New Jersey and U.S. Presidents – A Slim History

by Alice Magdziak • February 21, 2011 • Jersey Folk, Third State • Comments (0) • 2754

Only two U.S. Presidents have a residential history with New Jersey. Since we’re celebrating Presidents Day today, we thought we’d take a look at that history.

We all know that George Washington apparently ate and drank his way across New Jersey many times based on the number of places that boast of him eating or sleeping there at some point.

But, he never really called New Jersey home.

Cleveland and His Loyal Friend

Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell and lived there for four years until the family moved to New York. He was both our 22nd and 24th president. He was the only president to serve non-consecutive terms. While most of his life, he lived in New York state, he retired to Princeton and is buried there in the Nassau Presbyterian Church cemetery.

Woodrow Wilson Loved Baseball

Woodrow Wilson was our 28th president and was born in Virginia but in 1890 moved to New Jersey and joined the faculty at Princeton. He was the only president in our history to possess a Ph.D. He went on to be promoted to President of Princeton University in 1902. In 1910, Wilson decided to leave Princeton and enter New Jersey politics. He ran for Governor and won in 1910 and by 1912 was nominated to run as a Democratic presidential candidate. He won the 1912 election and went on to govern the United States for eight years.