There are a lot of interesting facts about Presidents’ Day, including the fact that this federal holiday is actually called Washington’s Birthday pursuant to 5 US Code 6103 and is observed on the third Monday in February as established by Public Law 90-361 (82 Stat 250). Talking about George Washington, did you know that he was the only president in American History unanimously elected? Meaning all of the state representatives voted for him. (More Fun Facts Here.)
This year, we want to seize the occasion to discuss a very interesting fact – did you know that over half of all U.S. Presidents were lawyers? In fact, twenty-seven (27) U.S. Presidents out of forty-six (46) were lawyers, including the current U.S. President Joe Biden. That is, nearly 60% of U.S. Presidents come from the legal profession. Below we discuss some stories of U.S. Presidents who were once lawyers before taking office.
For those who are counting along, the following presidents were lawyers:
- John Adams (1797-1801);
- Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809);
- James Monroe (1817-1825);
- John Quincy Adams (1825-1829);
- Andrew Jackson (1829-1837);
- Martin Van Buren (1837-1841);
- John Tyler (1841-1845);
- James Knox Polk (1845-1849);
- Millard Fillmore (1850-1853);
- Franklin Pierce (1853-1857);
- James Buchanan (1857-1861);
- Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865);
- Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881);
- James A. Garfield (1881);
- Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885);
- Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 and 1893-1897);
- Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893);
- William McKinley (1897-1901);
- William Howard Taft (1909-1913);
- Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921);
- Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929);
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945);
- Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974);
- Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977);
- William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001);
- Barack Obama (2009-2017);
- Joe Biden (2021-)(source for the list: American Bar Association)
John Adams and the Boston Massacre Case
John Adams was able to leverage his legal practice into a career in public service. In 1770, he famously defended the British soldiers who had been involved in the Boston Massacre, a controversial incident where panicked soldiers had fired into the crowd while being attacked by an angry mob.
Despite his dislike of many policies enacted in the Colonies by the British government, Adams felt that it would be unfair for the soldiers to be convicted solely on anti-British sentiment. He believed the soldiers had acted in self-defense and defended them passionately.
He would later go on to serve as a prominent member of the Continental Congress, Vice President under President Washington, and eventually as the 2nd President of the United States. [Read More about John Adams and the Boston Massacre Trials]
Abraham Lincoln and the Missing Murder Victim
Prior to serving as the 16th President, Lincoln practiced law in Springfield, Illinois, where he represented a variety of different clients. In 1841, he served as a defense attorney in the bizarre Trailor brothers’ murder trial.
In May 1841, William Trailor travelled to Springfield, Illinois, where he planned to reunite with his brothers Henry and Archibald. Joining him was his friend, Archibald Fisher. In Springfield, the men decided to go for a walk after lunch and as the afternoon wore on, the brothers somehow lost sight of Fisher. Long story short, Fisher went missing.
Within days, all of the Trailor brothers would be arrested and charged with the disappearance and murder of Archibald Fisher. Henry Trailor confessed the murder and by June 18, 1841 the murder trial had already begun. While the case seems straightforward, the defense had a secret weapon – a 32-year-old lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln called his one and only witness to the stand, Dr. Robert Gilmore, who proceeded to drop a bombshell: Fisher was alive and staying in his home. The courtroom murmured in shock. Dr. Gilmore explained that Fisher had suffered from a terrible bout of memory loss and had no recollection of his time in Springfield.
All the charges would be dropped and the men’s lives spared. “We have had the highest state of excitement here for a week past that our community has ever witnessed,” Lincoln would write after the trial. What a plot twist. [Read More about the Trailor’s Murder Trial]
A Variety of Lawyer Presidents
From law professors, to litigators, to Supreme Court advocates, lawyers have served in the highest office for over 130 years and brought with them a variety of legal experiences. Taft, Wilson, Clinton, and Obama all had a special understanding of their Article II powers as former constitutional law scholars. According to the ABA, Harrison, Taft, Quincy Adams, Polk, Garfield, Cleveland, Nixon, and Lincoln all argued before the Supreme Court. Taft, in addition to being the 27th president, served as Chief Justice of the nation’s top court. Other presidents were prolific attorneys. John Adams, for example, was one of the foremost American litigators, and Lincoln drew on legal insights amassed from the staggering 5,000+ cases in which he was involved.
Of course, U.S. Presidents should have the minimum educational requirements to run for office and all presidents since 1953 have actually had bachelor degrees or higher. But in the end, the results are what matter the most. Whether lawyer or businessman, the character should speak the most. Perhaps it could be a hint that other fields should start accepting applicants based on what they can do instead of what they have done? To be continued.
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