The Least Educated U.S. Presidents According to Conservatives and Liberals

However, the educational achievements of former US presidents have been a subject of debate. Here, we present the ten least educated former POTUS’ according to both Conservatives and Liberals, many of whom guided the nation without a college degree.

Born close to the Ohio River in Kentucky, Taylor’s parents were immigrants with little to no education. His region had no formal schools, so his early handwriting is often described as “that of a near illiterate.” However, he would go on to have a forty-year career in the military, and his success led to his promotion to Major General in 1846.

At the same time, he met his wife, Eliza McCardle, who later helped him learn basic reading, grammar, and mathematical skills. However, his education is still considered unorthodox for a president, as he never received a college degree or went to law school.

While Monroe initially studied at college, he later dropped out in 1775 to join the Continental Army. Monroe never received a college education. However, he would go on to become the fifth President of the US, serving from 1817 until 1825.

As a child, he received some education from one-room schoolhouses. At 14, he became an apprentice to a cloth maker, and half a decade later, he found himself at New Hope Academy, the college he had left after just six months. He did eventually study law and became an attorney in 1823.

He got a job teaching at the New York Institute for the Blind but left less than a year later. Several years later, he found himself working for the law firm Rogers, Bowen, and Rogers, who helped him pass the bar exam in 1859. Despite his lack of college education or degree, he eventually became the 31st governor of New York and then the 24th POTUS.

After the war, however, Jackosn decided to study law in North Carolina and passed the bar exam in 1787. In 1801, he became the commander of the Tennessee militia and led his forces to numerous victories, becoming a national hero in the process. Two decades later, Jackson became the president of the US and served for two consecutive terms.

The Fairfax family later taught Washington science and mathematics. Despite his hardships, in 1789, he became the first President of the United States.

Unfortunately, his father died the same year, and Harrison was forced to drop out of college as he could no longer afford the tuition. This led him to join the US Army. He served for seven years and then went on to have a successful political career. In 1841, he became the nation’s ninth POTUS.

Truman attended Spalding’s Commercial College to study business. However, they later dropped out after one semester. In 1923, he tried again, attending night classes at Kansas City School of Law, and dropped out a second time. Nonetheless, he became president after the death of FDR in 1945 and served until 1953.

Lincoln was determined to make something of his life despite his lack of formal education. He began studying the law; however, he never received a degree. Lincoln spent eight years in the Illinois legislature and officially became president on March 4, 1861.

More than ten former commanders-in-chief became the POTUS without any formal degree, and many of them are remembered as valiant and memorable leaders.