Seal of the President of the United States |
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The head of state of the United States is called the President,
who also serves the functions of chief executive and commander in chief
of the armed forces. By current law, the U.S. president serves a four-year
term and may only be re-elected once, as a result of the twenty-second
amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Presidential Powers
The office of president of the United States is one of the most powerful
offices of its kind in the world. The president, the Constitution says,
must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." To carry out this
responsibility, the president presides over the executive branch of the
federal government — a vast organization numbering about 4 million people,
including 1 million active-duty military personnel. In addition, the president
has important legislative and judicial powers.
Presidential Executive Powers
Within the executive branch itself, the president has broad powers to manage
national affairs and the workings of the federal government. The president
can issue rules, regulations, and instructions called executive orders,
which have the binding force of law upon federal agencies but do not require
congressional approval. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the
United States, the president may also call into federal service the state
units of the National Guard. In times of war or national emergency, the
Congress may grant the president even broader powers to manage the national
economy and protect the security of the United States. |
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The president nominates — and the Senate confirms — the heads of all executive
departments and agencies, together with hundreds of other high-ranking
federal officials. (See United States Cabinet, Executive Office of the
President.) In 2003, more than 3000 executive agency positions were subject
to presidential appointment, with more than 1200 requiring Senate approval.
The large majority of federal workers, however, are selected through the
Civil Service system, in which appointment and promotion are based on ability
and experience.
The President is also responsible for preparing the budget of the United
States, although the Congress must approve it.
Presidential Legislative Powers
Despite the constitutional provision that "all legislative powers" shall
be vested in the Congress, the president, as the chief formulator of public
policy, has a major legislative role. The president can veto any bill passed
by Congress and, unless two-thirds of the members of each house vote to
override the veto, the bill does not become law. |
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Much of the legislation dealt with by Congress is drafted at the initiative
of the executive branch. In annual and special messages to Congress, the
president may propose legislation he believes is necessary. If Congress
should adjourn without acting on those proposals, the president has the
power to call it into special session. But beyond this official role, the
president, as head of a political party and as principal executive officer
of the U.S. government, is in a position to influence public opinion and
thereby to influence the course of legislation in Congress.
To improve their working relationships with Congress, presidents in recent
years have set up a Congressional Liaison Office in the White House. Presidential
aides keep abreast of all important legislative activities and try to persuade
senators and representatives of both parties to support administration
policies. |
Presidential Judicial Powers
Among the president's constitutional powers is that of appointing important
public officials. Presidential nomination of federal judges, including
members of the Supreme Court, is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Another significant power is that of granting a full or conditional pardon
to anyone convicted of breaking a federal law — except in a case of impeachment.
The pardoning power has come to embrace the power to shorten prison terms
and reduce fines.
Presidential Powers in Foreign Affairs
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Under the Constitution, the president is the federal official primarily
responsible for the relations of the United States with foreign nations.
The president appoints ambassadors, ministers, and consuls — subject to
confirmation by the Senate — and receives foreign ambassadors and other
public officials. With the secretary of state, the president manages all
official contacts with foreign governments. On occasion, the president
may personally participate in summit conferences where chiefs of state
meet for direct consultation. Thus, President Woodrow Wilson headed the
American delegation to the Paris conference at the end of World War I;
President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Allied leaders during World War
II; and every president since then has sat down with world leaders to discuss
economic and political issues and to reach bilateral and multilateral agreements.
Through the Department of State, the president is responsible for the protection
of Americans abroad and of foreign nationals in the United States. The
president decides whether to recognize new nations and new governments,
and negotiate treaties with other nations, which become binding on the
United States when approved by two-thirds of the Senate. The president
may also negotiate "executive agreements" with foreign powers that are
not subject to Senate confirmation. |
Constraints on Presidential Power
Because of the vast array of presidential roles and responsibilities, coupled
with a conspicuous presence on the national and international scene, political
analysts have tended to place great emphasis on the president's powers.
Some have even spoken of the "the imperial presidency," referring to the
expanded role of the office that Franklin D. Roosevelt maintained during
his term.
One of the first sobering realities a new president discovers is an
inherited bureaucratic structure that can be difficult to manage and slow
to change direction. The president's power to appoint extends only to some
3,000 people out of a civilian government work force of about 3 million.
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The president finds that the machinery of government often operates independently
of presidential interventions, has done so through earlier administrations,
and will continue to do so in the future. New presidents are immediately
confronted with a backlog of decisions from the outgoing administration.
They inherit a budget formulated and enacted into law long before they
came to office, as well as major spending programs (such as veterans' benefits,
Social Security payments, and Medicare health insurance for the elderly),
which are mandated by law. In foreign affairs, presidents must conform
with treaties and informal agreements negotiated by their predecessors
in office.
As the happy euphoria of the post-election "honeymoon" dissipates, the
new president discovers that Congress has become less cooperative and the
media more critical. The president is forced to build at least temporary
alliances among diverse, often antagonistic interests — economic, geographic,
ethnic, and ideological. Compromises with Congress must be struck if any
legislation is to be adopted. "It is very easy to defeat a bill in Congress,"
lamented President John F. Kennedy. "It is much more difficult to pass
one."
Despite these constraints, every president achieves at least some of
his legislative goals and prevents by veto the enactment of other laws
he believes not to be in the nation's best interests. The president's authority
in the conduct of war and peace, including the negotiation of treaties,
is substantial. Moreover, the president can use his unique position to
articulate ideas and advocate policies, which then have a better chance
of entering the public consciousness than those held by his political rivals.
President Theodore Roosevelt called this aspect of the presidency "the
bully pulpit," for when a president raises an issue, it inevitably becomes
subject to public debate. A president's power and influence may be limited,
but they are also greater than those of any other American, in or out of
office.
Though constrained by various other laws passed by Congress, the President's
executive branch conducts most foreign policy, and his power to order and
direct troops as commander-in-chief is quite significant. (The exact limits
of what a President can do with the military without Congressional authorization
are open to debate.) |
Requirements to Hold Office
Article 2, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution sets the requirements one
must meet in order to become President:
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A natural-born citizen of the United States
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Thirty-five years of age
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Resident of the United States for 14 years.
Succession
There is a well-defined sequence of who should fill the
Presidential office, upon the death, resignation, or removal from office
(by impeachment) of a current President: This is a partial list:
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the Vice President of the United States of America
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the Speaker of the House of Representatives
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the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.
The Twenty-fifth Amendment was ratified to define how the President is
deemed incapable of discharging his powers and duties and when the Vice
President becomes Acting President.
Presidents of the United States
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George
Washington (1789-1797) (no political party)
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John
Adams (1797-1801) Federalist
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Thomas
Jefferson (1801-1809) Democratic-Republican
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James
Madison (1809-1817) Democratic-Republican
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James
Monroe (1817-1825) Democratic-Republican
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John
Quincy Adams (1825-1829) Democratic-Republican
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Andrew
Jackson (1829-1837) Democrat
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Martin
Van Buren (1837-1841) Democrat
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William Henry Harrison (1841) Whig
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John Tyler (1841-1845) Whig (Democrat on Whig ticket)
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James Knox Polk (1845-1849) Democrat
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Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) Whig
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Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) Whig
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Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) Democrat
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James Buchanan (1857-1861) Democrat
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Abraham
Lincoln (1861-1865) Republican
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Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) Republican (Democrat on Republican ticket)
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Ulysses
Simpson Grant (1869-1877) Republican
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Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1877-1881) Republican
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James Abram Garfield (1881) Republican
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Chester Alan Arthur (1881-1885) Republican
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(Stephen) Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) Democrat
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Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) Republican
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(Stephen) Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) Democrat (same as #22)
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William McKinley (1897-1901) Republican
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Theodore
Roosevelt (1901-1909) Republican
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William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Republican
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(Thomas) Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Democrat
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Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921-1923) Republican
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(John) Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) Republican
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Herbert Clark Hoover (1929-1933) Republican
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Franklin
Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) Democrat
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Harry S Truman (1945-1953) Democrat
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Dwight
David Eisenhower (1953-1961) Republican
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John
Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963) Democrat
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Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1969) Democrat
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Richard Milhous Nixon (1969-1974) Republican
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Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (1974-1977) Republican
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James Earl 'Jimmy' Carter, Jr. (1977-1981) Democrat
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Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981-1989) Republican
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George Herbert Walker Bush (1989-1993) Republican
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William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001) Democrat
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George Walker Bush (2001-present) Republican
Presidential salary and perks
Presidential Pay History
| Date established |
Salary |
| September 24, 1789 |
$ 25,000 |
| March 3, 1873 |
$ 50,000 |
| March 4, 1909 |
$ 75,000 |
| January 19, 1949 |
$100,000 |
| January 20, 1969 |
$200,000 |
| January 20, 2001 |
$400,000 |
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The first United States Congress voted to pay George Washington a salary
of $25,000 a year, a significant sum in 1789. Washington, already a successful
man, didn't take the money. Since 2001, the President has earned a salary
of $400,000 a year, modest in comparison to the multi-million dollar salaries
of most private-sector chief executive officers.
Traditionally, the President, as the most important official in the
U.S. government, is to be the highest paid government employee. Consequently,
the President's salary serves as a cap of sorts for other federal officials
such as the Chief Justice of the United States. The raise for 2001 was
approved by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1999 because other officials
who receive annual cost-of-living increases had salaries approaching the
President's. Thus, in order to raise the salaries of other federal employees,
the President's salary had to be raised to avoid surpassing the President.
Modern Presidents enjoy many non-salary perks such as living and working
in the spacious White House mansion in Washington, DC. While travelling,
the President is able to conduct all the functions of the office aboard
the specially-built Boeing 747, Air Force One. The President travels around
Washington in an armored Cadillac limousine, equipped with bullet-proof
windows and tires and a self-contained ventilation system in the event
of a biological attack. When traveling longer distances around the Washington
area, the President travels aboard the Presidential helicopter, Marine
One.
Additionally, the President has full use of Camp David in Maryland,
a sprawling retreat occasionally used as a casual setting for hosting foreign
dignitaries. At all times, the President and his family are protected by
an extensive Secret Service detail.
Presidential facts
Four U.S. Presidents have been assassinated:
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Abraham Lincoln
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James Garfield
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William McKinley
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John F. Kennedy
Four others died in office:
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William Henry Harrison
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Zachary Taylor
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Warren G. Harding
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt
One President resigned from office:
Two Presidents have been impeached, though neither was subsequently convicted:
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Andrew Johnson
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Bill Clinton
Four Presidents have been elected without a plurality of popular votes:
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John Quincy Adams - trailed Andrew Jackson by 44,804 votes
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Rutherford B. Hayes - trailed Samuel J. Tilden by 264,292 votes
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Benjamin Harrison - trailed Grover Cleveland 95,713 votes
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George W. Bush - trailed Al Gore by 540,520 votes
Two Presidents have been elected without a majority of electoral votes,
and were chosen by the House of Representatives:
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Thomas Jefferson - finished with same number of electoral votes as Aaron
Burr
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John Quincy Adams - trailed Andrew Jackson by 15 electoral votes
The President's residence is the White House.
Presidents of course had homes other than the White House. This is a
list of some of those homes:
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George Washington - Mount Vernon
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Thomas Jefferson - Monticello
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James Madison - Montpelier
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James Monroe - Ash Lawn
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W. H. Harrison - Berkeley Plantation
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John Tyler - Sherwood Forest Plantation
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Martin Van Buren - Lindenwald
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James Buchanan - Wheatland
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Rutherford Hayes - Spiegel Grove
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Grover Cleveland - Westland Mansion
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Theodore Roosevelt - Sagamore Hill
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Woodrow Wilson - Shadow Lawn
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Calvin Coolidge - The Beeches
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Franklin Roosevelt - Hyde Park
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John Kennedy - Hyannisport
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Richard Nixon - Casa Pacifica
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Ronald Reagan - Rancho Cielo
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George Bush - Walker's Point
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George W. Bush - Prairie Chapel Ranch
Presidents of the Continental Congress
There were seven Presidents of the Continental Congress prior to the ratification
of the Articles of Confederation. These men held very few powers that are
now associated with the US presidency and cannot be considered to have
been heads of state. Their primary duty was to preside over the
Congress (hence the original meaning of "president").
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Peyton Randolph (September 5 to October 21, 1774, and again from May 10
to May 23, 1775)
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Henry Middleton (October 22, 1774 to May 10, 1775)
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John Hancock (May 24, 1775 to October 30, 1777)
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Henry Laurens (November 1, 1777 to December 9, 1778)
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John Jay (December 10, 1778 to September 27, 1779)
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Samuel Huntington (September 28, 1779 to July 9, 1781)
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Thomas McKean (July 10, 1781 to November 4, 1782)
Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled
There were eight Presidents under the Articles of Confederation. These
men held few powers that are now associated with the US presidency and
cannot be considered to have been heads of state or the "Chief Executive".
These men were simply heads of government with Congress holding all executive
powers.
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John Hanson (November 5, 1781 to November 4, 1782)
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Elias Boudinot (November 4, 1782 to November 3, 1783)
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Thomas Mifflin (November 3, 1783 to June 3, 1784)
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Richard Henry Lee (November 30, 1784 to November 23, 1785)
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John Hancock (November 23, 1785 to June 6, 1786)
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Nathaniel Gorham (June 1786 to November 13, 1786)
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Arthur St. Clair (February 2, 1787 to October 29, 1787)
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Cyrus Griffin (January 22, 1788 to March 4, 1789)
Miscellaneous Information
Also, on a less serious note:
Related Articles
External Links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation
License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire
work (including additions) remains under this license. See http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html
for details. It uses material from the Wikipedia article President_of_the_United_States_of_America
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