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. Despite speculation, there is no evidence that any of America’s presidents have had any Indigenous American ancestry.
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 – 12 • German – 11 • Irish – 5 • Kenyan (Luo) – 1 • Scottish – 19 • Swiss – 3 • Ulster Scots – 21 • Welsh – 15
President and parents |
Patrilineal emigrant ancestor | Citations | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | George Washington (1732–1799) Augustine Washington Mary Ball |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
John Washington (great-grandfather) Sulgrave, England → Colony of Virginia (1656) |
[4][5][6] | ||||||||
2 | John Adams (1735–1826) John Adams Sr. Susanna Boylston |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Henry Adams (2nd great-grandfather) Braintree, England → Braintree, Massachusetts (c.1633) |
[7][8] | ||||||||
3 | Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) Peter Jefferson Jane Randolph |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [8][9][10] | |||||||
4 | James Madison (1751–1836) James Madison Sr. Nelly Conway |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Isaac Madison (3rd great-grandfather) London, England → Jamestown, Virginia (1608) |
[9][11][12] | ||||||||
5 | James Monroe (1758–1831) Spence Monroe Elizabeth Jones |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Patrick Andrew Monroe (2nd great-grandfather) Scotland → Colony of Virginia (c.1650) |
[7][8][9][13] | ||||||
6 | John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) John Adams Abigail Smith |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Henry Adams (3rd great-grandfather) Braintree, England → Braintree, Massachusetts (c.1633) |
[7][8] | ||||||||
7 | Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) Andrew Jackson Elizabeth Hutchinson |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Andrew Jackson (father) Boneybefore, Ireland → Waxhaws, Carolinas (1765) |
[10][14][15] [16] | ||||||
8 | Martin Van Buren (1782–1862) Abraham Van Buren Maria Hoes |
Yes![]() |
Cornelis Maessen Van Buren (3rd great-grandfather) Buurmalsen, Netherlands → New Netherland (1631) |
[17][18] | |||||||||
9 | William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) Benjamin Harrison V Elizabeth Bassett |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Benjamin Harrison (3rd great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630) |
[7][8][19] | |||||||
10 | John Tyler (1790–1862) John Tyler Sr. Mary Armisted |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Henry Tyler (3rd great-grandfather) Shropshire, England → Colony of Virginia (c.1652) |
[5][7] | ||||||||
11 | James K. Polk (1795–1849) Samuel Polk Jane Knox |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Robert Bruce Polk (great-grandfather) Lifford, Ireland → Province of Maryland (c.1680) |
[10][14] | ||||||||
12 | Zachary Taylor (1784–1850) Richard Taylor Sarah Dabney Strother |
Yes![]() |
James Taylor (2nd great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia |
[20] | |||||||||
13 | Millard Fillmore (1800–1874) Nathaniel Fillmore Phoebe Millard |
Yes![]() |
John Fillmore Sr (2nd great-grandfather) England → Massachusetts Bay Colony |
[20] | |||||||||
14 | Franklin Pierce (1804–1869) Benjamin Pierce Anna Kendrick |
Yes![]() |
Thomas Pierce (3rd great-grandfather) Norwich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1634) |
[20] | |||||||||
15 | James Buchanan (1791–1868) James Buchanan Sr. Elizabeth Speer |
Yes![]() |
James Buchanan Sr. (father) Ramelton, Ireland → Pennsylvania (1783) |
[14] | |||||||||
16 | Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) Thomas Lincoln Nancy Hanks |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Samuel Lincoln (4th great-grandfather) Hingham, England → Hingham, Massachusetts (1638) |
[7][8][14] | |||||||
17 | Andrew Johnson (1808–1875) Jacob Johnson Mary McDonough |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [19][20] | |||||||
18 | Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) Jesse Root Grant Hannah Simpson |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Matthew Grant (5th great-grandfather) England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630) |
[7][14][20] | |||||||
19 | Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) Rutherford Hayes, Jr. Sophia Birchard |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
George Hayes (3rd great-grandfather) Scotland → Windsor, Connecticut (c.1680) |
[21] | ||||||||
20 | James A. Garfield (1831–1881) Abram Garfield Eliza Garfield |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Edward Garfield (5th great-grandfather) Hillmorton, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630) |
[5][8][20] | |||||||
21 | Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886) William Arthur Malvina Stone |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
William Arthur (father) Cullybackey, Ireland → Lower Canada (c.1820) Lower Canada → Vermont (c.1822) |
[9][19] | |||||||
22/24 | Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) Richard Falley Cleveland Ann Neal |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Moses Cleveland (5th great-grandfather) Ipswich, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (1635) |
[9][14] | |||||||
23 | Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901) John Scott Harrison Elizabeth Ramsey Irwin |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Benjamin Harrison (5th great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c.1630) |
[7][11][14] | |||||||
25 | William McKinley (1843–1901) William McKinley Sr. Nancy Allison |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
John McKinley (2nd great-grandfather) Dervock, Ireland → Province of Pennsylvania (1742) |
[7][10][14] | |||||||
26 | Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) Theodore Roosevelt Sr. Martha Bulloch |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (5th great-grandfather) Netherlands → New Amsterdam, New Netherland (c.1649) |
[5][8][9][18] | |||
27 | William Howard Taft (1857–1930) Alphonso Taft Louise Torrey |
Yes![]() |
Robert Taft Sr. (4th great-grandfather) County Louth, Ireland → Braintree, Massachusetts (c.1675) |
[20] | |||||||||
28 | Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) Joseph Ruggles Wilson Jessie Janet Woodrow |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
James Wilson (grandfather) Ulster, Ireland → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (c.1795) |
[10][19] | ||||||||
29 | Warren G. Harding (1865–1923) George Tryon Harding Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [9] | |||||||
30 | Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) John Calvin Coolidge Sr. Victoria Josephine Moor |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
John Coolidge (7th great-grandfather) Cottenham, England → Watertown, Massachusetts (c.1635) |
[7][11] | ||||||||
31 | Herbert Hoover (1874–1964) Jesse Hoover Hulda Randall Minthorn |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Andreas Huber (3rd great-grandfather) Ellerstadt, Holy Roman Empire → Province of Pennsylvania (1738) |
[22][23] | |||||||
32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) James Roosevelt I Sara Ann Delano |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (5th great-grandfather) Netherlands → New Amsterdam, New Netherland (c.1649) |
[5][7][18] | |||||||
33 | Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) John Anderson Truman Martha Ellen Young |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [14][24] | |||||
34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) David Jacob Eisenhower Ida Stover |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Johann Peter Eisenhauer (2nd great-grandfather) Karlsbrunn, Holy Roman Empire → York, Pennsylvania (1741) |
[23][25][26] | |||||||
35 | John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Rose Fitzgerald |
Yes![]() |
Patrick Kennedy (great–grandfather) New Ross, Ireland → Boston, Massachusetts (c.1848) |
[19][27] | |||||||||
36 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. Rebekah Baines |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [28] | |||||
37 | Richard Nixon (1913–1994) Francis A. Nixon Hannah Milhous |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [8][19][29] | ||||||
38 | Gerald Ford (1913–2006) Leslie Lynch King Sr. Dorothy Ayer Gardner |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [30] | ||||||||
39 | Jimmy Carter (Born 1924) James Earl Carter Sr. Lillian Gordy |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Thomas Carter (8th great-grandfather) England → Colony of Virginia (c.1635) |
[9][14] | ||||||||
40 | Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) Jack Reagan Nelle Wilson |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Michael O'Regan (great-grandfather) County Tipperary, Ireland → London, England (1852) London, England → Carroll County, Illinois (1856) |
[31][32] | |||||||
41 | George H. W. Bush (1924–2018) Prescott Bush Dorothy Walker |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
John Bush (7th great-grandfather) Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1640) |
[9][14][33][34] | ||||
42 | Bill Clinton (Born 1946) William Jefferson Blythe Jr. Virginia Cassidy |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Unknown | [9][14] | ||||||||
43 | George W. Bush (Born 1946) George H. W. Bush Barbara Pierce |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
John Bush (8th great-grandfather) Messing, England → Massachusetts Bay Colony (c.1640) |
[9][14][33][35] | ||||
44 | Barack Obama (Born 1961) Barack Obama Sr. Ann Dunham |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Barack Obama Sr. (father) British Kenya → Honolulu, Hawaii (1959) |
[36][37] | |
45 | Donald Trump (Born 1946) Fred Trump Mary Anne MacLeod |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Frederick Trump (grandfather) Kallstadt, Germany → New York City, New York (1885) |
[10][38] | ||||||||
46 | Joe Biden (Born 1942) Joseph R. Biden Sr. Catherine Eugenia Finnegan |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
Yes![]() |
William Biden (3rd great-grandfather) Westbourne, England → Baltimore, Maryland (c.1820) |
[39] |
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.
- ^ Hardy, George Washington's Mount Vernon, Ancestry
- ^ 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.
- ^ Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 92.
- ^ Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: the quest for national identity. Internet Archive. New York, McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-001582-1.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Ancestry of George W. Bush". Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "Ancestry of George W. Bush". Wargs.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ 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