Washington - Arab Today
If Donald Trump is elected president, he will be the first to ever hold the office without government or military experience, USA Today said Wednesday.
Three others have become president without any experience in government — elected or appointed — but they served as generals in the armed forces beforehand.
Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850, became an officer in 1808 and rose to the rank of general in the United States Army, commanding forces in conflicts including the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. He became the Whig nominee and was elected president in 1848, but only served a year in office before dying in 1850.
Ulysses S. Grant, 1869-1877, a West Point graduate, led the Union to victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War. After incumbent Andrew Johnson failed to win the Democratic nomination, Grant ran and won as the Republican nominee in 1868, presiding over the early years of Reconstruction. He won a second term in 1872.
Dwight Eisenhower, 1953-1961, another West Point alum, served as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, overseeing D-Day. After the war, he served as Governor of the American Zone of occupied Germany and became the first NATO Supreme Commander in 1951. Eisenhower ran and won the presidency as a Republican in 1952 with the famous "I Like Ike" slogan and won a second term in 1956.
Source: MENA