U.S. Presidents / Ulysses S. Grant

Portrait of President Ulysses S. Grant

1822 - 1885

Ulysses S. Grant

It was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training. Eighth Annual Message

Overview

Ulysses S. Grant is best known as the Union general who led the United States to victory over the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. As a two-term President, he is typically dismissed as weak and ineffective; historians have often ranked Grant's presidency near the bottom in American history. Recently, however, scholars have begun to reexamine and reassess his presidential tenure; recent rankings have reflected a significant rise. 

Fast Facts

Ulysses S. Grant
Point Pleasant, Ohio
U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York (graduated 1843)
Methodist
Soldier
Republican
“Hero of Appomattox”
August 22, 1848, to Julia Boggs Dent (1826–1902)
Frederick Dent (1850–1912), Ulysses Simpson (1852–1929), Ellen Wrenshall (1855–1922), Jesse Root (1858–1934)
18
Grant’s Tomb, New York, New York
Joan Waugh

Chicago Style

Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. “Ulysses S. Grant.” Accessed September 30, 2024. https://millercenter.org/president/grant.

Professor of History

Joan Waugh

Professor Waugh is a professor of history at the University of California, Los Angeles.