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42. William J. “Bill”
Clinton (b. Aug. 19,
1946)
Nickname: Comeback
Kid
Political Party: Demo-
crat
Term of Ofce: Jan. 20,
1993 - Jan. 20, 2001
Age at inauguration: 46
43. George W. Bush
(b. July 6, 1946)
Nickname: Dubya (W.)
(the middle letter W
that distinguishes the
41st and 43rd Presi-
dent, Dubya - Texas
pronunciation of “W”)
Political Party: Repub-
lican
Term of Ofce: Jan. 20,
2001 - Jan. 20, 2009
Age at inauguration: 54
44. Barack Obama
(b. Aug. 4, 1961)
Nickname: Barry
Political Party: Demo-
crat
Term of Ofce: Jan. 20,
2009 - present
Age at inauguration: 48
In November 2016
the 45th President
of the United States
will be elected.
The Ofce of the President
There are a few requirements that each candidate for the
President of the United States must meet:
1. He or she must be born as a U.S. citizen.
2. Be at least 35 years old.
3. Must live in the country for at least 14 years.
The rst President, George Washington, was elected
unanimously on February 4, 1789 during meetings held
simultaneously in different states. He held his ofce for 8
years.
Since the rst President’s times, the United States has
gone through huge changes in terms of territory and popu-
lation. The country has grown from 13 to 50 states, while
its population is now about 80 times larger than at the end
of the 18th century. In the sphere of social changes the
most important was the abolition of slavery and granting
women voting rights. George Washington has been fol-
lowed by 42 other men who served one or more terms
in the ofce. Grover Cleveland was the only President to
serve two nonconsecutive terms in ofce and therefore his
Presidency is counted twice.
There are as many stories about Presidencies as there
are Presidents, but besides differences there are similari-
ties and comparisons to be made. By simply looking at the
Presidents’ metric it is easy to nd the President who was
the youngest (Theodore Roosevelt - 42) and the oldest
(Ronald Reagan - 69) at their inauguration. The President
who served the longest term was Franklin Delano Roos-
evelt (elected 4 times). By looking at the Presidents’ states
at birth, most were born in Virginia, which earned the state
the nickname “Mother of Presidents.” Massachusetts, New
York and Ohio can also boast to be the birth states of many
Presidents (together they brought 23.)
As many as nine Presidents have not completed their
terms of ofce. Richard Nixon resigned following a political
scandal, and eight died before the end of their Presidency.
Challenges in domestic and foreign policy have inuenced
each Presidential term. Some Presidents like Abraham
Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy have
been remembered for their decisions, which had a huge
importance in and beyond the United States.
While the authors of the U.S. Constitution only loosely out-
lined the role of the Presidency, it has been worked out
and shaped throughout history and in relation to concrete
political situations in the country and globally.
While there are many differences between individual Pres-
idents, each takes the same oath upon taking the ofce:
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the
Ofce of President of the United States, and will to
the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend
the Constitution of the United States.”
(Ofcial White House
Photo by Pete Souza.)