List Of United States Presidential Firsts

This article is a list of achievements or notable events by U.S. President at the time of their election or during their term of service.

George Washington (1789–1797)[edit]

George Washington added "So help me God" to the presidential oath.^[1] First President from Virginia.

John Adams (1797–1801)[edit]

John Adams was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence elected as President.

Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)[edit]

Thomas Jefferson was the first President to have the House of Representatives decide the election.

James Madison (1809–1817)[edit]

James Madison was the first President to have two vice presidents die in office.(George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry)

James Monroe (1817–1825)[edit]

James Monroe was the first President to have one of his children be married at the White House.(His daughter Mary)

John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)[edit]

John Quincy Adams was the first President to have facial hair.

Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)[edit]

Andrew Jackson was the first President to be a target of an assassin. First president to pay off the national debt.

Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)[edit]

Martin Van Buren was the first President born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

William Henry Harrison (1841)[edit]

William Henry Harrison was the first Whig elected as President.

John Tyler (1841–1845)[edit]

John Tyler was the first to become President as a result of his predecessor's passing.

James K. Polk (1845–1849)[edit]

James K. Polk was the first President to be elected before the age of 50.

Zachary Taylor (1849–1850)[edit]

Zachary Taylor was the first President to have no prior experience in elective office.

Millard Fillmore (1850–1853)[edit]

Millard Fillmore was the first President born in the 1800s.

Franklin Pierce (1853–1857)[edit]

Franklin Pierce was the first President to have central heating in the White House.

James Buchanan (1857–1861)[edit]

James Buchanan was the first President to have photographs taken of his inauguration.

Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)[edit]

Abraham Lincoln was the first President to defend the Founding Fathers against baseless charges related to slavery.(Cooper Union and Peoria speeches)

Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)[edit]

Andrew Johnson was the first President to be impeached.

Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)[edit]

Ulysses S. Grant was the first President to publish memoirs.

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)[edit]

Rutherford B. Hayes was the first President to lose the popular vote but still become President through the Electoral College.

James A. Garfield (1881)[edit]

James A. Garfield was the first President to serve for less than a year.

Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885)[edit]

Chester A. Arthur was the first President born in the state of Vermont.

Grover Cleveland (1885–1889; 1893–1897)[edit]

Grover Cleveland was the first President to serve two terms non-consecutively.

Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)[edit]

Benjamin Harrison was the first President to use a recording device for his voice.

William McKinley (1897–1901)[edit]

William McKinley was the first President to be inaugurated in the 20th century.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)[edit]

Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to issue over 1000 executive orders.

William H. Taft (1909–1913)[edit]

William Howard Taft was the first President to serve on the Supreme Court.

Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)[edit]

Woodrow Wilson was the first President to meet the Pope as President.

Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)[edit]

Warren G. Harding was the first President elected while being a sitting senator.

Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)[edit]

Calvin Coolidge was the first modern Conservative elected to the Presidency.

Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)[edit]

Herbert Hoover was the first President to survive the Presidency for more than three decades.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)[edit]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first President to serve more than two terms.

Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)[edit]

Harry S. Truman was the first President to deliver an address to the nation via television.

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)[edit]

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first President to serve in World War I and World War II.

John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)[edit]

John F. Kennedy was the first President born in the 20th century.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)[edit]

Lyndon B. Johnson was the first President to visit the following countries as President: Australia, Austria, Guatemala, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Richard Nixon (1969–1974)[edit]

Richard Nixon was the first President to be pardoned by another President.

Gerald Ford (1974–1977)[edit]

Gerald Ford was the first President to pardon another President.

Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)[edit]

Jimmy Carter was the first President to have a Secretary of Energy.

Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)[edit]

Ronald Reagan was the first living President to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)[edit]

George H. W. Bush was the first President to have been married for more than seven decades.

Bill Clinton (1993–2001)[edit]

Bill Clinton was the first President to have a spouse seek the Presidency.

George W. Bush (2001–2009)[edit]

George W. Bush was the first President who served in the Vietnam War.

Barack Obama (2009–2017)[edit]

Barack Obama was the first multiracial President.

Donald Trump (2017– )[edit]

Donald Trump was the first President to appoint an Indian American to his Cabinet.

References[edit]

v • d • e Presidents of the United States Washington • J.Adams • Jefferson • Madison • Monroe • J.Q.Adams • Jackson • Van Buren • W.Harrison • Tyler • Polk • Taylor • Fillmore • Pierce • Buchanan • Lincoln • A.Johnson • Grant • Hayes • Garfield • Arthur • Cleveland • B.Harrison • Cleveland • McKinley • T.Roosevelt • Taft • Wilson • Harding • Coolidge • Hoover • F.Roosevelt • Truman • Eisenhower • Kennedy • L.Johnson • Nixon • Ford • Carter • Reagan • G.H.W.Bush • Clinton • G.W.Bush • Obama • Trump • Biden (disputed)