5 Inexperienced U.S. Presidents

Many candidates have had little elected experience prior to becoming president

By U.S. News Staff

September 12, 2008 RSS Feed Print

1. Abraham Lincoln—Lincoln spent eight years in the Illinois Legislature but only one term in the House of Representatives and lost his U.S. Senate campaign in 1858.

2. Woodrow Wilson—He had served as New Jersey's governor for two years when he was elected president in 1912.

3. George W. Bush—He served as governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being sworn in as president in January of 2001.

4. Theodore Roosevelt—Roosevelt was governor of New York from 1898 to 1900 and served six months as vice president before becoming president after William McKinley was shot.

5. Franklin Delano Roosevelt—His political experience prior to the presidency included one term as a state senator and a stint as governor of New York from 1929 to 1932.

Tags:
candidates,
President

Reader Comments Read all comments (3)

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

4 out of the 5 above WERE at least governors. If you're the governor, you've got to be able to run the state, create a budget, etc. I'd call that experience. I'd say being a governor gives one more experience than being a senator. Senators don't RUN anything.

vickie of WV 6:49PM April 30, 2009

I can't say very many good things about Richard M Nixon or Lyndon Johnson, who had plenty of experience before becoming President, yet both made serious mistakes regarding the Vietnam War, and as far as I am concerned both were crooks!

Bill Miller of ME 8:25AM January 21, 2009

Do you think TR's executive experience as a NYC Police Commissioner and as military leader with combat experience along with being a published historian and naturalist might matter?

Do You think FDR executive experience as a wartime Assistant Secretary of the Navy (essentially a modern DepSecDef) might count for something?

PurpleSlog of WI 1:15PM September 13, 2008

Cartoons

advertisement

Debate Club

Was 2011 One of the Worst Years for the U.S. Government in American History?

Experts debate where 2011 ranks among Washington's worst years.

Latest Video

Thomas Jefferson Street Blog

It’s Washington’s Birthday—Not Presidents' Day

It's time for Obama and Congress to give Presidents’ Day back to George Washington.

Cuba Is Reforming, But Not Nearly Enough

Cuban officials exaggerate the extent of reforms being enacted in the Castro brothers' Cuba.

Rick Santorum Will Spell Doom for Republicans in November

If it nominates Rick Santorum over MItt Romney, the GOP will lose the White House and elections at all other levels.

Obama's Energy Policy Isn't 'Crony Capitalism'

A majority of the energy companies who have received funds under Obama are thriving

Michigan Is a Must-Win ... For Rick Santorum

Winning in Michigan is at least as important to Santorum's campaign as it is to Romney's.

Why the Catholic Contraception Controversy Is So American

Politically speaking, the contraception controversy is a quirk of the way we pay for healthcare.

The Upside of the Racist Hoekstra Ad

In this era of nasty political rhetoric and advertising, the public will draw the line at something brazenly racist.

Barack Obama's Budget Is Even Worse Than It Looks

If Obama's budget for FY 2013 is adopted as written, the federal budget would never balance again.

advertisement

  1. Intel Official: Iranian Missiles Could Hit Nearby U.S. Targets, Europe
  2. CBO: Longest Period of High Unemployment Since Great Depression
  3. The 50 Best Careers of 2011
  4. 7 Things That Turn Off Employers During an Interview
  5. 9 Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out