Who is the Only U.S. President to Hold a PhD?
by
Updated Aug 09, 2024
Who is the Only U.S. President to Hold a PhD?
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, is the only U.S. president to hold a Ph.D. He served from 1913 to 1921 and was highly regarded for his leadership during World War I and his efforts in establishing the League of Nations.
Before his presidency, Wilson was an academic, serving as the president of Princeton University. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University in 1886. Despite his later achievements, Wilson faced academic challenges early in life, reportedly struggling with reading and possibly being dyslexic.
List of U.S. Presidents
Here is a table summarizing the education of U.S. Presidents:
| President | High School or Equivalent | Undergraduate School | Graduate School |
| George Washington | Lower Church School | None | None |
| John Adams | Braintree Latin School | Harvard University | Harvard University (A.M.) |
| Thomas Jefferson | James Maury's School | The College of William and Mary | None |
| James Madison | Donald Robertson's School | Princeton University | None |
| James Monroe | Campbelltown Academy | The College of William and Mary (did not graduate) | None |
| John Quincy Adams | Passy Academy | Leiden University (transferred); Harvard University | Harvard University (A.M.) |
| Andrew Jackson | William Humphries' Academy; James White Stephenson's Academy | None | None |
| Martin Van Buren | Kinderhook Academy; Washington Seminary | None | None |
| William H. Harrison | Millfield Academy | Hampden–Sydney College (withdrew) | University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (withdrew) |
| John Tyler | College of William and Mary Preparatory School | The College of William and Mary | None |
| James K. Polk | Zion Presbyterian Church Academy; Bradley Academy | University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) | None |
| Zachary Taylor | Kean O'Hara's Academy | None | None |
| Millard Fillmore | New Hope Academy | None | None |
| Franklin Pierce | Phillips Exeter Academy | Bowdoin College | Northampton Law School (withdrew) |
| James Buchanan | Old Stone Academy | Dickinson College | None |
| Abraham Lincoln | Briefly attended schools in Kentucky and Indiana | None | None |
| Andrew Johnson | Tutored while an apprentice tailor and by his wife | None | None |
| Ulysses S. Grant | Maysville Academy | United States Military Academy | None |
| Rutherford B. Hayes | Norwalk Seminary; The Webb School | Kenyon College | Harvard Law School |
| James Garfield | Geauga Seminary | Hiram College (transferred); Williams College | None |
| Chester A. Arthur | Schenectady Lyceum and Academy | Union College | State and National Law School (did not graduate) |
| Grover Cleveland | Clinton Academy | None | None |
| Benjamin Harrison | Farmers' College | Miami University | None |
| William McKinley | Poland Academy | Allegheny College (withdrew); Mount Union College (withdrew) | Albany Law School (withdrew) |
| Theodore Roosevelt | Schooled at home by parents and private tutors | Harvard University | Columbia Law School (withdrew) (awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1882) |
| William Howard Taft | Woodward High School | Yale University | University of Cincinnati College of Law |
| Woodrow Wilson | Schooled at home by parents and private tutors | Davidson College (transferred); Princeton University | University of Virginia School of Law (withdrew); Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D.) |
| Warren G. Harding | Caledonia High School | Ohio Central College | None |
| Calvin Coolidge | Black River Academy; St. Johnsbury Academy | Amherst College | None |
| Herbert Hoover | Friends Pacific Academy | Stanford University | None |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Groton School | Harvard University | Columbia Law School (withdrew) (awarded J.D. in 2008, class of 1907) |
| Harry S. Truman | Independence High School | Spalding's Commercial College (withdrew) | Kansas City Law School (withdrew) |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | Abilene High School | United States Military Academy (West Point) | United States Army Command and General Staff College; United States Army Industrial College; United States Army War College |
| John F. Kennedy | Dexter School; The Choate School | Princeton University (transferred); Harvard University | Stanford Graduate School of Business (auditor) |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | Johnson City High School | Southwest Texas State Teachers College | Georgetown University Law Center (withdrew) |
| Richard Nixon | Whittier High School | Whittier College | Duke University School of Law |
| Gerald Ford | Grand Rapids South High School | University of Michigan | Yale Law School |
| Jimmy Carter | Plains High School | Georgia Southwestern College (transferred); Georgia Institute of Technology (transferred); United States Naval Academy | Union College (Postgraduate Nuclear Physics Course Program) |
| Ronald Reagan | Dixon High School | Eureka College | None |
| George H. W. Bush | Phillips Academy | Yale University | None |
| Bill Clinton | Hot Springs High School | Georgetown University | University of Oxford (withdrew); Yale Law School (J.D.) |
| George W. Bush | Phillips Academy | Yale University | Harvard Business School (M.B.A.) |
| Barack Obama | Punahou School | Occidental College (transferred); Columbia University | Harvard Law School (J.D.) |
| Donald Trump | New York Military Academy | Fordham University (transferred); Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania | None |
| Joe Biden | Archmere Academy | University of Delaware | Syracuse University College of Law (J.D.) |
Who is Woodrow Wilson?
Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. Before becoming president, Wilson was an academic and politician, leading Princeton University and serving as the governor of New Jersey.
A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson is known for his progressive reforms and leadership during World War I. He played a crucial role in shaping the League of Nations, an early attempt at global peacekeeping. Born in Virginia, Wilson grew up during the Civil War and later earned a Ph.D. in history and political science, making him the only U.S. president with a Ph.D. degree.
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Thomas Woodrow Wilson |
| Born | 28 December 1856, Staunton, Virginia, United States |
| Died | 3 February 1924 (age 67 years), The President Woodrow Wilson House, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Presidential Term | 4 March 1913 – 4 March 1921 |
| President Number | 28th |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Vice President | Thomas R. Marshall (1913–1921) |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Bolling Galt Wilson (m. 1915–1924), Ellen Axson Wilson (m. 1885–1914) |
| Previous Positions | President of Princeton University, Governor of New Jersey |
Woodrow Wilson Family
Woodrow Wilson married Ellen Louise Axson in 1885. Ellen was a talented artist who gave up her career to support Wilson. They had three daughters: Margaret, born in 1886; Jessie, born in 1887; and Eleanor, born in 1889.
In 1913, Jessie married Francis Bowes Sayre Sr., who became High Commissioner to the Philippines. Eleanor married William Gibbs McAdoo in 1914, who was U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Wilson and later a U.S. Senator from California. Ellen passed away in 1914, and Wilson later married Edith Bolling Galt in 1915.
