Born: 1946, New Haven CT

George W. Bush is the second President, after John Quincy Adams, to follow his father to the White House. The first child of 41st President George H.W. Bush, “George W” grew up in Texas, then went to Andover and Yale before earning a Harvard MBA. Returning home to the oil business, he married teacher Laura Welch, and lost a 1978 race for Congress. In 1988, he joined his father’s Presidential campaign. In 1989, the lifelong baseball fan formed a group to buy the Texas Rangers and became the team’s managing partner. After his father’s 1992 loss to Bill Clinton, George W gave politics another try, twice winning the Texas Governorship. There, he championed crime and tax reduction and education and tort reform. In 2000, he defeated Democrat Al Gore in one of the closest and most contested elections in history-one which took five weeks and a Supreme Court ruling to sort out.

The partisan rancor that followed the 2000 election was erased, temporarily, by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Galvanized by the event, George W declared a “war on terror.” He sent troops to destroy their operating base in Afghanistan, stepped up domestic law enforcement, and in 2003, invaded Iraq. Though U.S. forces quickly ousted Saddam Hussein, they’ve labored to create peace and order. The war became a key issue in the 2004 election, when George W narrowly defeated Democrat John Kerry.

Forty-Third President
Republican

Born: 1946, Hope, AR

Born William Jefferson Blythe IV two months after his father died, Bill Clinton later took his stepfather’s surname. Raised in Arkansas, Clinton was part of the “baby boom generation” that came of age during the Vietnam war, the civil rights and women’s liberation movements. He studied at Georgetown, Oxford and Yale Law — where he met his wife, Hillary — then went home and entered politics, eventually serving five terms as Governor. Joining the 1992 Presidential race when incumbent Bush looked unbeatable, Clinton rode an economic downturn to victory in a tight three-way race.

President Clinton won passage of NAFTA and the “Brady Bill,” but lost his bid for health care reform. Then in 1994, the Democrats lost their Congressional majority to Republicans who stressed conservative themes. Clinton heard and refocused — on the deficit, crime and welfare reform. Reelected in 1996, Clinton pushed for peace in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and the Mideast, and for racial healing at home. but he himself became a divisive figure when an investigation by the Special Prosecutor’s Office revealed his illicit relationship with a White House intern. Clinton’s denial of the impropriety led to his 1998 impeachment by the House, though the Senate failed to convict. In his final year, Clinton increased America’s parklands and supported Hillary’s winning Senate run (D.N.Y.)

Forty-Second President
Democrat

Born: 1924, Milton, MA

A product of the Eastern establishment, George Bush attended Andover and Yale and served as a Navy pilot in World War II before starting a successful oil business in Texas. Twice elected to Congress, he was U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., then headed the Republican National Committee, the U.S. Liaison Office in Peking, and the CIA. In 1980, he sought the Republican Presidential nomination, but became Ronald Reagan’s running mate instead. A loyal and competent Vice-President, Bush won the White House in 1988, promising better education, a cleaner environment and no new taxes.

Bush’s Presidency was marked by historic events in world affairs. Emboldened by glasnost and perestroika, Eastern bloc nations renounced communist rule; Germany united; and the Soviet Union disintegrated. The Cold War ended, but other wars began. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Bush assembled an international coalition to reverse the aggression, culminating in the successful military operation, “Desert Storm.” But chaos and brutality reigned elsewhere in the world and nearly every nation battled recession. At home, the sour economy took its toll and, after 12 years of Republican administrations, Americans voted for change.

Forty-First President
Republican

Born: 1911, Tampico, IL
Died: 2004

A champion of individual freedom, Ronald Reagan presented a sharp contrast to his predecessor, Jimmy Carter. While the thrifty and analytical Carter pored over details, Regan was a generalist who preferred to delegate problem-solving. Having worked in broadcasting and feature films, Reagan excelled at communicating his views directly to the people. Hollywood also grounded him in politics. As president of the Screen Actors Guild, he opposed communist influence in the entertainment industry and later switched from a liberal to a conservative philosophy, fiercely opposed to big government.

Governor of California from 1966 to 1974, Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980. He trounced Jimmy Carter at the polls, becoming the nation’s oldest President. After surviving an early assassination attempt, Reagan deregulated industry and cut taxes and non-military spending, fueling the “go-go” economy of the 1980s. He took a hard line against the Soviets, increasing America’s military capability and backing the costly “Star Wars” missile program. But he also nurtured a growing relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. His support for anti-communist rebels in Central America led staff members to become embroiled in the Iran-Contra scandal. But the President, with his great personal charm, remained popular throughout his two terms.

Fortieth President
Republican

Born: 1924, Plains, GA

A top graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, engineer Jimmy Carter reluctantly left the Navy in order to run his family’s peanut business. He entered Georgia politics and was elected Governor in 1970. In 1976, he captured the Democratic Presidential nomination — a Washington outsider untainted by the insider politics of the Nixon era. Carter’s earnest oratory, deep religious faith, and down-to-earth policies impressed a jaded electorate, especially his vow that he would never lie to the American people.

One of Carter’s first Presidential acts was to pardon the Vietnam draft dodgers. He decreased the federal budget deficit, deregulated domestic oil prices and formed an Energy Department. He also improved bureaucratic efficiency, and placed many women and minorities in senior government jobs. but Carter never got along with Congress and he was blamed for high interest rates and inflation. In foreign affairs, Carter stressed human rights. He facilitated the historic Camp David Accord between Egypt and Israel, and the Treaty ceding the Panama Canal. But these accomplishments were overshadowed by the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter’s inability to secure release of the American hostages, by force or otherwise, frustrated the public, who rejected him in the 1980 election. After leaving office, Carter has remained active in the cause of human rights and world peace.

Thirty-Ninth President
Democrat

Born: 1913, Omaha, NE
Died: 2006

Gerald Ford was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A talented athlete, Ford attended the University of Michigan on a football scholarship, then earned a law degree at Yale. After naval combat duty in World War II, the likable attorney returned to Grand Rapids. He was elected to Congress in 1948, becoming House Minority Leader in 1965. In 1973, when Nixon’s Vice-President, Spiro T. Agnew, was forced to resign over a tax scandal, Nixon picked Ford as the new Vice-President. The following year Nixon resigned over Watergate and Ford became President. shortly thereafter, Ford granted Nixon a “full, free and absolute pardon.” He explained his decision as a way to bring the country together and move beyond the turmoil of Watergate. Though few questioned Ford’s integrity, many at the time were angered by his action.

President Ford presided over a period of steadily improving relations with the Soviet Union, reaching agreement on limiting nuclear arms. But troubles appeared on other fronts; the last American advisers in Vietnam were forced into a desperate and chaotic evacuation; the Middle East oil crisis created an energy shortage; and at home the fight against inflation led to recession. Ford gained the Republican nomination in 1976 but lost the election to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

Thirty-Eighth President
Republican

Born: 1913, Yorba Linda, CA
Died: 1994

Reared in poverty, Richard Nixon showed his tenacity early on, working his way through Whittier College and Duke Law School. After naval service in World War II, he returned to California and was elected to the U.S. House and then the Senate. In 1952 Eisenhower picked the 39-year-old Senator to be his Vice-President — a job Nixon held for eight years. Nixon was narrowly defeated by John F. Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential race, but in 1968 he ran again and won.

As President, Nixon made great strides in foreign affairs. He visited China and the USSR and initiated Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with the Soviets. In 1973, Nixon signed a peace accord with North Vietnam, finally extricating the nation from a conflict that had cost 58,000 American lives. But these achievements were overshadowed by a constitutional crisis at home. In June, 1972, a break-in was discovered at the Democrats’ National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building. The President denied knowledge of the incident, and went on to a landslide re-election victory in November. Slowly, however, evidence was amassed that implicated the White House. Senior Administration officials were caught in a cover-up that unraveled under mounting investigation. Threatened with impeachment, President Nixon resigned in 1974.

Thirty-Seventh President
Republican

Born: 1908, near Stonewall, TX
Died: 1973

Ever-mindful of his own impoverished childhood, Lyndon Johnson devoted himself to bringing dignity and justice to the poor. After teaching briefly he found his calling in politics. In 1937, the young Texan was elected to Congress, where he seized every opportunity to advance his programs and political future. After 12 years in the House, interrupted only be naval service during World War II, he moved to the Senate and was Majority Leader in 1960 when Kennedy picked him for his running mate. Three years later, Kennedy’s assassination thrust LBJ into the White House.

President Johnson pressed on with the Kennedy agenda, including passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and won the 1964 election with a record 61% of the vote. LBJ then introduced his own “Great Society” program. Declaring a “war on poverty,” he called for urban renewal, aid to education, and Medicare for the elderly. But it was the war in Vietnam that came to dominate his Presidency. Though never declared, the war to save South Vietnam from the communist North escalated steadily under LBJ, costing thousands of American lives and causing bitter protest at home. His popularity shattered, LBJ refused to seek re-election. In his last year in office, America was rocked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, and by urban race riots.

Thirty-Sixth President
Democrat

Born: 1917, Brookline, MA
Died: 1963

John F. Kennedy was blessed with wealth, charm, intelligence and good looks. He was the second child of a Boston millionaire whose driving ambition was to put a son in the White House. After graduating from Harvard, “Jack” joined the Navy. He earned a hero’s medal for leading his surviving crew to safety, despite a grave back injury, after the Japanese sunk his PT boat. When his older brother was killed in action, Jack inherited the politician’s mantle. Elected to the U.S. House and then the Senate, he lost his bid for the Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination in 1956. In 1960, he led the ticket. Aided by his TV debates and choice of Lyndon Johnson as his running mate, JFK narrowly defeated Richard Nixon — becoming the nation’s first Catholic and youngest elected President.

In 1961 Kennedy supported a failed mission by anti-Castro Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs. The next year, the Soviets put nuclear missiles in Cuba, but withdrew them after JFK imposed a naval blockade. Tensions eased with the 1963 nuclear test ban treaty though the “space race” continued. A supporter of the arts, JFK was also mindful of the disadvantaged. He founded the Peace Corps and proposed wide-ranging civil rights legislation though he never saw its enactment. On November 22, 1963, he was shot to death in a Dallas motorcade. The nation watched and mourned as he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Thirty-Fifth President
Democrat

Born: 1890, Denison, TX
Died: 1969

Dwight Eisenhower was a fine athlete at West Point who went on to a distinguished military career. When America entered World War II, he joined General George Marshall’s staff, commanding the 1942 Allied invasion of North Africa. Appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, he orchestrated the 1944 D-Day landings in France. Returning a national hero, “Ike” became President of Columbia University and then Supreme Commander of NATO. Both parties sought him as a Presidential candidate in 1948, but he refused. In 1952 he headed the Republican ticket, and twice led it to victory.

When Ike took office, America was in the grip of the Cold War. In South Korea, U.S. forces were fighting a communist invasion from the North. At home, Senator McCarthy had incited anti-communist hysteria with witch hunts and blacklists (before his 1954 censure by the Senate). Ike reduced tensions with the Soviets, negotiated a truce in Korea, proposed a nuclear test ban, and pressured America’s allies to withdraw from the Suez Canal in 1956. He also improved the nation’s highways, supported the space program, and sent troops into Little Rock to enforce court-ordered school desegregation. When he left office the former soldier warned against the acquisition of unwarranted influence by “the military-industrial complex.”

Thirty-Fourth President
Republican