It’s President’s Day here in the United States, a federal holiday honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, two of America’s greatest presidents. In recognition of the day, let’s talk about the many American presidents, including Washington, of Irish descent.

According to Wikipedia, there are a staggering 29 US presidents of Irish descent. To put that number into perspective, the U.S.’s current president, Barack Obama, who is one of the 29, is our nations 44th president. Of course, each of these 29 presidents have varying degrees of Irish descent (some are very distant) but regardless of that fact the number is still rather impressive. As it’s President’s Day and schools are closed here in the US, I’ll spare you the long history lesson. Nonetheless, below are the 29 US presidents of Irish descent with a few interesting tid bits to boot.

1. George Washington, 1st President 1789-97 (County Cork)

2. John Adams, 2nd President 1797-1801

3. James Madison, 4th President 1809-17 (County Clare)

4. James Monroe, 5th President 1817-25

5. John Quincy Adams, 6th President 1825-29

6. Andrew Jackson, 7th President 1829-37 (County Antrim)
Jackson was born to Irish immigrants just two years after their arrival to the US. Sadly, his father passed away only three weeks before his birth. Jackson became a military hero and popular two term president.

7. James Knox Polk, 11th President 1845-49 (County Londonderry)

8. James Buchanan, 15th President 1857-61 (County Tyrone)

9. Andrew Johnson, 17th president 1865-69 (County Antrim)

10. Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President 1869-77 (County Tyrone)
Grant was one of the great American army generals. In fact, he commanded the Union Army and forced the confederate army to surrender during the American Civil War in the 1800s. After his presidency, he traveled the world and even went to Ireland to visit his paternal great grandfather’s home.

11. Chester A. Arthur, 21st President 1881-85 (County Antrim)

12. Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President 1885-89, 1893-97 (County Antrim)

13. Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President 1889-93 (County Down)

14. William McKinley, 25th President 1897-1901 (County Antrim)

15. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president 1901-09 (County Antrim and County Meath)
Roosevelt was and still is a highly regarded two term US president. He worked tirelessly to promote and enhance workers rights, environmental issues, and public health among others. He was also a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

16. William Howard Taft, 27th President 1909-13

17. Woodrow Wilson, 28th President 1913-21 (County Tyrone and County Antrim)
Wilson was a strong proponent of “hyphenated Americans” so he undoubtedly did not classify himself as an Irish-American. In fact, he called for immigrants to assimilate into American culture and detach themselves from their homelands.

18. Warren G. Harding, 29th President 1921-23

19. Harry S. Truman, 33rd President 1945-53

20. John F. Kennedy, 35th President 1961-63 (County Wexford)
Kennedy is probably the most famous Irish American president. He and his administration re-energized America with his youth, spirit, and optimism which lead to his presidency to be described as the Camelot of America.

21. Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President 1963-69

22. Richard Nixon, 37th President 1969-74 (County Antrim) & (County Kildare)

23. Gerald Ford, 38th President 1974-77 (County Monaghan)

24. Jimmy Carter, 39th President 1977-81[47] (County Londonderry)

25. Ronald Reagan, 40th President 1981-89 (County Tipperary)
The two term Reagan was a famous actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild before he made it big in politics.

26. George H. W. Bush, 41st President 1989-93 (Counties Down & Wexford)

27. Bill Clinton, 42nd President 1993-2001 (County Fermanagh)

28. George W. Bush, 43rd President 2001-2009 (Counties Antrim, Cork, Down, & Wexford)

29. Barack Obama, 44th President 2009- (County Offaly)
President Obama’s great-great-great-grandfather was born in Co. Offaly. Fulmuth Kearney grew up in Moneygall, Offaly and emigrated to America in 1850 at the age of 19. Kearney’s former home will become a heritage center.

Source: Wikipedia; Source: O’Donnell, Edward T. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History. New York: Broadway, 2002, 110-113; White House Flickr Image Source: ~MVI~; Image Source: Jackson; Roosevelt Flickr Image Source: sakraft1 ; Image Source: Kennedy; Image Source: Reagan; Image Source: Obama

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3. A Barack Obama Heritage Center … In Ireland?
4. Irish American Artists and Writers Unite
5. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Influence On The Irish