Scottish American - Presidents of Scottish or Scots-Irish Descent

Presidents of Scottish or Scots-Irish Descent

At least twenty three presidents of the United States have some Scottish or Scotch-Irish ancestry, although the extent of this varies. For example, Ronald Reagan's great grandfather was a Scot and Woodrow Wilson’s maternal grandparents were both Scottish. To a lesser degree Bill Clinton, James K. Polk and Richard Nixon have less direct Scottish, Scotch-Irish ancestry.

James Monroe (Scottish & Welsh)

5th President 1817-25: His paternal 2nd great-grandfather, Major Andrew Monroe who was descended from Robert Munro, 14th Baron of Foulis, chief of an ancient Scottish highland clan, emigrated to America from Scotland in the mid-17th century.

Andrew Jackson (Scotch-Irish)

7th President 1829-37: : He was born in the predominantly Ulster-Scots Waxhaws area of South Carolina two years after his parents left Boneybefore, near Carrickfergus in County Antrim. A heritage centre in the village pays tribute to the legacy of 'Old Hickory', the People's President. Andrew Jackson then moved to Tennessee, where he served as Governor

James Knox Polk (Scotch-Irish)

11th President, 1845-49: His ancestors were among the first Ulster-Scots settlers, emigrating from Coleraine in 1680 to become a powerful political family in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He moved to Tennessee and became its governor before winning the presidency.

James Buchanan (Scotch-Irish)

15th President, 1857-61: Born in a log cabin (which has been relocated to his old school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania), 'Old Buck' cherished his origins: "My Ulster blood is a priceless heritage". The Buchanans were originally from Deroran, near Omagh in County Tyrone where the ancestral home still stands.

Andrew Johnson (Scotch-Irish & English)

17th President, 1865-69: His grandfather left Mounthill, near Larne in County Antrim around 1750 and settled in North Carolina. Andrew worked there as a tailor and ran a successful business in Greeneville, Tennessee, before being elected Vice-President. He became President following Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Ulysses S. Grant (Scottish, Scotch-Irish & English)

18th President, 1869-77: The home of his maternal great-grandfather, John Simpson, at Dergenagh, County Tyrone, is the location for an exhibition on the eventful life of the victorious Civil War commander who served two terms as President. Grant visited his ancestral homeland in 1878.

Chester A. Arthur (Scotch-Irish & English)

21st President, 1881-85: His election was the start of a quarter-century in which the White House was occupied by men of Ulster-Scots origins. His family left Dreen, near Cullybackey, County Antrim, in 1815. There is now an interpretive centre, alongside the Arthur Ancestral Home, devoted to his life and times.

Grover Cleveland (Scotch-Irish & English)

22nd and 24th President, 1885-89 and 1893-97: Born in New Jersey, he was the maternal grandson of merchant Abner Neal, who emigrated from County Antrim in the 1790s. He is the only president to have served non-consecutive terms.

Benjamin Harrison (Scotch-Irish & English)

23rd President, 1889-93: His mother, Elizabeth Irwin, had Ulster-Scots roots through her two great-grandfathers, James Irwin and William McDowell. Harrison was born in Ohio and served as a brigadier general in the Union Army before embarking on a career in Indiana politics which led to the White House.

William McKinley (Scotch-Irish & English)

25th President, 1897-1901: Born in Ohio, the descendant of a farmer from Conagher, near Ballymoney, County Antrim, he was proud of his ancestry and addressed one of the national Scotch-Irish congresses held in the late 19th century. His second term as president was cut short by an assassin's bullet.

Theodore Roosevelt (Scottish, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, English & French)

26th President, 1901-09: His maternal great-great-great grandmother, Jean Stobo, emigrated to America from Scotland with her parents in 1699.

William Howard Taft (Scotch-Irish & English)

27th President 1909-13

Woodrow Wilson (Scottish & Scotch-Irish)

28th President, 1913-21: His Scottish maternal grandparents, Rev. Dr Thomas Woodrow and Marion Williamson, emigrated to America in the 1830s. Throughout his career he reflected on the influence of his ancestral values on his constant quest for knowledge and fulfillment.

Warren G. Harding (Scotch-Irish & English)

29th President 1921-23

Harry S. Truman (Scotch-Irish, English & German)

33rd President 1945-53

Richard Nixon (Scotch-Irish, Irish, English & German)

37th President, 1969-74: The Nixon ancestors left Ulster in the mid-18th century; the Quaker Milhous family ties were with County Antrim and County Kildare.

Jimmy Carter (Scotch-Irish & English)

39th President 1977-1981 (County Antrim)

Ronald Reagan (Irish, Scottish, Scotch-Irish & English)

40th President 1981-89: His great grandfather, John Wilson, emigrated to North America from Paisley in 1832.

George H. W. Bush (Scottish, Irish, Scotch-Irish & English)

41st President 1989-93: His great-great-great grandmother, Catherine Walker (nee McLelland), was Scottish.

Bill Clinton (Scotch-Irish & English)

42nd President 1993-2001 (County Fermanagh)

George W. Bush (Scottish, Scotch-Irish & English)

43rd President 2001-09: His great-great-great-great grandmother, Catherine Walker (nee McLelland), was Scottish.

Barack Obama (Kenyan & English, with others including Scottish)

44th President 2009-present