The Presidents of the United States

The Constitution of the United States provides that the " executive Power" of the federal government " shall be vested in a President." Therefore, the president is the principal officer of the executive branch of the government. Two other branches of the federal government - the legislative and the judicial - are constitutionally equal. But the president, who resides and works at the White House in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., has almost always been regarded as the most powerful figure in the government and as the leader of the nation.

The United States has had over 40 Presidents, Grover Cleveland was elected as the 22nd and the 24th President. The State Department ruled that he must be counted twice.

The first President, George Washington, was inaugurated in 1789. He served two terms that ended in 1797. When he died he was mourned in the United States and abroad as one of the great men of the time. He was buried at his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Nine Presidents were elected for two terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt served three full terms. He was elected to a fourth term in 1944. He died in 1945, and his term was completed by Harry Truman.

The shortest term was served by William Henry Harrison who died one month after his inauguration in 1841. Four Presidents were killed while in office. The first of these was the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. He was shot while attending the theater in Washington. James Garfield was shot a few months after his inauguration and died at the age of forty-nine. William McKinley was killed in Buffalo, New York in 1901. John Kennedy was killed in Texas in 1963.

James Buchanan was the only bachelor to be elected. He was assisted in the social activities of the White House by his niece.

One of the Presidents (Andrew Johnson) was a tailor before he became President. Three of the Presi­dents - Washington, Grant and Eisenhower were Generals of the Army before they were elected.,

The 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt was a Colonel in the Army before he was elected to serve as Vice-President during William McKinley's term of office. When President McKinley was killed, Theodore Roosevelt became President. He became the youngest man to be called upon to fill presiden­cy. He was forty-two years old. John Kennedy was the youngest person to be elected to the office. He was forty-three at the time he was chosen.

The State of Virginia is known as the " Presidents' State". Eight Presidents were born in Virginia and seven were born in Ohio. Some Presidents will be remembered by people as great men of their times.