7 US Presidents Born in the Southeast: All from Virginia Except One

The Southeast has produced seven presidents—but six share a birth state: Virginia. Only Jimmy Carter breaks the pattern.

The Virginia Dynasty (and Beyond)

1. Thomas Jefferson – Shadwell, Albemarle County (1743)
2. James Madison – Port Conway, King George County (1751)
3. James Monroe – Westmoreland County (1758)
4. John Tyler – Charles City County (1790)
5. Zachary Taylor – Orange County (1784)
6. Woodrow Wilson – Staunton (1856)
7. Jimmy Carter – Plains, Georgia (1924) — the sole non-Virginian

Why So Many Virginians?

• Early population: Virginia was the most populous colony/state through 1810
• Planter elite: Political power concentrated in tidewater/piedmont gentry
• Revolutionary leadership: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Marshall—all Virginians shaped the founding
• "Virginia Dynasty": 1801–1825: Jefferson, Madison, Monroe (24 straight years)

Defining "Southeast"

This list uses the Census Bureau's South Atlantic division (DE, MD, DC, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL). If you include the East South Central (KY, TN, AL, MS), you add Andrew Jackson (border region, claimed by NC/SC/TN) and James K. Polk (NC-born). But the core seven above are the standard answer.

Carter: The Modern Exception

Born in Plains (pop. ~700), Carter is the only Deep South president born in the 20th century. His 1976 election broke a 100+ year gap since Taylor (1848).

Virginia's presidential pipeline dried up after Wilson—no Virginian has won the presidency since 1912. But the "Mother of Presidents" title stands.