College Education and American Presidents
Not All Presidents Completed University Studies
Most of America’s forty-four Presidents graduated from college and several went on to obtain graduate degrees, frequently in law. Eight Presidents never attended college, including George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln. Of all colleges attended, Harvard graduated the most Presidents, either from the college or the law school. Several Presidents attended college but dropped out, among them William McKinley who dropped out of both college and law school.
Where Presidents Attended College or University
Only three American Presidents graduated from a military service academy: both Ulysses Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower attended West Point; Jimmy Carter attended Annapolis. Three Presidents received part of their college educations in Europe. John Q. Adams attended Leyden University in the Netherlands briefly before enrolling at Harvard. John F. Kennedy studied at the London School of Economics and Bill Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.
Harvard College, today Harvard University, graduated eight presidents either from a four-year degree program or the law school:
- John Adams
- John Quincy Adams
- Rutherford B. Hayes
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- John F. Kennedy
- George W. Bush
- Barak Obama
Although the majority of Presidents were practicing lawyers, most did not attend law school. During the 19th Century and into the early years of the 20th Century, it was more common, upon graduation from college, to serve a legal apprenticeship with established lawyers. These could last up to six years.
College Drop Outs
Several Presidents dropped out of a college program due to lack of funds or health problems. James Monroe, who attended the College of William and Mary, left to help fight the British during the Revolutionary War. William Henry Harrison wanted to pursue a degree in medicine. After attending Hampden-Sydney College, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School but lack of funds prohibited him from completing the program.
Twentieth Century Presidents
Significantly, all 20th Century Presidents graduated college and several obtained graduate degrees. Of the five to graduate from Yale, William Howard Taft, George Bush, and George W. Bush were inducted into the secret “Skull and Bones” Society.
While a matter of opinion, the best educated 20th Century Presidents were Woodrow Wilson, who not only graduated Princeton University but taught at the institution for years and served as president, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton. Two exceptional Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt and FDR, both attempted Columbia University law school but neither completed the program.
Geographic Distribution of Colleges Attended
Most of the colleges and universities attended by Presidents are located in the Northeast. Only three Presidents attended college in California: Herbert Hoover graduated from Stanford University; John F. Kennedy attended the Stanford School of Business; Richard Nixon earned his degree at Whittier College.
Few Presidents attended Southern universities, notwithstanding the College of William and Mary in Virginia, attended by Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. Southern institutions include:
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – James K. Polk
- Southwest Texas State Teachers College – Lyndon B. Johnson
- Duke University Law School – Richard Nixon
- Georgia Southwestern College – Jimmy Carter
Only one mid-western institution was attended by a President. Harry Truman attended the Kansas City Law School.
Presidents with No College Experience
Four of the eight Presidents without a college degree are often found on lists of most ineffectual Presidents: Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, and Andrew Johnson. Grover Cleveland, the only President to win two non-consecutive terms, is generally consider a “cut above” post-Civil War Presidents.
The final three, however, rank as some of America’s greatest: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln. All three were self-taught and brought a wealth of life experience to the Presidency. Andrew Jackson was presented with an honorary degree by Harvard, an action that prompted John Quincy Adams to protest to the college trustees and threaten to return his earned degree.
Sources:
Statistics complied by the writer, taken from presidential biographies as well as William A. DeGregorio, The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents (Gramercy Books, 2001)
Eight Presidents Attended Harvard
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