United States Presidents and control of Congress

In United States history, the degree to which the President's political party has control over the House of Representatives and Senate often determines his political strength - such as the ability to pass sponsored legislation, ratify treaties, and have Cabinet members and judges approved. Moreover, it appears to have a strong effect on his historical ranking, especially in conjunction with years served and number of elections won.

Control of the U.S. Senate:1855-2010

Of the top 18 presidents in the 2000 Wall Street Journal poll, all had:

• both houses for 100% of their time in office except, of the top six, Washington, and of the remaining twelve, Adams, James Polk, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.
• the House for at least 75% of their time in office except Polk, Eisenhower and Reagan.
• the Senate for at least 75% of their time in office except Adams, Cleveland and Eisenhower.
• won two elections and/or served more than four years except Adams, Polk and John F. Kennedy.

Also, all full-term presidents who controlled both houses are included except Martin Van Buren, Calvin Coolidge and Jimmy Carter.

Many presidents' elections produced what is known as a coattail effect, in which the success of a presidential candidate also leads to electoral success for other members of his or her party. In fact, all newly-elected presidents except Zachary Taylor, Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush were accompanied by control of at least one house of Congress.

Other ways of referring to "control of the Congress", include "majority party in power," "composition of each chamber", "history of the House of Representatives", "composition of Congress", "control of Congress timeline," "control of Congress through the years," "main party in power" and "historical control or power of the Senate."

Emphasized relationship of main table

Rank	President	Percent of time controlling House	Percent of time controlling Senate	Won re-election or served more than four years
1	George Washington	75	100	Yes
2	Abraham Lincoln	100	100	Yes
3	Franklin Roosevelt	100	100	Yes
4	Thomas Jefferson	100	100	Yes
5	Theodore Roosevelt	100	100	Yes
6	Andrew Jackson	100	100	Yes
7	Harry Truman	75	75	Yes
8	Ronald Reagan	0	75	Yes
9	Dwight Eisenhower	25	25	Yes
10	Woodrow Wilson	75	75	Yes
11	James Polk	50	100	No (chose not to seek reelection for health reasons)
12	Grover Cleveland	75	50	Yes
13	John Quincy Adams	100	50	No
14	William McKinley	100	100	Yes
15	James Madison	100	100	Yes
16	James Monroe	100	100	Yes
17	John F. Kennedy	100	100	No (assassinated)
18	Lyndon Johnson	100	100	Yes
Rank	President	Percent of time controlling House	Percent of time controlling Senate	Won re-election or served more than four years

Comparing presidential ranking with congressional control and terms won/served

#	President	Party	House with (years)	Senate with (years)	House opposed (years)	Senate opposed (years)	Years served	Elections won	Ranking in CSPAN 2009 poll
1	George Washington	Federalist-leaning	6	8	2	0	8	2	02
2	John Adams	Federalist	4	4	0	0	4	1	17
3	Thomas Jefferson	Democratic-Republican	8	8	0	0	8	2	07
4	James Madison	D-R	8	8	0	0	8	2	20
5	James Monroe	D-R	8	8	0	0	8	2	14
6	John Quincy Adams	D-R	2	2	2	2	4	1	19
7	Andrew Jackson	Democratic	8	8	0	0	8	2	13
8	Martin Van Buren	Democratic	4	4	0	0	4	1	31
9	William Henry Harrison	Whig	–	–	0	0	–	1	39
10	John Tyler	Whig/none	2	4	2	0	4	0	35
11	James K. Polk	Democratic	2	4	2	0	4	1	12
12	Zachary Taylor	Whig	0	0	1	1	1	1	29
13	Millard Fillmore	Whig	0	0	3	3	3	0	37
14	Franklin Pierce	Democratic	2	4	2	0	4	1	40
15	James Buchanan	Democratic	2	4	2	0	4	1	42
16	Abraham Lincoln	Republican	4	4	0	0	4	2	01
17	Andrew Johnson	Democratic	0	0	4	4	4	0	41
18	Ulysses S. Grant	Republican	6	8	2	0	8	2	23
19	Rutherford B. Hayes	Republican	0	2	4	2	4	1	33
20	James Garfield	Republican	–	–	0	0	–	1	28
21	Chester A. Arthur	Republican	2	4	2	0	4	0	32
22, 24	Grover Cleveland	Democratic	6	4	2	4	8	2	21
23	Benjamin Harrison	Republican	2	4	2	0	4	1	30
25	William McKinley	Republican	4	4	0	0	4	2	16
26	Theodore Roosevelt	Republican	8	8	0	0	8	1	04
27	William Howard Taft	Republican	2	4	2	0	4	1	24
28	Woodrow Wilson	Democratic	6	6	2	2	8	2	09
29	Warren G. Harding	Republican	2	2	0	0	2	1	38
30	Calvin Coolidge	Republican	6	6	0	0	6	1	26
31	Herbert Hoover	Republican	2	4	2	0	4	1	34
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Democratic	12	12	0	0	12	4	03
33	Harry S. Truman	Democratic	6	6	2	2	8	1	05
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Republican	2	2	6	6	8	2	08
35	John F. Kennedy	Democratic	3	3	0	0	3	1	06
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	Democratic	5	5	0	0	5	1	11
37	Richard Nixon	Republican	0	0	6	6	6	2	27
38	Gerald R. Ford	Republican	0	0	2	2	2	0	22
39	Jimmy Carter	Democratic	4	4	0	0	4	1	25
40	Ronald Reagan	Republican	0	6	8	2	8	2	10
41	George H. W. Bush	Republican	0	0	4	4	4	1	18
42	Bill Clinton	Democratic	2	2	6	6	8	2	15
43	George W. Bush	Republican	6	4	2	4	8	2	36
44	Barack Obama	Democratic	2	6	4	0	4	2	n/a
#	President	Party	House with (years)	Senate with (years)	House opposed (years)	Senate opposed (years)	Years served	Elections won	Ranking in CSPAN 2009 poll

See also

• Divided government
• Party divisions of United States Congresses