# Have we ever elected a US president with no prior political experience? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 4, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266 "2015-05-04T19:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/1 "2015-05-04T19:37:33Z")
The recently announced candidacies of Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson have me wondering about their chances of success. Clearly their lack of previous political experience doesn’t help them, as all recent presidents I can think of had previous political experience. But if we go further back, have there been any instances in which a person without political experience was elected to be president of the United States? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/2 "2015-05-04T19:39:56Z")
I don’t think Eisenhower had any actual political experience, unless you count being a general in the Army as “political” (and when you have to deal with guys like Patton and Field Marshal Montgomery, it could certainly feel that way). ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/3 "2015-05-04T19:44:20Z")
Hoover? Wilson? eta, forgot he was Governor of NY ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/4 "2015-05-04T19:47:13Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Hoover? > > Wilson? eta, forgot he was Governor of NY Would you believe New Jersey? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/5 "2015-05-04T19:50:25Z")
Ulysses Grant ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/6 "2015-05-04T19:52:15Z")
> [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > Would you believe New Jersey? Yes, I would. I was rushing to beat the edit window and typed it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/7 "2015-05-04T19:55:17Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Hoover? Secretary of Commerce. [Ain’t Wiki great](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_by_other_offices_held#Presidents_without_prior_political_occupation)? If you’re counting being an Army general as a political office, then no, there haven’t been any. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/8 "2015-05-04T19:57:31Z")
So it seems like if a candidate has prior military experience, that can be a way to “skirt the political requirement.” Which doesn’t apply to either Carson or Fiorina. Still interesting to learn that has happened, particularly as recently as Eisenhower. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/9 "2015-05-04T20:04:11Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > Still interesting to learn that has happened Refresh my memory: what was George Washington’s political experience before becoming President? ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/10 "2015-05-04T20:14:51Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Refresh my memory: what was George Washington’s political experience before becoming President? He was in the First Continental Congress ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/11 "2015-05-04T20:15:22Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Refresh my memory: what was George Washington’s political experience before becoming President? He was involved in the leadup to the Revolutionary War. It was his already existing prestige that caused him to be appointed commander of the army in the war. It’s not like he was a political nobody before that. Later, he was president of the constitutional convention. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/12 "2015-05-04T20:38:19Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > He was in the First Continental Congress And I think a member of the House of Burgessess in Virgina, for whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/13 "2015-05-04T20:38:26Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Refresh my memory: what was George Washington’s political experience before becoming President? He was also elected to the Virginia [House of Burgesses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Burgesses) in 1758. While limited in various ways, this was a legislative body composed of elected representatives, so it would not be unreasonable to compare it to being a member of a state legislature today. ---
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/14 "2015-05-04T21:28:39Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > So it seems like if a candidate has prior military experience, that can be a way to “skirt the political requirement.” Which doesn’t apply to either Carson or Fiorina. Still interesting to learn that has happened, particularly as recently as Eisenhower. I would argue that high ranking general officers (especially during active wars) are essentially equivalent to cabinet positions, since they’re appointed directly by the President, subject to Congressional approval, and politics is part of their day to day job description. They do display a somewhat different skill set than people who have to run for elective office, though. In addition to Grant and Eisenhower, I’d suggest **Zachary Taylor** who was a general during the Mexican-American War but not the overall commander in that action. From what I can tell, he was almost as surprised as anyone else that he ended up as President. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/15 "2015-05-07T16:31:29Z")
We’re counting generals as political figures? Then there haven’t been any US Presidents without political experience. In 1940, the GOP nominee for President was businessman Wendell Willkie, who’d never held any political office. He may come closest. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/16 "2015-05-07T18:32:02Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I don’t think Eisenhower had any actual political experience, unless you count being a general in the Army as “political” (and when you have to deal with guys like Patton and Field Marshal Montgomery, it could certainly feel that way). I remember Eisenhower’s quote about dealing with Churchill and DeGall. “On one side I have a man who thinks he talks to God and on the other, I have one that thinks he is God.” So yeah, he had political experience. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/17 "2015-05-07T18:59:11Z")
The Presidency is a political office far more than an executive one. Every President who got there directly from the military has found that the two systems are vastly different. To be sure, the Presidency is different from everything, including the Senate and Governorships. There’s no way to prepare for it. But not having political experience is a huge handicap. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/18 "2015-05-07T20:21:41Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > He was also elected to the Virginia [House of Burgesses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Burgesses) in 1758. While limited in various ways, this was a legislative body composed of elected representatives, so it would not be unreasonable to compare it to being a member of a state legislature today. Yes. A Richard Brookhiser PBS special on Washington’s early political career included Brookhiser reading from a letter the young candidate wrote to his campaign manager, complaining about how expensive it was to buy booze for all the voters in his district. Fun fact: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill all lost their first political campaigns. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The Presidency is a political office far more than an executive one. Every President who got there directly from the military has found that the two systems are vastly different… Truman famously said of his successor, “Poor Ike. He’ll get here and say 'Do this, do that,” and pound his desk, and nothing will happen. It’s not at all like it is in the Army." ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/19 "2015-05-07T20:53:13Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Truman famously said of his successor, “Poor Ike. He’ll get here and say 'Do this, do that,” and pound his desk, and nothing will happen. It’s not at all like it is in the Army." Yeah, you can’t think about military presidents without having that quote pop to the front of your mind. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266/20 "2015-05-07T21:29:32Z")
nm [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-we-ever-elected-a-us-president-with-no-prior-political-experience/719266.md?page=2)