It’s a big deal when a U.S. president — sitting or otherwise — is on campus. But did you know that 13 U.S. presidents attended UW–Madison, for a total of 59 degrees? Well, sort of …
Here are the graduation years of alumni with presidential names — and parents who either were fond of those presidents or had a sense of humor:
- John Adams has 24 degrees from the UW — 12 bachelor’s, seven master’s, one MBA, one MD, one JD, and two PhDs — from the Classes of 1934, 1935, 1947, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1990, 2002, and 2003.
- James Madison, Class of 1956
- Andrew Jackson, Class of 2005
- William Harrison, Classes of 1953 and 1974
- John Tyler, Classes of 1958 and 1969
- Andrew Johnson earned 14 degrees from the UW as part of the Classes of 1947, 1965, 1985, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
- Rutherford Hayes, Class of 1952
- William Taft, Class of 2000
- Herbert Hoover, Class of 1978
- James Buchanan, Classes of 1943, 2004, and 2013
- Harry Truman, Class of 1933
- John Kennedy, Classes of 1930, 1948, 1962, 1971, 1992, and 1993
- Gerald Ford, Class of 1975
