20
U.S. Presidents
of Ulster ancestry — from Andrew Jackson to George W. Bush.
Semiquincentennial · 1776 — 2026 · And before, and after
From Maghera
to Monticello.
From Antrim to the Alamo.
Four centuries of Ulster hands shaping an American republic — penning its founding charter, settling its frontier, and rising twenty times to its highest office.
Munich Security Conference · February 2026
“That proud, hearty clan from the hills of Ulster.”
“Our frontiers were shaped by Scots-Irish — that proud, hearty clan from the hills of Ulster that gave us Davy Crockett and Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt and Neil Armstrong.”
— Marco Rubio · U.S. Secretary of State
Before the great and good of Europe, America's chief diplomat named the Ulster pioneers among the makers of the Western world. We thought it deserved to live here, at the top of the page.
Official video · U.S. Department of State
A Shared Founding
The Ulster Story Behind America
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As the United States celebrates its 250th year, we remember that the document at the heart of its independence was written, printed and proclaimed by sons of Ulster — and that the frontier beyond was settled by their kin long before, and long after.
1776
Penned & Printed
by Charles Thomson of Maghera and John Dunlap of Strabane.
250+
Years of Liberty
from the first Plantation crossings to the Semiquincentennial.
The Founding Document
Penned by an Ulsterman.
Printed by another.
Proclaimed by the son of a third.
Many contend that the original Declaration of Independence was penned by Charles Thomson of Maghera. What is beyond dispute is that on 4 July 1776, the first official copy was authenticated by only two signatures: John Hancock (family roots in County Down) and Charles Thomson.
This historic document was first authenticated entirely by two men of Ulster heritage, printed by John Dunlap of Strabane, and first read in public by Colonel John Nixon, the son of Ulster emigrants.
Read the full story
The original Declaration of Independence broadside, printed on the night of July 4, 1776.
Beyond 1776
The frontier was Ulster too.
Long before the Republic was born, Ulster ploughs were already turning the Carolina soil. Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, John Stark, Stonewall Jackson, Cyrus McCormick, Mark Twain and — four centuries on — Neil Armstrong: each carries the spirit of Ulster within their story.
Meet the pioneersTwenty Presidents
An Ulster Line in the White House
7
Andrew Jackson
Boneybefore, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim
11
James Knox Polk
Lifford, Co. Donegal
15
James Buchanan
Omagh, Co. Tyrone
17
Andrew Johnson
Mounthill, Larne, Co. Antrim
18
Ulysses S. Grant
Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone
21
Chester Alan Arthur
Cullybackey, Co. Antrim
22
Grover Cleveland
Co. Antrim
23
Benjamin Harrison
Co. Antrim
A Living Connection
MORE THAN A COMMEMORATION
✦
The American Semiquincentennial is more than an opportunity to remember the past.
It is an opportunity to strengthen the future relationship between Ulster and the United States through education, tourism, business, investment, heritage, culture and people-to-people connections.
The story of Ulster-America did not end in 1776.
It continues to be written today.