Ancestral background of presidents of the United States
The ancestral background of presidents of the United States has been relatively consistent throughout American history. With the exception of John F. Kennedy, Martin Van Buren, and perhaps Dwight D. Eisenhower,[1] every president has ancestors from Great Britain. Kennedy was of pure Irish descent, Van Buren was of Dutch lineage; and Eisenhower was of German and Swiss heritage. Barack Obama is the only president to have recent ancestry from outside Western Europe; his paternal family is of the Luo people of East Africa. He is also believed to be a direct descendant of John Punch, a colonial-era slave born in modern-day Cameroon.
The most common ethnic groups in the Thirteen Colonies were those hailing from either Great Britain or Northern Ireland. Those of other backgrounds (such as Irish, Dutch, German or French) would see attempts to assimilate them into the dominant English and predominately Protestant culture.[2]
Some nativist political groups within the United States were adamantly opposed to identifying with a foreign nation and would coin those who did as hyphenated Americans. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were outspoken opponents of hyphenated Americans, with Wilson once remarking, "Any man who carries a hyphen about with him, carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic when he gets ready."[3]
Ancestry table[]
Summary: Dutch – 5 • English – 38 • French – 9 • German – 11 • Irish – 5 • Kenyan (Luo) – 1 • Scottish – 17 • Swiss – 3 • Ulster Scots – 21 • Welsh – 15
President and parents |
Citations | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | George Washington Augustine Washington Mary Ball |
Yes | Yes | [4][5] | ||||||||
2 | John Adams John Adams Sr. Susanna Boylston |
Yes | Yes | [6][7] | ||||||||
3 | Thomas Jefferson Peter Jefferson Jane Randolph |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [7][8][9] | |||||||
4 | James Madison James Madison Sr. Nelly Conway |
Yes | Yes | [8][10] | ||||||||
5 | James Monroe Spence Monroe Elizabeth Jones |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [6][7][8] | |||||||
6 | John Quincy Adams John Adams Abigail Smith |
Yes | Yes | [6][7] | ||||||||
7 | Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Elizabeth Hutchinson |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [9][11][12] [13] | ||||||
8 | Martin Van Buren Abraham Van Buren Maria Hoes |
Yes | [14][15] | |||||||||
9 | William Henry Harrison Benjamin Harrison V Elizabeth Bassett |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [6][7][16] | |||||||
10 | John Tyler John Tyler Sr. Mary Armisted |
Yes | Yes | [5][6] | ||||||||
11 | James K. Polk Samuel Polk Jane Knox |
Yes | Yes | [9][11] | ||||||||
12 | Zachary Taylor Richard Taylor Sarah Dabney Strother |
Yes | [17] | |||||||||
13 | Millard Fillmore Nathaniel Fillmore Phoebe Millard |
Yes | [17] | |||||||||
14 | Franklin Pierce Benjamin Pierce Anna Kendrick |
Yes | [17] | |||||||||
15 | James Buchanan James Buchanan Sr. Elizabeth Speer |
Yes | [11] | |||||||||
16 | Abraham Lincoln Thomas Lincoln Nancy Hanks |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [6][7][11] | |||||||
17 | Andrew Johnson Jacob Johnson Mary McDonough |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [16][17] | |||||||
18 | Ulysses S. Grant Jesse Root Grant Hannah Simpson |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [6][11][17] | |||||||
19 | Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Hayes, Jr. Sophia Birchard |
Yes | Yes | [18] | ||||||||
20 | James A. Garfield Abram Garfield Eliza Garfield |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [5][7][17] | |||||||
21 | Chester A. Arthur William Arthur Malvina Stone |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [8][16] | |||||||
22/24 | Grover Cleveland Richard Falley Cleveland Ann Neal |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [8][11] | |||||||
23 | Benjamin Harrison John Scott Harrison Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [6][10][11] | |||||||
25 | William McKinley William McKinley Sr. Nancy Allison |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [6][9][11] | |||||||
26 | Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Sr. Martha Bulloch |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [5][7][8][15] | |||
27 | William Howard Taft Alphonso Taft Louise Torrey |
Yes | [17] | |||||||||
28 | Woodrow Wilson Joseph Ruggles Wilson Jessie Janet Woodrow |
Yes | Yes | [9][16] | ||||||||
29 | Warren G. Harding George Tryon Harding Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [8] | |||||||
30 | Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge Sr. Victoria Josephine Moor |
Yes | Yes | [6][10] | ||||||||
31 | Herbert Hoover Jesse Hoover Hulda Randall Minthorn |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [19][20] | |||||||
32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt James Roosevelt I Sara Ann Delano |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [5][6][15] | |||||||
33 | Harry S. Truman John Anderson Truman Martha Ellen Young |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [11][21] | |||||
34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower David Jacob Eisenhower Ida Stover |
Yes | Yes | [20][22][23] | ||||||||
35 | John F. Kennedy Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Rose Fitzgerald |
Yes | [16][24] | |||||||||
36 | Lyndon B. Johnson Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. Rebekah Baines |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [25] | |||||
37 | Richard Nixon Francis A. Nixon Hannah Milhous |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [7][16][26] | ||||||
38 | Gerald Ford Leslie Lynch King Sr. Dorothy Ayer Gardner |
Yes | Yes | [27] | ||||||||
39 | Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Sr. Lillian Gordy |
Yes | Yes | [8][11] | ||||||||
40 | Ronald Reagan Jack Reagan Nelle Wilson |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [28][29] | |||||||
41 | George H. W. Bush Prescott Bush Dorothy Walker |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [8][11][30] | ||||||
42 | Bill Clinton William Jefferson Blythe Jr. Virginia Cassidy |
Yes | Yes | [8][11] | ||||||||
43 | George W. Bush George H. W. Bush Barbara Pierce |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [8][11][30] | ||||||
44 | Barack Obama ��� Barack Obama Sr. Ann Dunham |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [31][32] | |
45 | Donald Trump Fred Trump Mary Anne MacLeod |
Yes | Yes | [9][33] | ||||||||
46 | Joe Biden Joseph R. Biden Sr. Catherine Eugenia Finnegan |
Yes | Yes | Yes | [34] |
See also[]
- African-American heritage of presidents of the United States
- Most royal candidate theory
- Lists of Americans (lists of people from the United States by various criteria, including ethnic or national origin)
References[]
- ^ Roberts, Gary (1995). Ancestors of American Presidents. New England Historic Genealogical Society. p. 8. ISBN 0936124199. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ B. Moniz, Amanada (September 7, 2018). "Culture in the colonial classroom: A failed attempt at assimilation". National Museum of American History. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ Siegel, Robert; Silverman, Art (April 7, 2017). "During World War I, U.S. Government Propaganda Erased German Culture". NPR. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Hardy, Rob. "Ancestry". The Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Mount Vernon, Virginia: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor, Maureen A. (June 2001). "The French Connection". Family Tree Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fischer, David Hackett (1989). Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 834–839. ISBN 978-0-19-506905-1. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Williamson, David (October 27, 2017). "The American Presidents with family links to Wales". walesonline.co.uk. Cardiff, Wales, UK: Media Wales. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cullen, Niall (February 21, 2020). "A whistlestop tour of every US president's ancestry". findmypast.com. Dundee, Scotland, UK: DC Thomson. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Your Queries: From Scotland to the White House… Six presidents with Scottish ancestry". sundaypost.com. Glasgow, Scotland, UK: DC Thomson & Co. September 11, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c "The Welsh in America". nawf.wales. Penarth, Wales, UK: North America Wales Foundation. 2016. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Kennedy, Billy. "Ulster-Scots and the United States Presidents" (PDF). Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK: The Ulster-Scots Agency. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ Elmer, Martin Jackson (1885). Keeping the Lamp of Remembrance Lighted: A Genealogical Narrative with Pictures and Charts about the Jacksons and Their Allied Families. Hagerstown, Maryland: Hagerstown Bookbinding & Printing Co. p. 9.
- ^ "US Presidents with Irish Heritage".
- ^ Silbey, Joel (October 4, 2016). "Martin Van Buren: Life Before the Presidency". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c Simkin, John (January 2020). "Dutch Immigration". spartacus-educational.com. Spartacus Educational Publishers. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Murphy, Sean. "American Presidents with Irish Ancestors". Bray, Ireland: Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Vinmont, Rolf Benjamin, ed. (1933). Our Presidents At A Glance. New York City: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 77.
- ^ "Hayes Family Genealogy". rbhayes.org. Spiegel Grove, Fremont, Ohio: Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Burner, David (1979). Herbert Hoover: The Public Life. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-394-46134-2.
- ^ a b Yang, Philip Q. (2000). Ethnic Studies: Issues and Approaches. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. p. 214. ISBN 9780791493113. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Niel; Johnson, Verna Gail (1999). "Rooted In History: The Genealogy of Harry S. Truman". trumanlibrary.gov. Independence, Missouri: Harry S. Truman Library. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ Barnett, Lincoln (November 9, 1942). "General "Ike" Eisenhower". Life. Vol. 13 no. 19. New York City: Time Inc. pp. 112–124. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Eisenhower Ancestry". eisenhowerlibrary.gov. Abilene, Kansas: Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "John F. Kennedy and Ireland". jfklibrary.org. Boston: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ Wheeler, Keith; Lambert, William (August 14, 1964). "The Man Who Is President". Life. Vol. 57 no. 7. New York City: Time Inc. pp. 25–29, 77–80. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ Klein, Christopher (August 30, 2018). "10 Things You May Not Know About Richard Nixon". history.com. New York City: A&E Television Networks. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information". fordlibrarymuseum.gov. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Gormley, Myra V. (February 17, 1986). "Digging Up a Potential Presidential Pedigree: 5 Chief Executives Identified as Most Likely Candidates". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Golway, Terry (2008). Ronald Reagan's America: His Voice, His Dreams, and His Vision of Tomorrow. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks MediaFusion. p. 1. ISBN 978-1402212581.
- ^ a b Dowd, Maureen (July 18, 1989). "Dutch, Digging Deep, Find Bush's Pilgrim Roots". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Plante, Bill (July 30, 2012). "Surprising link found in Obama's family tree". cbsnews.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Kenneally, Christine (2014). The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Futures. Melbourne, Victoria: Schwartz. p. 47. ISBN 9780670025558.
- ^ Schubert, Atika (February 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's German roots: Inside the town that spawned a dynasty". cnn.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Witcover, Jules (2010). Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. New York City: William Morrow. p. 8. ISBN 978-0061791987.
Further reading[]
- Roberts, Gary Boyd (2009). Ancestors of American Presidents (2nd ed.). Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society. ISBN 978-0880822206.
External links[]
- Presidential Family Trees and Famous Kin, famouskin.com
- American genealogy
- Lists relating to the United States presidency
- Lists of American people by ethnic or national origin