List of United States presidential vetoes
Updated: 5/20/2026, 7:02:38 PM Wikipedia source
In the United States, the term "veto" is used to describe an action by which the president prevents an act passed by Congress from becoming law. This article provides a summary and details of the bills vetoed by presidents.
Tables
· Summary
1
1
#
1
President
George Washington
Regular
vetoes
2
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
2
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
2
2
#
2
President
John Adams
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
3
3
#
3
President
Thomas Jefferson
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
4
4
#
4
President
James Madison
Regular
vetoes
5
Pocket
vetoes
2
Total
vetoes
7
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
5
5
#
5
President
James Monroe
Regular
vetoes
1
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
1
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
6
6
#
6
President
John Q. Adams
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
7
7
#
7
President
Andrew Jackson
Regular
vetoes
5
Pocket
vetoes
7
Total
vetoes
12
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
8
8
#
8
President
Martin Van Buren
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
1
Total
vetoes
1
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
9
9
#
9
President
William Henry Harrison
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
10
10
#
10
President
John Tyler
Regular
vetoes
6
Pocket
vetoes
4
Total
vetoes
10
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
10%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
16%
11
11
#
11
President
James Polk
Regular
vetoes
2
Pocket
vetoes
1
Total
vetoes
3
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
12
12
#
12
President
Zachary Taylor
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
13
13
#
13
President
Millard Fillmore
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
14
14
#
14
President
Franklin Pierce
Regular
vetoes
9
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
9
Vetoes
overridden
5
% of total vetoes
overridden
56%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
56%
15
15
#
15
President
James Buchanan
Regular
vetoes
4
Pocket
vetoes
3
Total
vetoes
7
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
16
16
#
16
President
Abraham Lincoln
Regular
vetoes
2
Pocket
vetoes
5
Total
vetoes
7
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
17
17
#
17
President
Andrew Johnson
Regular
vetoes
21
Pocket
vetoes
8
Total
vetoes
29
Vetoes
overridden
15
% of total vetoes
overridden
52%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
71%
18
18
#
18
President
Ulysses S. Grant
Regular
vetoes
45
Pocket
vetoes
48
Total
vetoes
93
Vetoes
overridden
4
% of total vetoes
overridden
4%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
9%
19
19
#
19
President
Rutherford B. Hayes
Regular
vetoes
12
Pocket
vetoes
1
Total
vetoes
13
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
8%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
8%
20
20
#
20
President
James A. Garfield
Regular
vetoes
0
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
0
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
21
21
#
21
President
Chester A. Arthur
Regular
vetoes
4
Pocket
vetoes
8
Total
vetoes
12
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
8%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
25%
22
22
#
22
President
Grover Cleveland
Regular
vetoes
304
Pocket
vetoes
110
Total
vetoes
414
Vetoes
overridden
2
% of total vetoes
overridden
1%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
1%
23
23
#
23
President
Benjamin Harrison
Regular
vetoes
19
Pocket
vetoes
25
Total
vetoes
44
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
2%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
5%
24
24
#
24
President
Grover Cleveland
Regular
vetoes
42
Pocket
vetoes
128
Total
vetoes
170
Vetoes
overridden
5
% of total vetoes
overridden
3%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
12%
25
25
#
25
President
William McKinley
Regular
vetoes
6
Pocket
vetoes
36
Total
vetoes
42
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
26
26
#
26
President
Theodore Roosevelt
Regular
vetoes
42
Pocket
vetoes
40
Total
vetoes
82
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
1%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
2%
27
27
#
27
President
William H. Taft
Regular
vetoes
30
Pocket
vetoes
9
Total
vetoes
39
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
3%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
3%
28
28
#
28
President
Woodrow Wilson
Regular
vetoes
33
Pocket
vetoes
11
Total
vetoes
44
Vetoes
overridden
6
% of total vetoes
overridden
14%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
18%
29
29
#
29
President
Warren G. Harding
Regular
vetoes
5
Pocket
vetoes
1
Total
vetoes
6
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
30
30
#
30
President
Calvin Coolidge
Regular
vetoes
20
Pocket
vetoes
30
Total
vetoes
50
Vetoes
overridden
4
% of total vetoes
overridden
8%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
20%
31
31
#
31
President
Herbert Hoover
Regular
vetoes
21
Pocket
vetoes
16
Total
vetoes
37
Vetoes
overridden
3
% of total vetoes
overridden
8%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
14%
32
32
#
32
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Regular
vetoes
372
Pocket
vetoes
263
Total
vetoes
635
Vetoes
overridden
9
% of total vetoes
overridden
1%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
2%
33
33
#
33
President
Harry S. Truman
Regular
vetoes
180
Pocket
vetoes
70
Total
vetoes
250
Vetoes
overridden
12
% of total vetoes
overridden
5%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
7%
34
34
#
34
President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Regular
vetoes
73
Pocket
vetoes
108
Total
vetoes
181
Vetoes
overridden
2
% of total vetoes
overridden
1%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
3%
35
35
#
35
President
John F. Kennedy
Regular
vetoes
12
Pocket
vetoes
9
Total
vetoes
21
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
36
36
#
36
President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Regular
vetoes
16
Pocket
vetoes
14
Total
vetoes
30
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
37
37
#
37
President
Richard Nixon
Regular
vetoes
26
Pocket
vetoes
17
Total
vetoes
43
Vetoes
overridden
7
% of total vetoes
overridden
16%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
27%
38
38
#
38
President
Gerald Ford
Regular
vetoes
48
Pocket
vetoes
18
Total
vetoes
66
Vetoes
overridden
12
% of total vetoes
overridden
18%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
25%
39
39
#
39
President
Jimmy Carter
Regular
vetoes
13
Pocket
vetoes
18
Total
vetoes
31
Vetoes
overridden
2
% of total vetoes
overridden
6%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
15%
40
40
#
40
President
Ronald Reagan
Regular
vetoes
39
Pocket
vetoes
39
Total
vetoes
78
Vetoes
overridden
9
% of total vetoes
overridden
12%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
23%
41
41
#
41
President
George H. W. Bush
Regular
vetoes
29
Pocket
vetoes
15
Total
vetoes
44
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
2%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
2%
42
42
#
42
President
Bill Clinton
Regular
vetoes
36
Pocket
vetoes
1
Total
vetoes
37
Vetoes
overridden
2
% of total vetoes
overridden
5%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
6%
43
43
#
43
President
George W. Bush
Regular
vetoes
12
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
12
Vetoes
overridden
4
% of total vetoes
overridden
33%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
33%
44
44
#
44
President
Barack Obama
Regular
vetoes
12
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
12
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
8%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
8%
45
45
#
45
President
Donald Trump
Regular
vetoes
10
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
10
Vetoes
overridden
1
% of total vetoes
overridden
10%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
10%
46
46
#
46
President
Joe Biden
Regular
vetoes
13
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
13
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
0%
% of regular
vetoes overridden
0%
47
47
#
47
President
Donald Trump
Regular
vetoes
2
Pocket
vetoes
0
Total
vetoes
2
Vetoes
overridden
0
% of total vetoes
overridden
–
% of regular
vetoes overridden
–
| # | President | Regular vetoes | Pocket vetoes | Total vetoes | Vetoes overridden | % of total vetoes overridden | % of regular vetoes overridden |
| 1 | George Washington | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 2 | John Adams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 3 | Thomas Jefferson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 4 | James Madison | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 5 | James Monroe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 6 | John Q. Adams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 7 | Andrew Jackson | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 8 | Martin Van Buren | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 9 | William Henry Harrison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 10 | John Tyler | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 10% | 16% |
| 11 | James Polk | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 12 | Zachary Taylor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 13 | Millard Fillmore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 14 | Franklin Pierce | 9 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 56% | 56% |
| 15 | James Buchanan | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 16 | Abraham Lincoln | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 17 | Andrew Johnson | 21 | 8 | 29 | 15 | 52% | 71% |
| 18 | Ulysses S. Grant | 45 | 48 | 93 | 4 | 4% | 9% |
| 19 | Rutherford B. Hayes | 12 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 8% | 8% |
| 20 | James A. Garfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 21 | Chester A. Arthur | 4 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 8% | 25% |
| 22 | Grover Cleveland | 304 | 110 | 414 | 2 | 1% | 1% |
| 23 | Benjamin Harrison | 19 | 25 | 44 | 1 | 2% | 5% |
| 24 | Grover Cleveland | 42 | 128 | 170 | 5 | 3% | 12% |
| 25 | William McKinley | 6 | 36 | 42 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 26 | Theodore Roosevelt | 42 | 40 | 82 | 1 | 1% | 2% |
| 27 | William H. Taft | 30 | 9 | 39 | 1 | 3% | 3% |
| 28 | Woodrow Wilson | 33 | 11 | 44 | 6 | 14% | 18% |
| 29 | Warren G. Harding | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 30 | Calvin Coolidge | 20 | 30 | 50 | 4 | 8% | 20% |
| 31 | Herbert Hoover | 21 | 16 | 37 | 3 | 8% | 14% |
| 32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 372 | 263 | 635 | 9 | 1% | 2% |
| 33 | Harry S. Truman | 180 | 70 | 250 | 12 | 5% | 7% |
| 34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 73 | 108 | 181 | 2 | 1% | 3% |
| 35 | John F. Kennedy | 12 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | 16 | 14 | 30 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 37 | Richard Nixon | 26 | 17 | 43 | 7 | 16% | 27% |
| 38 | Gerald Ford | 48 | 18 | 66 | 12 | 18% | 25% |
| 39 | Jimmy Carter | 13 | 18 | 31 | 2 | 6% | 15% |
| 40 | Ronald Reagan | 39 | 39 | 78 | 9 | 12% | 23% |
| 41 | George H. W. Bush | 29 | 15 | 44 | 1 | 2% | 2% |
| 42 | Bill Clinton | 36 | 1 | 37 | 2 | 5% | 6% |
| 43 | George W. Bush | 12 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 33% | 33% |
| 44 | Barack Obama | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 8% | 8% |
| 45 | Donald Trump | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 10% | 10% |
| 46 | Joe Biden | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 47 | Donald Trump | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – |
| Total | 1531 | 1066 | 2597 | 112 | 4% | 7% | |
| '–' indicates no vetoes to override, so a percentage cannot be calculated | |||||||
· Presidents with most or fewest vetoes
Most vetoes
Most vetoes
Record
Most vetoes
President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Count
635
Notes
Only president to serve more than two terms.
Fewest vetoes
Fewest vetoes
Record
Fewest vetoes
President
John Adams
Count
0
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Record
Thomas Jefferson
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
Record
John Quincy Adams
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
Record
William Henry Harrison
President
Died one month after taking office.
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Record
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Record
Millard Fillmore
James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield
Record
James A. Garfield
President
Assassinated roughly six months after taking office.
Most vetoes in a single complete term
Most vetoes in a single complete term
Record
Most vetoes in a single complete term
President
Grover Cleveland
Count
414
Notes
First term
Most vetoes in two complete terms
Most vetoes in two complete terms
Record
Most vetoes in two complete terms
President
Grover Cleveland
Count
584
Fewest vetoes in a single complete term
Fewest vetoes in a single complete term
Record
Fewest vetoes in a single complete term
President
John Adams
Count
0
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Record
Thomas Jefferson
President
Each term
James Monroe
James Monroe
Record
James Monroe
President
First term
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
Record
John Quincy Adams
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
Record
George W. Bush
President
First term
Fewest vetoes in two complete terms
Fewest vetoes in two complete terms
Record
Fewest vetoes in two complete terms
President
Thomas Jefferson
Count
0
Most vetoes in a single Congressional session
Most vetoes in a single Congressional session
Record
Most vetoes in a single Congressional session
President
Grover Cleveland
Count
212
Notes
50th United States Congress
Most vetoes overridden
Most vetoes overridden
Record
Most vetoes overridden
President
Andrew Johnson
Count
15
Source:
Source:
Record
Source:
| Record | President | Count | Notes |
| Most vetoes | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 635 | Only president to serve more than two terms. |
| Fewest vetoes | John Adams | 0 | |
| Thomas Jefferson | |||
| John Quincy Adams | |||
| William Henry Harrison | Died one month after taking office. | ||
| Zachary Taylor | |||
| Millard Fillmore | |||
| James A. Garfield | Assassinated roughly six months after taking office. | ||
| Most vetoes in a single complete term | Grover Cleveland | 414 | First term |
| Most vetoes in two complete terms | Grover Cleveland | 584 | |
| Fewest vetoes in a single complete term | John Adams | 0 | |
| Thomas Jefferson | Each term | ||
| James Monroe | First term | ||
| John Quincy Adams | |||
| George W. Bush | First term | ||
| Fewest vetoes in two complete terms | Thomas Jefferson | 0 | |
| Most vetoes in a single Congressional session | Grover Cleveland | 212 | 50th United States Congress |
| Most vetoes overridden | Andrew Johnson | 15 | |
| Source: | |||
References
- President Bush characterized this veto as a pocket veto, but the Senate disputes this and counts it as a regular veto. Shttps://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/BushGW.htm
- President Obama characterized his veto of this bill as a pocket veto, but since he returned the parchment to Congress, Chttps://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/ObamaBH.htm
- While the president cites the Pocket Veto Case in his memorandum, he also returned the joint resolution to the Secretaryhttps://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2015-03-26/pdf/CREC-2015-03-26-pt2-PgS2085.pdf
- House Practice
- The Journal of Politics
- archiveshttps://www.archives.gov/files/legislative/resources/education/veto/background.pdf
- Senatehttps://www.senate.gov/reference/Legislation/Vetoes/vetoCounts.htm
- Computed by dividing the "Vetoes overridden" column by the "Total vetoes" column and rounding to the nearest whole numbe
- Presidential Vetoes, 1989–2000https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/presvetoes.pdf
- President George H. W. Bush and Congress disagreed whether H . 2712 was vetoed or pocket vetoed. According to Presidentihttps://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/presvetoes.pdf
- "Presidential Vetoes"http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/vetoes.php
- Presidential Vetoes, 1789-1988https://web.archive.org/web/20200323100541/https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/presvetoes17891988.pdf
- Wilson, W. Congressional Government, 1956 p
- David Pietrusza, 1920: The Year of Seven Presidents (NY: Carroll & Graf, 2007), 160
- Encyclopedia of North American Immigration
- United States Senatehttps://www.senate.gov/legislative/vetoes/EisenhowerDD.htm
- Spitzer, R. The Presidential Veto: Touchstone of the American Presidency, 1988, pp. 101–03
- Senatehttps://www.senate.gov/legislative/vetoes/messages/NixonR/S2007-Sdoc-92-48.pdf
- Clean Water Act, via Bookragshttp://www.bookrags.com/Clean_Water_Act
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Libraryhttps://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0204/1513058.pdf