Currency and the US Presidents

All 38 deceased US Presidents from George Washington through Ronald Reagan have appeared on US coin or paper currency as of May 5, 2020. George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018, is slated to be honored in 2020 under the US Mint’s Presidential $1 Coin Program.

By law (US Code, Title 31, Section 5114(b)), “only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency.” The Secretary of the Treasury generally has the final say on currency design, unless an act of Congress specifies otherwise.

Paper currency currently in production bear portraits of presidents George Washington ($1 bill), Thomas Jefferson ($2), Abraham Lincoln ($5), Andrew Jackson ($20), and Ulysses S. Grant ($50 bill). While Alexander Hamilton and Ben Franklin are featured on the $10 and $100 bills, neither man held the office of President of the United States.

Coins

Paper

Following various failed legislative efforts to include Ronald Reagan’s image on US currency, Reagan was commemorated as the final president in the Presidential $1 Coin Program that ran from 2007 to 2016.

Presidents have also frequently appeared on gold and silver certificates, notes that could be exchanged for the amount in gold or silver, but are not listed in this resource as they were not legal tender currency.

Non-Presidents who have appeared on US currency include Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, US Secretary of Treasury Salmon Chase, American suffragist Susan B. Anthony, and Shoshone interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition Sacagawea.

For more presidential history, see ProCon.org’s “Presidential Election History: 1789-2016” resource.

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Penny

The first president to be depicted on a coin, Abraham Lincoln has been used on the penny’s obverse (heads side) since 1909 when, in honor of his 100th birthday, Lincoln’s portrait replaced the Indian Head image (used since 1859). The portrait of Lincoln used on the 2020 penny is the same image designed by Victor David Brenner for the 1909 penny.

The reverse (tails side) of the Lincoln penny was a sheave of wheat on either side of the words “One Cent” until 1959 when the image was changed to an image of the Lincoln Memorial designed by Frank Gasparro in honor of Lincoln’s 150th birthday. The Lincoln Memorial was used until 2009 when the US Mint released four different reverse images for Lincoln’s bicentennial (200th birthday).

In 2009, in celebration of Lincoln’s bicentennial (200th birthday) the US Mint released four reverse (tails side) designed to replace the Lincoln Memorial penny, which ran from 1959 to 2008. The Bicentennial One Cent Program also marked the 100th anniversary of the original Lincoln penny, released in 1909.

Per the US Mint, the reverse images represent four major aspects of Lincoln’s life. Lincoln’s “Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky (1809-1816)’ were represented by a small log cabin like the one Lincoln was born in on Feb. 12, 1809 designed by Richard Masters. His “Formative Years in Indiana (1816-1830)” were shown as a young woodcutter Lincoln reading on a log designed by Charles Vickers. Lincoln standing outside the Illinois State House represents his “Professional Life in Illinois (1830-1861)” designed by Joel Iskowitz. And, finally, the US Capitol Building’s dome under construction depicts Lincoln’s “Presidency in Washington, D.C. (1861-1865)” designed by Susan Gamble.

As of 2020, the reverse is the Union Shield design that represents Lincoln’s efforts to unify the country.

Related Content: Should the Penny Stay in Circulation? – Top 3 Pros & Cons

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Nickel

Thomas Jefferson was first shown on the obverse (heads side) of the nickel in 1938 with Monticello, Jefferson’s home in Virginia, on the reverse (tails side), replacing the Buffalo nickel (1913-1938).

Designed by Felix Schlag, the Jefferson nickel ran until 2003, when the Mint commemorated the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition in 2004 with the first two coins in the Westward Journey Nickel series. That series also included an American Bison and an Ocean in View nickel in 2005. In 2006, the last coin in the Westward Journey series returned Jefferson and Monticello to the nickel.

The 2006 “Return to Monticello” nickel portrait designed by Jamie Franki shows then Vice President Jefferson in 1800 just before becoming President. The reverse was designed by Felix Schlag for the 1938 nickel but with added detail to restore Schlag’s original work.

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Dime

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s portrait first appeared on the obverse (heads side) of the dime on what would have been his 64th birthday, Jan. 30, 1946, soon after his death on Apr. 12, 1945. The dime was considered an appropriate coin to honor the late President because of his support of the March of Dimes, an organization that then raised money to find a cure for polio, which afflicted President Roosevelt since he contracted it at 39 years old.

Roosevelt’s image replaced Mercury dime, which depicted Lady Liberty with wings on her head (1916-1945). The reverse (tails side) of the Roosevelt dime has a torch representing liberty with an olive branch depicting peace on the left and an oak branch depicting strength and independence on the right.

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Quarter

George Washington first appeared on the quarter’s obverse (heads side) in 1932, the bicentennial of his birth, with an eagle on the reverse (tails side). Washington’s image replaced the Standing Liberty quarter and had the same design through 1975. In 1975 and 1976, the eagle on the reverse was replaced with an image of a colonial drummer and victory torch encircled by stars representing the original 13 colonies designed by John Flannagan.

Beginning in 1999, the reverse of the quarter changed five times a year through 2008 for the 50 State Quarters Program. In 2009, the reverse changed six times for the District of Columbia and US Territories Program. From 2010 through 2020, the reverse of the quarter changed five times a year for the America the Beautiful Program, which depicted national parks and other sites with a final coin issued in 2021.

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Half Dollar

John F. Kennedy was commemorated on the half-dollar in 1964 following his assassination in 1963. The image of Kennedy, sculpted by Gilroy Roberts, is the same image used for Kennedy’s presidential medal. The reverse (tails side) of the Kennedy half-dollar is based on the Presidential Seal and shows an eagle with a shield, olive branch, and 13 arrows surrounded by a ring of 50 stars. While Kennedy half-dollars are minted each year, they are part of annual coin sets and not released into circulation.

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Dollar Coin

The first president to appear on the dollar coin was Dwight D. Eisenhower (1971-1978). The reverse (tails side) was designed by Frank Gasparro to mimic the Apollo 11 mission insignia designed by astronaut Michael Collins and depicted an eagle carrying an olive branch landing on the moon.

From 2007 through 2015, four US Presidents were depicted per year in chronological order on the obverse (heads side) of the dollar coin. The program ended in 2016, minting coins with three presidents, ending with Ronald Reagan. The obverse of all 39 Presidential dollar coins (two coins were issued for Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president) are the same and depict the Statue of Liberty.

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$1

George Washington first appeared on the $1 bill in 1869, when the Legal Tender Note was changed from a depiction of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase. The obverse (face side) also features a scene with Christopher Columbus.

The first $1 Federal Reserve Notes (legal tender currency) were issued in 1963 with George Washington based on Gilbert Stuart’s 1796 Anthenaeum Portrait of Washington. The reverse features the Great Seal per President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1935 instructions. The design has not changed and there are no plans to change the design due to an annual provision of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act that prohibits redesign and because the bill is so infrequently counterfeited.

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$2

The first $2 bill was issued in 1862 with a portrait of Alexander Hamilton on the obverse (face side). In 1869, a portrait Thomas Jefferson replaced Hamilton and the same portrait has been used since.

The reverse of the $2 bill featured Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, from 1928 to 1976, when John Trumbull’s painting “Declaration of Independence” was used to celebrate the US bicentennial.

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$5

In 1914, the first $5 bill was issued featuring Abraham Lincoln on the obverse (face side) and an image of Christopher Columbus on the reverse. The Lincoln Memorial has been featured on the reverse since 1929.

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$20

The $20 bill was first issued in 1914 and featured a portrait of Grover Cleveland on the obverse (face side) with an image of a train and boat on the reverse.

In 1929, the size of the bill decreased and the portrait changed to Andrew Jackson with the White House on the reverse. The design remained largely the same security features were enhanced in 1990, 1998, and 2003.

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$50

Ulysses S. Grant appeared on the obverse (face side) of the first $50 bill in 1914 with an allegorical image of Panama on the reverse. In 1929 the size of the bill was reduced and the reverse was changed to an image of the US Capitol building. The design of the bill has largely remained the same, with some updates to security features in 1990, 1997, and 2004.

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$500

The first $500 bill was issued in 1862 with a portrait of Secretary of Treasury Albert Gallatin on the obverse (face side). From 1869 to 1874, the “rainbow note” $500 bill featured John Quincy Adams and Lady Justice on the obverse. From 1928 to 1934, William McKinley was portrayed on the obverse of the “green seal” $500 bill.

Other men graced the bill including US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall and US Secretary of War General William Sherman until the federal government stopped printing the bill in 1946 and it was taken out of circulation in 1969.

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$1,000

$1,000 bills were first issued in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War to help finance the war and featured Founding Father Robert Morris on the obverse (face side). Other men, including US Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, were featured until 1928 when Grover Cleveland’s portrait was used for the “green seal” $500 bill’s obverse.

The federal government stopped printing $1,000 bills in 1946 and took them out of circulation in 1969.

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$5,000

James Madison was featured on obverse (face side) of the first $5,000 bill in 1878 with an image of a bald eagle holding arrows atop a shield on the reverse.

After a redesign, the 1918 “blue seal” $5,000 bill featured James Madison on the obverse. An image of George Washington resigning his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army on December 23, 1783 based on a painting by John Trumbull is on the reverse. The reverse of the bill was redesigned in 1928.

The federal government stopped printing $1,000 bills in 1946 and took them out of circulation in 1969.

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$10,000

Andrew Jackson is portrayed on the obverse (face side) of the 1878 $10,000 bill with an eagle holding arrows and a sword atop an American flag and shield.

The federal government stopped printing $10,000 bills in 1946 and took them out of circulation in 1969.

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