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The President of the United States |
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The President of the United States
The President presides over the executive wing of the United States government. He must be a native-born American citizen at least 35 years of age. Candidates for this office are chosen by political parties months before the election which is held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The President is limited to two terms in office by the 22nd amendment to the Constitution. He serves with the Vice-President who is also President of the Senate and is the next in line to the Presidency, with the rest in succession set forth by the Congress.
The President and Vice-President are not directly elected by the American people. Their names appear on the electoral ballot, but in fact the public vote for members of an electoral college who in turn vote for a President. Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of members of Congress from their state (House + Senate), and the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electors representing that Presidential candidate. The Presidential terms begins Jan. 20.
The President has broad powers. In addition to managing the federal government and requiring his signature on all new United States laws, the President can by himself issue executive orders (rules, regulations, & instructions) which have the force of law on government agencies and do not have to be approved by Congress. He is commander in chief of the armed forces and may call the state National Guard into federal service. In times of crisis Congress may grant him broader powers.
The President also nominates the head of government departments, agencies, and other high ranking officials including federal judges and Supreme Court judges all of whom in turn must be confirmed by the Senate. He may also propose legislation but it is always initiated in a chamber of Congress, which he may call into special session. The President also has the power to pardon criminals. The President has primary responsibility for foreign relations including recognizing new nations and signing treaties (requires 2/3 Senate approval), and "executive agreements" which do not.
All laws must be signed by the President and be passed by both chambers of Congress. The Senate and House can override the Presidential veto (rejection) of a bill by passing it with a 2/3 vote. The day to day affairs of government departments are handled by a Cabinet of department heads appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
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Ronald Reagan on The Constitution
By Date of Service
1789-1850
George Washington (1789-97)
John Adams (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson (1801-09)
James Madison (1809-17)
James Monroe (1817-25)
John Quincy Adams (1825-29)
Andrew Jackson (1829-37)
Martin Van Buren (1837-41)
William Henry Harrison (1841)
John Tyler (1841-45)
James Polk (1845-49)
Zachary Taylor (1849-50)
1850-1901
Millard Fillmore (1850-53)
Franklin Pierce (1853-57)
James Buchanan (1857-61)
Abraham Lincoln (1861-65)
Andrew Johnson (1865-69)
Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77)
Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81)
James A. Garfield (1881)
Chester A. Arthur (1881-85)
Grover Cleveland (1885-89)
Benjamin Harrison (1889-93)
Grover Cleveland (1893-97)
William McKinley (1897-1901)
1901-2001
Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09)
William H. Taft (1909-13)
Woodrow Wilson (1913-21)
Warren Harding (1921-23)
Calvin Coolidge (1923-29)
Herbert Hoover (1929-33)
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45)
Harry S Truman (1945-53)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61)
John F. Kennedy (1961-63)
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69)
Richard M. Nixon (1969-74)
Gerald R. Ford (1974-77)
Jimmy Carter (1977-81)
Ronald W. Reagan (1981-89)
George Bush (1989-93)
William J. Clinton (1993-2001)
George W. Bush (2001-present)
Facts of Presidents by Category
Assassination Attempts on Presidents since 1865
Presidents by Birthday
Presidents by Hand
Presidents by Branch of Military
Presidents by Height
Presidents by Home State
Presidents the were Masons
Presidents by Salary
Presidents who were Bearded
Presidents in Order
Presidents by Religion
Presidents Biographies
Additional Presidential Resources
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The U. S. Constitution
