9 U.S. Presidents with the Most Vetoes

In his six-year term (1923–29), which began after the in-office death of Warren Harding, “Silent Cal” helped to restore legitimacy to the presidency in the wake of the scandal-soused administration of his predecessor. Employing his veto power a total of 50 times (30 pocket vetoes and 20 regular, 4 of which were overturned by Congress), Coolidge also proved to be tough on his Congress, as he advocated government noninterference in American business, leading to two vetoes for a bill that would have allowed the government to buy the farmers’ surplus crops, thus adding to the woes of the American farmer that helped precipitate the Great Depression. Another notable veto of his was of a bill, eventually overturned by Congress and passed in 1924, to award bonuses to World War I veterans. Although he successfully gained the trust of the American people, his strict adherence to laissez-faire economics has been believed to be a significant contributing factor to the Great Depression.

Gerald Ford, being the only U.S. president to date to not be elected to either the vice-presidential or presidential office, demonstrated his executive power through the use of his vetoes, issuing 66 total (48 regular vetoes and 18 pocket), 12 of which were overturned. As a Republican, his heavy-handed use of his vetoes stymied the Democratic-controlled Congress at a time when the country suffered from a recession accompanied by a soaring unemployment rate, though his intention to reduce inflation leftover from his predecessor did in fact succeed. He fought ardently to limit government spending and to reduce the budgetary deficit. However, his full pardon of Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal along with his blundering instances of misspeaking and physically clumsy moments earned him a reputation of ineptitude, resulting in his failure to be reelected after his first and only term (1974–77).

Celebrated as a champion of small government and conservative social policies, Reagan in his eight-year term (1981–89) proved to be a decisive and authoritative leader in an age of growing domestic and international woes. Through his 78 vetoes (39 regular and 39 pocket; 9 overridden) he sought to curb attempts by Congress to expand the rights of the federal government, which in some instances resulted in the hindrance of spending for environmental causes as well as for discriminated groups such as Native Americans. A notable veto overridden by Congress resulted in the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, which closed gaps in former civil rights legislation by clarifying that all recipients of federal funds must abide by civil rights laws. Despite Reagan’s insistence that the bill empowered the federal government to intervene too much in private enterprises, both sides of Congress joined forces to pass the legislation.

From Rough Rider to noted trust buster, Theodore Roosevelt, as the 26th president of the U.S. (1901–09), simultaneously expanded the power of the executive branch further than it had ever been, continually combatted big business in favor of the working class, and asserted the country’s superiority internationally, leading to it being perceived as one of the most dominant forces of the world. Although most of his 82 vetoes (42 regular, 40 pocket; 1 overridden) had little to do with this unprecedented growth, some demonstrated his fervent adoration for the environment and his charged support for its preservation, making him perhaps the first emboldened conservationist to hold the presidency. However, this was just one of many components of his time in office that led to Teddy being immortalized in the Mount Rushmore sculpture of South Dakota.

Although corruptions committed by those around him have cast a dark shadow over his eight-year term (1869–77) as president, the celebrated general of the Union army during the Civil War did in fact have some brighter moments in the Oval Office, one of which can be found in his unprecedented (up to that time) 93 vetoes (45 regular, 48 pocket; 4 overridden). In the face of a devastating economic depression that started in 1873, Congress sought to add more greenbacks to the American circulation, thus increasing the amount of legal tender available to the suffering American population. However, Grant, who was arguably influenced by some of his advisors as well as by his wife, struck down the so-called Inflation Bill, an action that many historians have claimed to diminish the severity of the ensuing currency crisis of the following quarter century.

After winning over Americans’ hearts with his successes in World War II, Eisenhower retired from the military after 37 years of experience and sought election to the White House, where he was elected to two terms of service (1953–61). Being the first president to have to deal with three Congresses controlled by the opposite party, Eisenhower learned quickly the importance of the veto, namely in the final years of his presidency when Congress began to spend what he saw as excessively on domestic issues. Of his 181 vetoes (73 regular, 108 pocket; 2 overridden), one significant veto denied an extension to the Federal Pollution Control Act (a bill he previously signed into law), which would have allotted more funds to wastewater treatment. He claimed that water pollution was “a uniquely local blight,” leaving the burden to the states as he favored a smaller federal government. A similar piece of legislation was later passed under the Kennedy administration.

Thrust into the presidency (1945–53) during the Second World War after only an 82-day term as vice president, during which he had only met with President Roosevelt twice, Harry Truman did “his damnedest” to retain American superiority in the embers of the war-torn world as the emerging Soviet superpower challenged with its spread of communism. During his first elected term, Truman was forced to combat an anti-New Deal, Republican-led Congress with a total of 250 vetoes (180 regular, 70 pocket; 12 overridden). He continually vetoed proposed tax cuts that he believed heavily favored the wealthy while the nation was on the brink of an inflation crisis. However, he did not always win against Congress. Notably, in 1947 Congress overturned one of his vetoes in order to pass the Taft-Hartley Act, which severely restricted organized labor in a number of ways, and in 1950 Congress, in response to the growing fear of communism’s spreading, passed the McCarran Act over Truman’s veto, enabling the federal government to arrest any suspiciously subversive citizens as well as forcing all communist organizations to register with the federal government. Although the majority of the country favored the latter bill, Truman saw its potential for abuse, which was eventually realized in the aftermath of McCarthyism.

Although Cleveland has been the only person to serve two discontinuous terms (1885–89 and 1893–97) as president of the United States, his spirited championing of honest politicking and small government endured through both terms in the face of the notorious corruption of Gilded Age politics. He habitually vetoed (584 total; 346 regular, 238 pocket; 7 overridden) Congress’s attempts to abuse the pension system enacted during Lincoln’s tenure in office, thus saving taxpayers’ dollars from being squandered on false claims of wartime injuries. Also, in his most famous veto, he denied a $10,000 subsidy for Texas famers suffering from a severe drought to avoid, in his eyes, making the American people reliant upon the federal government. Although his adherence to small-government policies won him favor in his first term, the raid on the federal treasury (that he had built up during his time) by his first successor led to an unprecedented economic collapse, which the American people called on him to mend with government intervention. He refused to do so and was eventually disowned by his own party following his second term.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–45), broke records and defied conventions in what has remained one of the most controversial presidencies in U.S. history. He was the first (and only) president to be elected four times to the office, ignoring the normative two terms instilled by George Washington, and he expanded the powers of the executive branch to unheard-of lengths, namely through his astounding use of the veto power, issuing vetoes a total of 635 times (372 regular, 263 pocket; 9 overridden). In 1944 he blatantly rebelled against the unwritten tradition of never vetoing a revenue measure when he turned down a tax bill that he felt only profited the greedy. He also expressed his volition on an array of issues such as homing pigeons, alien deportation, national defense, parking meters, and credits for beer wholesalers, whereas other “veto giants” like Cleveland focused their veto efforts to one specific arena. Last, FDR became the first president to personally read a veto message aloud to a joint session of Congress, thus demonstrating his desire to let his vigilance over Congress’s actions be known to its members.