For good reason, studies and discussions about the presidents of the United States generally avoid their religious beliefs. This is due to the polarization of religious denominations that leads to negativity and division. Over our 235-year history and 45 presidents, eleven different faith traditions have been practiced by the executive leader, all of which are Christian denominations. We have yet to elect a Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or atheist.

In modern times, two of our more recent presidents were, at one time, members of the Presbyterian church but later changed to become members of a non-denominational Christian church. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) and Donald Trump (2017-2021) both made this switch much later in life. Another president, Richard Nixon (1969-1974) made the reverse decision. Raised a Quaker, Nixon attended a Presbyterian church while he was in office. Finally, you may be wondering the names of the three presidents with no formal religious affiliation. They would be Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865), and Andrew Johnson (1865-1869).

The Presbyterian tradition is, in some ways, one of the closest to mirroring our country’s governance practices. Presbyterians use voting and elections from representative congregants to name elders that serve in assemblies that govern the church.

Who were the 7 men who were Presbyterian presidents?

  1. Andrew Jackson officially became a Presbyterian in 1838 after his presidency ended. However he was associated with the Presbyterian faith for most of his life as influenced by his mother.
  2. James Polk was reared in a Presbyterian home but was never baptized in that faith since his father would not renounce Deism and the Presbyterian minister wouldn’t baptize little James. Polk converted to Methodism at age 38 and was finally baptized a Methodist on his deathbed in 1849.
  3. James Buchanan was a lifetime Presbyterian and the only bachelor president.
  4. Grover Cleveland and
  5. Benjamin Harrison were both devout Presbyterians their entire lives. Cleveland’s father was a Presbyterian minister and Grover followed in his path. Harrison was an Elder of the Presbyterian church and taught Sunday School for over 40 years in Indianapolis.
  6. Woodrow Wilson was a lifelong Presbyterian whose father was a Presbyterian minister. His father moved the family to Augusta, Georgia where Woodrow grew up. Wilson’s uncle was also a Presbyterian minister. Later, Woodrow became president of Princeton University, at a time when Princeton was affiliated with the Presbyterian church.
  7. Dwight Eisenhower can claim some unique aspects in the practice of religion. Ike was the first president to be baptized while in office. He was baptized a Presbyterian on February 1, 1953, a few days after his inauguration. As president, he drove to have “Under God” added to the Pledge of Allegiance, and also led the effort to have “In God We Trust” to becoming a motto of the United States.

In a pluralistic religious melting pot such as the United States, it’s not surprising that eleven different traditions have been followed by our presidents. Our country has come a long way since the 1850’s when the Know Nothing Party, whose platform was anti-Catholic, actually gained some traction among the electorate. 100 years later, we elected a Catholic in 1960, John F. Kennedy, who became a top ten ranked president.

For further reading: Mandate for Change by Dwight D. Eisenhower and Wilson by A. Scott Berg

by Chris Binkert

Chris is a Big Canoe resident and amateur presidential historian. He

has given his presentation “Stories that Bring the Presidents to Life”

to schools and civic groups for many years.