16 US presidents were senators before becoming president, including James Monroe, John F. Kennedy, and Barack Obama. The Senate is seen as the “senior class” of Congress, and senators must have political experience, be at least 30 years old, and citizens for at least nine years. The fact that over a third of US presidents were senators highlights the importance of the Senate to the presidency. Notable presidents who were senators include Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Young children aspiring to become president should consider getting elected to the Senate.
The short answer to the title of this article is: 16 presidents were senators at one time. They were: James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Harrison, Warren G. Harding, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and Barack Obama.
The Senate is generally seen as the “senior class” of the US Congress. Few senators are elected without some political experience at other levels, both in the US House of Representatives and at the state level. Senator candidates must be at least 30 years old at the time of enrollment and must have been a citizen for at least nine years. They must also be residents of the states in which they qualify. Senators may also be called to serve on committees and have a variety of duties as they serve the people of their state.
The fact that just over a third of all US presidents were senators suggests the importance of the Senate to the presidency. It puts candidates in the public eye and gives them a better idea of what kind of politics they espouse, what they stand for, and how they vote on certain issues.
When reflecting on which presidents were senators, these names seem to come to mind most often: Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. Certainly, nearly all of these men had distinguished careers as senators and all were in office as president during critical periods in US history. Many of these presidents were senators when the whole country was paying more attention than usual to who was in government and knew they might run their campaigns under close scrutiny.
Certainly Harry S. Truman knew that the eyes of the whole world were upon him when he was sworn in when President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office in April 1945. As vice president, he was sworn in and assumed charge of a country involved in the last months of a world war. Indeed, Truman has given the green light to the deployment of atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. Without a doubt, this decision changed the course of history.
John F. Kennedy was a popular president who never had a chance to run for re-election. He died on November 22, 1963, the victim of an assassination. Johnson, his vice president, took over and led the United States through the turbulent 1960s, through Vietnam and the civil rights movement. Richard M. Nixon showed promise as president and great foreign policy savvy, but left in disgrace after stepping down due to the Watergate scandal.
The United States has had 41 presidents and 16 of those presidents were senators. Young children thinking about becoming president one day should first think about getting elected to the Senate.
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