Which Presidents Are in Your Wallet? The Faces of US Dollar Bills

As with any nation, the United States currency serves a dual purpose as the country’s medium of exchange and a tangible link to the nation’s rich history. Among the iconic leaders who best exemplify the country’s legacy are some of the nation’s most celebrated presidents. From George Washington on the $1 bill to Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 note, the portraits staring at us from within our wallets honor the nation’s leaders whose leadership and vision have left an undeniable mark on United States history.

As the first president of the United States, George Washington’s image has arguably always been synonymous with American leadership since the nation’s inception—a status only solidified by his portrayal of the $1 bill, the nation’s most commonly used denomination. The former general, more widely known as the “Father of His Country,” played pivotal roles in the American Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States.

As the United States’ first commander-in-chief, he led a ragtag group of soldiers to victory against the more formidable British forces. Following the conflict, Washington was unanimously elected his nation’s first president. He would forever be known for setting several precedents for those that followed, including a two-term tradition, a cabinet system of advisors, and the tradition of inaugural addresses to the nation.

While local state banks placed Washington’s likeness on their locally printed currency, the Founding Father’s image standardization across all federally issued $1 bills took a similar road to all others on this list. The $1 bill was first issued during the Civil War in 1862. Known at the time as a United States Note or a Legal Tender Note and meant to address the coin shortage and stabilize the national currency, the note first featured Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln’s Secretary of Treasury. The First president would not appear on the bill until 1869, when the Federal government introduced a new series of notes, and even then, it looked nothing like we are used to today. That design showed Washington on the left side of the bill with a sword and shield-armed figure representing “Victory” on the right.

It would not be until the introduction of Silver Certificates in 1878 that Washington would genuinely become synonymous with the $1 bill. The premise behind the new certificates (produced until 1968) was their representation of a specific amount of bullion held in the US Treasury. In essence, each bill, or certificate, was a federal government’s promise that its holder could exchange it for its equal value of silver dollars.

While Washington was once again prominent on the note, in 1886, the $1 Silver Certificate also featured his wife, Martha Washington. To this day, she is the only woman ever depicted on US paper currency as the central figure. Eventually, the currency was redesigned twice, first in 1923 into large-size notes and then again in 1929 into traditional smaller-size notes. The currency now officially placed George Washington as the prominent face on the $1 bill.

The transition to the Federal Reserve Notes and the complete elimination of the Silver Certificate’s convertibility into silver in 1968 cemented the design with George Washington prominently on the front, the bald eagle, and the pyramid with the Eye of Providence on the back, where it remains to this day.

Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the United States’ third president, does not need an introduction. Although his legacy has more recently been highlighted for the man’s paradox of owning enslaved people while touting America’s ideals of liberty and equality, Jefferson is still celebrated mainly for his contributions to the United States’ history. Apart from drafting the nation’s founding document, Jefferson oversaw the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the nation’s size, and established the University of Virginia, a pioneering institution focusing on independent thought.

As with the $1 bill, the first $2 banknotes were introduced in 1862 as part of the Legal Tender Act, which allowed the federal government to print paper currency to finance the war effort. The original $2 note featured not Thomas Jefferson but the first Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton (who would later get his own prominent place on the $10 bill).

The third president’s first appearance came in 1869 with the introduction of the new note series. Jefferson’s portrait and the accompanying US Capitol on the back would remain on the bill through the large note and Silver Certificate reiterations until Jefferson’s plantation home in Monticello appeared on the reverse side during the transition to a smaller bill size in 1928.

Apart from a few minor changes, the $2 bill’s biggest alteration came during the nation’s 1976 Bicentennial Celebration, which replaced Monticello with a new engraving of John Trumbull’s painting, Declaration of Independence. Because the bill today is printed in lesser quantities than all others, reflecting its lesser demand in circulation, it is now seen more as a curiosity and a collectible than actual currency.

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most revered figures in American history; thus, it was no surprise that his image would grace national currency. The main difference is that while all others had long moved on from the presidency (except Ulysses S. Grant) or were long dead before their likeness appeared on respective bills, Lincoln was the sitting president when he first appeared on the $5 note in 1862. The American Civil War defined the sixteenth president’s time in office, an event which he played a large role in ending while simultaneously preserving the union and leading to the abolishment of slavery.

Like the bills mentioned before, the United States Treasury first issued the $5 note during the war in 1861. Like the $2 bill, the $5 note also depicted an image of Alexander Hamilton. Since 1862, Lincoln’s face has become the banknote’s staple, apart from a brief period during the early Silver Certificate era.

Introduced in 1886, the new $5 Silver Certificates portrayed Ulysses S. Grant, the victorious Union General from the Civil War, and Running Antelope, a Native American chief. The latter was best known for the Treaty of 1868, which he signed on behalf of the Lakota people in a forward-thinking step toward peace. Although celebrated as a skilled diplomat, orator, and supporter of peaceful coexistence with white settlers, the American government would eventually prove him wrong by breaking all the treaty’s promises, leading to renewed conflict. The latter was partially responsible for Abraham Lincoln’s return to the $5 note in 1899, reaffirming his place on the currency. Lincoln’s image remained unchanged through the shift from larger-sized notes to their smaller counterpart in 1929, with only his Memorial in Washington DC being introduced on the reverse side.

Perhaps the most discussed banknote on this list recently is the $20 bill, mainly because of calls for its redesign to better showcase America’s new, more inclusive history, especially that of women and minorities.

President Andrew Jackson, a complex figure in American history, is both revered and vilified. Elected in 1828, Jackson was viewed and referred to as the “People’s President” because of his appeal to the “common man.” Throughout his presidency, known as “Jacksonian Democracy,” the Tennessee man emphasized individual liberty, limited government, and expanded suffrage to white men. Yet, where he is celebrated for expanding democratic participation, his forced removal of Native American tribes and lack of opportunities for women and minorities at the time, whom he overlooked in his quest to bring equality to the “common man,” severely tarnished his legacy.

Whereas before Jackson, the $20 bill in circulation since 1863 featured Alexander Hamilton and symbolic imagery of liberty, the US Treasury chose the seventh president’s image in 1875, touting his influence on American politics. When the United States government expanded its Gold Certificate initiative, with money in circulation representing a specific amount of gold held by the Treasury, James Garfield, recently assassinated, briefly replaced Jackson on the $20 note in 1882. Ironically, while the Gold Certificate $20 bills featured Garfield, other, non-gold backed National Bank Notes and United States Notes still depicted the seventh president. By 1905, Jackson would once again be the only image on the front of all $20 notes in circulation.

As Jackson’s policies toward Native Americans and his pro-slavery stance have more recently clashed with new American societal norms and morals, the calls for having him replaced on the $20 bill led the US Treasury to announce in 2016 its plans for a redesign. The plan calls for moving President Jackson to the back of the bill while placing Harriet Tubman, the famous abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad, on the front. As of this writing, the redesign has been delayed countless times.

Ulysses S. Grant, who graces the largest currency denomination depicting an American president, is a towering figure in American history, known for his military genius and failed presidency. Grant’s claim to fame and reasoning for being included in US currency stems more from the former than the latter, as he first appeared on the $50 before he took office. As the Union General during the Civil War, Grant’s unwavering determination and strategic acumen were instrumental in defeating the Confederacy and ending the bloody conflict. While he has more recently been praised for his stance on rebuilding the nation and ensuring equal rights for newly freed slaves during his presidency, his administration was plagued by many of his appointees’ corruption scandals.

Ulysses S. Grant first appeared on the $50 note in 1869, the year he became president, his portrait replacing that of, once more, Alexander Hamilton. Reflecting his rising status as a national hero, his inclusion on the banknote while he was still alive and not yet the nation’s commander-in-chief only helped solidify him as one of America’s most popular and revered figures. While his presidency was lackluster compared to his battlefield genius, the US Treasury decided to stick with the eighteenth president, transitioning his likeness to the Federal Reserve Notes and later to their smaller version in 1929. Just as Grant’s memorial as the General of the Union forces stands before the steps of the US Capitol in Washington DC, the home of the American Congress graces the back of his $50 bill.