10 out of 46 US presidents were army generals

LAHORE: Of the 46 American presidents since 1789, not fewer than 10 have served as generals in the US Army, research shows.

The first-ever American President George Washington was also a commanding general of the pre-independence Continental Army, which represented the 13 colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. He served the Continental Army between 1775 and 1783, and then led the US Army from 1798 to 1799.

Remember, the Continental Army was succeeded by the United States Army. Washington remained president for eight years (1789 to 1797). The other nine American presidents who commanded as army generals were: Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce, Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and Dwight Eisenhower.

Other presidents with military experience under their belts were: James Monroe, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Jerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush senior and George Bush junior.

Donald Trump was worth $8 billion in October 2024, according to “Forbes” magazine. Similarly, George Washington (net worth of $707 million including 2,300 acres of land), Thomas Jefferson ($284 million), Theodore Roosevelt ($168 million) and Andrew Jackson ($159 million) were all wealthy.

Media houses like “CNNMoney” and “msn.com” reveal that President Harry Truman was among the poorest US presidents, with a net worth considerably less than $1 million. His financial situation contributed to the doubling of the presidential salary to $100,000 in 1949.

In addition, the presidential pension was created in 1958 when Truman was again experiencing financial difficulties. Andrew Johnson had a humble beginning as a tailor’s apprentice, though he ran away from job. He continued to sew his own suits, even after he became president of the United States.

Warren Harding was a newspaper publisher and President William Howard Taft also served as his country’s chief justice. Some 27 American presidents were lawyers before winning keys to the White House.

Similarly, 17 US presidents were state governors, nine of whom were governors immediately before election as presidents, 18 presidents had previously served as US representatives, 17 presidents previously served as US senators, 15 presidents previously served as vice presidents, eight presidents previously served as Cabinet secretaries, six as secretary of state, seven presidents had previous experience in foreign service, five presidents taught at a university and one President (Woodrow Wilson) had a PhD.