U.S. presidents and their places of birth: (Top row, from left) Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), Abraham Lincoln (Kentucky), Ulysses S. Grant (Ohio), Barack Obama (Hawaii), (Bottom row from left) Grover Cleveland (New Jersey), Franklin D. Roosevelt (New York), George W. Bush (Connecticut), John F. Kennedy (Massachusetts) (AP Photos)
Virginia and Ohio top the list when it comes to the number of U.S. presidents each state has produced.
Virginia has produced eight presidents, including some of the nation’s earliest leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. The seven presidents who hailed from Ohio include Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield. It’s possible Ohio could tie Virginia — if Republican John Kasich succeeds in his bid for the presidency.
Four presidents have come from New York. The Big Apple could add another number to its tally by the end of this election cycle since both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders hail from New York City, although Sanders is now a senator from Vermont.
Presidential hopefuls Democrats Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with Republican Donald Trump, all have ties to New York. (AP Photos)
As with presidential hopeful Sanders, many of the presidents’ places of birth are not necessarily the states with which they are primarily affiliated.
For example, George W. Bush was governor of Texas but he was born in Connecticut. And, although Abraham Lincoln was a Congressman from Illinois, his place of birth was Kentucky.
Virginia was the wealthiest and most populous state in country’s earliest days which helps explains why so many of the young nation’s first few leaders came from there.
However, the state’s influence has waned considerably; the last U.S. president from Virginia was Woodrow Wilson, who served from 1913 to 1921.
Ohio was considered a more central state back when it was a pipeline to the presidency. The politicians produced by the Buckeye state tended to be more moderate, making them more attractive candidates for national office. However, Ohio has not birthed a president since Warren Harding, who governed from 1921 until 1923 (before dying of an apparent heart attack).
By contrast, both New York and Massachusetts — which each produced four presidents — continue to have a lasting influence in modern-day national politics. George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) and John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) were both born in Massachusetts. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) was the last commander in chief from New York. Not only do Trump and Sanders have New York ties, but so does Hillary Clinton, who was born in Illinois, but served as a U.S. senator from New York.
Business Insider put together this map and graphic of the birthplaces of all 43 U.S. presidents.
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