Presidents from 2000 to today

Our presidents have come from a wide selection of backgrounds. Many have been lawyers, others were soldiers, a few were teachers, and some were businessmen. Check out the presidents by clicking on the years you want:

Presidents from 1850-1900
Presidents from 1900-1950
Presidents from 1950-2000
Presidents from 2000-today

George W. Bush: 43rd (2001-2009)

1.      He was born in Connecticut on July 6, 1946 but he was raised in Texas.

2.      His father was George H. W. Bush, our former president.

3.      He graduated Yale University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1975.

4.      He served in the Texas Air National Guard from 1968-1974.

5.      He married Laura Welch in 1977 and they have two daughters.

6.      He went into the oil business and worked there for ten years.

7.      He worked as a campaign advisor for his father’s presidential campaign.

8.      In 1994 he ran for governor of Texas and won.

9.      He served as governor for two terms.

10.   He ran for president in 2000 against Al Gore. The election was extremely close and a recount was ordered.

11.   He was the first president to win the election but not the popular vote.

12.   He began to cut spending and Congress agreed - $1.3 trillion cut was approved.

13.   In 2002 – No Child Left Behind was signed – which required testing of students and federal aid would be dispersed based on the results of standardized tests.

14.   September 11, 2001 occurred as the attacks were made on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the White House (but the people on board took over and the plane crashed in Pennsylania).

15.   USA Patriot Act was passed on October 26, 2001 – giving law enforcement the freedom to search email, telephone, and financial and medical records.

16.   The War on Terrorism started and forces were sent to Afghanistan and Taliban leaders – Osama bin Laden.

17.   The claim of WMD was never confirmed but troops were sent to Iraq – a war that lasted beyond his presidency.

18.   He left office in 2009, having lost to Barack Obama.

19.   He returned to Crawford, Texas with his wife.

Barack Obama: 44th (2009-present)

1.      He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961.

2.      His parents divorced and his mother married Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian student, and he moved with his mother to Indonesia.

3.      In 1971 he moved back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents.

4.      He attended Occidental College but transferred to Columbia University in New York where he graduated in 1983.

5.      He moved to Chicago and worked as a community organizer.

6.      He attended Harvard Law School and got a law degree in 1991.

7.      He taught law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004.

8.      He also practiced law at a law firm in Chicago.

9.      He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1997 and served until 2004.

10.   He ran for the US Senate in 2003 and won by a landslide.

11.   He ran against Hilary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president.

12.   He ran against John McCain for president in 2008 and won.

13.   He became the first African American president.

14.   He signed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program giving health care to children.

15.   He signed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010.

16.   The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in 2009.