chose not to mention that he had been president of the United States
4 James Madison 1809–1817 Democratic Republican Vice President George Clinton 1809–1812 Elbridge Gerry 1813–1814 Born March 16 1751 Port Conway VA Occupation Lawyer Married Dolley Dandridge Payne Todd Died June 28 1836 Montpelier VA Early Years Madison was an intense student and completed a four year course in two at the College of New Jersey now Princeton University He is known as the Father of the Constitution and of the Bill of Rights because of the leading part he played in their writing and ratification His Presidency Madison's main concern as president was the war between France and England and its effect on American commerce ships and cargoes This culminated in the War of 1812. Madison barely escaped when the city of Washington was captured and burned by the British in 1814. Peace was finally attained by the Treaty of Ghent in 1814 Did you know He was our shortest president at 5 feet 4 inches and first to wear trousers instead of knee pants
