St. Petersburg Times
World & Nation
Special report
  • Right by Miles
    Two teenage boys are in a car chase with a reckless, sexually perverted Polk County sheriff’s deputy. The boys crash, killing Miles White, 16. But the sheriff’s office does not investigate its deputy’s involvement. Why?
  • More special reports
Video report
  • Friday Night Rewind
    It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
  • More video reports
Multimedia report
Print Email this storyEmail story Comment Email editor
News | World & Nation
Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Your name Your email
Friend's name Friend's email
Your message
 

Politics

Presidential experience

By TIMES STAFF
Published January 17, 2007

Voters say they want experienced presidents, but it’s a difficult thing to quantify.

Here are the top 10 and bottom 10 presidents by years of experience as a governor, in Congress, in a state legislature or as vice president when first elected.

Nineteen of the 43 presidents had more experience than Barack Obama would have if he were elected in 2008. This chart does not include other elected offices or military experience.



  Governor Congress State legislature Vice president Total
Lyndon B. Johnson (36th) 0 24 0 2 26
Gerald R. Ford (38th) 0 24 0 1 25
William H. Harrison (9th) 13 7 2 0 22
John Tyler (10th) 0 13 8 1 22
James Buchanan (15th) 0 21 1 0 22
Andrew Johnson (17th) 0 16 5 1 22
James A. Garfield (20th) 0 17 1 0 18
James Madison (Fourth) 0 13 4 0 17
William McKinley (25th) 4 13 0 0 17
James K. Polk (11th) 0 14 2 0 16
Barack Obama* 0 4 8 0 12
Millard Filmore (13th) 0 1 2 1 4
George Wash­ington (First)** 0 1 1 0 2
Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th) 2 0 0 0 2
Woodrow Wilson (28th) 2 0 0 0 2
Chester A. Arthur (21st) 0 0 0 1 1
Zachary Taylor (12th) 0 0 0 0 0
Ulysses S. Grant (18th) 0 0 0 0 0
William Howard Taft (27th) 0 0 0 0 0
Herbert Hoover (31st) 0 0 0 0 0
Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th) 0 0 0 0 0

Note: This analysis awarded years of service generously; in some cases one year of service does not equal 12 months.

* Assumes a 2008 candidacy

* * Includes Continental Congress service

Source: Facts about the Presidents, sixth edition, by Joseph Kane Compiled by Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan

[Last modified January 18, 2007, 13:06:59]


Share your thoughts on this story
Read our guidelines for comments
First Name (only)

Location
Comment (May be published online and/or in print)

You have 250 characters left to comment.
 

Comments on this article
Subscribe to the Times
Click here for daily delivery
of the St. Petersburg Times.

Email Newsletters
Be the first to know. Register for free breaking news alerts and morning headlines.
ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

© 2008 · All Rights Reserved · St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South · St. Petersburg, FL 33701 · 727-893-8111
Contact Us | Join Us | Advertise with Us | Subscribe to the Times | :) RSS
Privacy Policy | Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright