5 U.S. Presidents Born in New York

Theodore Roosevelt speaks in Yonkers, New York, on October 17, 1910. Photo: Everett Collection / Shutterstock

When Americans talk about the states that have produced U.S. presidents, Virginia and Ohio usually receive much of the attention. New York belongs in that conversation too. Five presidents were born within the Empire State, from the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes to Manhattan and Queens.

Their New York backgrounds were strikingly different. Martin Van Buren grew up in a Dutch-speaking tavern household in Kinderhook. Millard Fillmore was born into poverty in the Finger Lakes. Theodore Roosevelt came from a wealthy Manhattan family. Franklin D. Roosevelt was born at his family’s Hudson Valley estate. Donald Trump was born in Queens and built his public profile through New York real estate and media before entering politics.

Here are the five U.S. presidents born in New York, followed by two presidents born elsewhere whose lives and political careers became deeply connected to the state.

1. Martin Van Buren – Born in Kinderhook (Columbia County)

President Martin Van Buren, who was born in Kinderhook, New York, in 1782. Photo: Everett Collection / Shutterstock

• Birth Date: December 5, 1782
• The Setting: A Dutch-speaking village tavern household in the Hudson Valley.
• The Claim to Fame: Van Buren was the first U.S. president born a citizen of the United States. Every president before him had been born before American independence.
• The New York Roots: Van Buren grew up in Kinderhook, where Dutch was the primary language in his household and his father operated a tavern that served local residents and travelers on the road between New York City and Albany. He became a major organizer of New York politics and a central figure in the Albany Regency. His nickname, “Old Kinderhook,” was used during the 1840 presidential campaign and helped popularize the expression “OK,” although the term itself had appeared earlier as an abbreviation for “oll korrect.”

2. Millard Fillmore – Born in Summerhill (Cayuga County)

President Millard Fillmore, who was born in Cayuga County, New York, in 1800. Photo: Mathew B. Brady / Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

• Birth Date: January 7, 1800
• The Setting: A log cabin in what was then Locke and is now Summerhill in Cayuga County.
• The Claim to Fame: Fillmore rose from a childhood of severe poverty to become the 13th president of the United States.
• The New York Roots: Fillmore spent much of his youth working on his family farm and was apprenticed as a teenager to the textile trade. With limited formal schooling, he educated himself, later studied law in Montville, and eventually moved west to Buffalo. He became one of the founders of the University at Buffalo and served as its first chancellor. He was also instrumental in founding the Buffalo Historical Society and several other civic institutions in the city.

3. Theodore Roosevelt – Born in Manhattan (New York County)

President Theodore Roosevelt. Photo: Everett Collection / Shutterstock

• Birth Date: October 27, 1858
• The Setting: A brownstone townhouse at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan.
• The Claim to Fame: Roosevelt became the youngest person ever to assume the presidency, taking office at age 42 after President William McKinley died from wounds suffered in an assassination in Buffalo.
• The New York Roots: Roosevelt was born into a wealthy New York family and suffered from severe asthma as a child. His early political career was closely tied to the state: he served in the New York State Assembly, on the New York City Board of Police Commissioners, and as Governor of New York. In 1900, New York Republican leaders supported moving him from the governorship to the vice-presidential ticket. He became president the following year after McKinley’s death.

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt – Born in Hyde Park (Dutchess County)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Photo: FDR Presidential Library & Museum, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• Birth Date: January 30, 1882
• The Setting: Springwood, his family’s estate overlooking the Hudson River in Hyde Park.
• The Claim to Fame: Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president four times, the only person in U.S. history to win four presidential elections.
• The New York Roots: Roosevelt grew up at Springwood and maintained Hyde Park as his home throughout his life. Before entering the White House, he served in the New York State Senate and then two terms as Governor of New York. During the Great Depression, his administration created the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration, one of the major state relief programs that helped shape elements of the later New Deal.

5. Donald J. Trump – Born in Queens (Queens County)

Official portrait of President Donald Trump. Photo: Shealah Craighead / White House, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

• Birth Date: June 14, 1946
• The Setting: Jamaica Hospital in Queens, with his childhood spent in Jamaica Estates.
• The Claim to Fame: Trump is the 45th and 47th president of the United States and was the first person elected president without previous government or military service.
• The New York Roots: Trump was raised in Queens as the son of real estate developer Fred Trump and later expanded his business activity into Manhattan. Projects associated with his New York career included the redevelopment of the Commodore Hotel into the Grand Hyatt, Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, and the renovation and operation of Wollman Rink. His public identity before entering electoral politics was closely associated with New York real estate and media.

Two Presidents Born Elsewhere with Deep New York Ties

Grover Cleveland – Born in Caldwell, New Jersey

Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey, but moved with his family to western New York as a child. He lived in Fayetteville and Clinton before settling in Buffalo in 1855, where he studied law and built his legal and political career. Cleveland served as Erie County sheriff, Mayor of Buffalo, and Governor of New York before becoming the 22nd president of the United States. He later returned to the White House as the 24th president, becoming the first president to serve two nonconsecutive terms.

Chester A. Arthur – Born in Fairfield, Vermont

Chester A. Arthur was born in Fairfield, Vermont, but his education and political career became strongly connected to New York. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, served in the New York State Militia during the Civil War, became active in New York Republican politics, and served as Collector of the Port of New York. After President James A. Garfield died in September 1881, Arthur took the presidential oath at 2:15 a.m. in the front parlor of his home at 123 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

Quick Reference: New York and the Presidency

Sources

• National Park Service — Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
• Library of Congress — Martin Van Buren Timeline
• Merriam-Webster — History of “OK” and Old Kinderhook
• Library of Congress — Millard Fillmore Resource Guide
• University at Buffalo — Millard Fillmore
• National Park Service — Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
• National Park Service — Theodore Roosevelt Biography
• FDR Presidential Library — Franklin D. Roosevelt Biography
• National Park Service — FDR, Springwood, and TERA
• The White House — Donald J. Trump
• History — Donald Trump Biography
• ABC News — Donald Trump Birth Record and Jamaica Hospital
• Library of Congress — Grover Cleveland Timeline
• Library of Congress — Chester A. Arthur and the Presidential Oath

For more New York civic and political history, read How New York City Once Served as the Capital of the United States. Readers interested in the buildings connected to New York government can also visit our look at New York’s Gracie Mansion.