This unparalleled, fully updated reference book is a detailed guide to the 47 personages to have held the highest-ranking political office in the United States government. The book opens with a brief history of the events that led to the Thirteen Colonies declaring independence from Britain. It recounts the details of how a new union of states was forged and a system of government established in which the head of state would be checked and balanced by the Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court. As ceremonial head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the office of president is one of the most powerful and influential in the world. Beginning with George Washington, the author provides a factual analysis of each of the men who have held high office, and how each has shaped the presidency and been defined by the role. Many have become synonymous with major events of world history, for example, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, Teddy Roosevelt and the building of the Panama Canal, and Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. Some presidents have disappeared quietly from public life, while others have courted controversy, or have been infamously indicted, impeached, or assassinated. Key facts about each president, their term in office and their life story are presented within the context of the domestic and international events of the time. More than 500 contemporary photographs, fine-art paintings, and maps help to provide a visual account for each presidency, making this book a valuable reference source for every reader interested in the social and political history of the United States.