U.S. States Where The Most Presidents Were Born

Popes Creek Estate, birthplace of George Washington in Westmoreland County, Virginia, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Reference #66000850.
Popes Creek Estate, birthplace of George Washington in Westmoreland County, Virginia, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Reference #66000850.

7. Texas (2)

Texas is the birthplace of two U.S. Presidents, namely Dwight D. Eisenhower (the 34th US President) and Lyndon B. Johnson (the 36th US President). Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas on the 14th of October, 1890. He was appointed as the US Army Chief of Staff in 1945, and in 1951 earned the prestigious position of the Supreme Allied Commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He was elected as the President of the US in 1952, and served two terms in office before retiring in 1961. Johnson was born on August 27th, 1908 in Stonewall, Texas. In 1960, he was elected as the Vice President of the United States. Then, on November 22nd, 1963, he succeeded to the office as the 36th President of the US, following the assassination of Kennedy. Johnson was reelected in 1964.

6. Vermont (2)

Chester A. Arthur, the 21st President of the US, was born on October 5th, 1829 in Fairfield, Vermont. He was sworn in as the US President in 1881 after the death of President James Garfield. One of his most significant contributions as a United States President was the signing of the Pendleton Act, which made it mandatory to distribute government jobs on the basis of merit. He served his term until 1884, and abstained from re-election due to poor health. John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was born in Plymouth, Vermont on the 4th of July, 1872, being the only US President sharing his birthday with America’s own Day of Independence. He was the 30th President of the United States, serving a five year term between 1923 and 1929.

5. North Carolina (2 or 3, Jackson disputed)

Like Texas and Vermont, North Carolina also gifted two Presidents to the United States of America, namely James K. Polk (11th US President) and Andrew Johnson (17th US President). However, there is also a possibility that Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States, also belonged to this state, but a cloud of controversy surrounding the birth of this US President makes it difficult to ascertain the truth. While Jackson claimed to have been born in South Carolina, others believe he was actually born a little north of the border between the two states. James K. Polk acted as the US President between 1845 and 1849, and it was under his leadership that the United States fought the Mexican-American War, and managed to capture vast territories of land along the Pacific Ocean and in what is now the Southwestern United States. Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham Lincoln after the latter’s assassination in 1865. His advocation of stringent Southern Reconstruction policies led to his downfall, and he was the first US President to be impeached, though he was later acquitted.

4. Massachusetts (4)

Four US President were born in the state of Massachusetts. John Adams was the 2nd US President, who served term between March 4th, 1797 and March 4th, 1801, and was a supporter of republicanism and a strong central government. His son, John Quincy Adams, was also born in Massachusetts, on the 11th of July, 1767, and acted as the sixth US President. He was one of the best diplomats that America has ever produced. The state also produced one of the most famous US Presidents in history, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the US (serving from 1961 to 1963). Sadly, Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963, on that day becoming the youngest President to die in United States history. It was during his term as President that a number of important events, such as the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the building of the Berlin Wall, and some of the most important parts of the Civil Rights Movement, took place. The fourth US President who was born in Massachusetts was George Herbert Walker Bush. He was the 41st President of the country, and held the office between 1989 and 1993. He was best known for his controversial launch of military operations against Iraq and Panama, and praised by many conservatives still today for his domestic policies.

3. New York (4)

Like Massachusetts, New York has also contributed four of America’s Presidents. They include Martin Van Buren (8th US President, serving March 4th, 1837 to March 4th, 1841), Millard Fillmore (13th US President, serving July 9th, 1850 to March 4th, 1853), Theodore Roosevelt (26th US President, in office September 14th, 1901 to March 4th, 1909) and his distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd US President, in office from March 4th, 1933 until April 12th, 1945). The work of Theodore Roosevelt, popularly known as ‘Teddy’, deserves special attention as he continues to be highly regarded worldwide to this date, especially for his anti-monopoly activities and his passion for ecological conservationism. His efforts to end the Russo-Japanese War won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. Franklin D. Roosevelt also played an important role in US history, and is remembered as the President who led the country through the difficult and troubled times of the Great Depression and the worst of World War II. He was highly regarded by his people, and was elected a record four times for exhibiting efficiency in handling domestic and international matters.

2. Ohio (7)

When speaking of Ohio, this state definitely appears to have some spell in action, with seven US Presidents tracing their origins back to this state in the Midwestern United States. This group includes Ulysses S. Grant (18th U.S. President), Rutherford B. Hayes (19th U.S. President), James A. Garfield (20th U.S. President), Benjamin Harrison (23rd U.S. President), William McKinley (25th U.S. President), William Howard Taft (27th U.S. President) and Warren G. Harding (29th U.S. President). All of these U.S. Presidents had made their own significant contributions towards the building and development of the United States of America. They also formed somewhat of an Ohioan dynasty, comprising 7 of the 12 U.S. Presidents serving between 1869 and 1923.

1. Virginia (8)

Virginia is the winner when it comes to highest production of American Presidents in terms of place of birth. This state served as the birthplace of George Washington, the first, and possibly most famous, of all US Presidents. Washington was born on the 22nd of February, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He played a vital role as the Commander-in-Chief and General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution following the nation's Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. He then served in the role of US President between 1789 and 1797. The other US Presidents from Virginia include Thomas Jefferson (the 3rd U.S. President), James Madison (the 4th U.S. President), James Monroe (the 5th U.S. President), William Henry Harrison (the 9th U.S. President), John Tyler (the 10th U.S. President), Zachary Taylor (the 12th U.S. President) and Woodrow Wilson (the 28th U.S. President). While it may strike some as odd that 7 of the first 12 U.S. Presidents hailed from one single state of birth, it should be remembered that, in the time leading up to when the United States was formed, Virginia Colony was the most populous, most economically important, and arguably had the most well-established political infrastructure of all of the American Colonies.

Share

More in Politics