A PhD, or doctor of philosophy, is an academic degree that can be awarded by universities and other educational institutions. It is the highest academic achievement that a student can achieve.
Although a PhD is the most prestigious degree available, it’s not always necessary to be successful in life. Many past US presidents have proven that a lesser amount of education can be just as good.
Woodrow Wilson
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Born in Staunton, Virginia, Woodrow Wilson had a strong interest in politics. He began studying debating and writing in high school, and later pursued law studies. He eventually earned his phd in political science and history at Johns Hopkins University, and published his dissertation on congressional government (later a classic of American political science) in 1885.
Wilson’s PhD degree helped him to launch a career in university administration and teaching. He served as president of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and later became governor of New Jersey (1911-1913).
During his first term in office, Wilson pushed through Congress an array of reforms, including tariff reform, the creation of the Federal Reserve system, and the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission. He also championed social reforms, such as the eight-hour work day and laws banning child labor.
In 1918, when Allied troops won World War I, Wilson was among the leaders who dominated the Paris Peace Conference. He was instrumental in bringing the United States into the League of Nations. He fought against the Senate’s rejection of the Versailles Treaty, and went on an arduous speaking tour to promote his peace efforts.
He became the only president to have a phd degree, and the only president to serve two terms in office. He was also the first president to receive a Nobel Prize, which he received for his work in peacemaking and in founding the League of Nations.
Harry Truman
Truman’s interest in history grew from his childhood and grew into a passion that was carried over into adulthood. He drew upon his knowledge of history to make decisions throughout his political career, including as president.
Truman was born in Missouri and grew up on a farm. He studied literature and history, played the piano, and dreamed of becoming a great soldier. However, he was born with poor eyesight and his family’s financial circumstances kept him from going to college.
Despite his lack of formal education, Harry Truman was a man of integrity and strong character. He worked hard to win over the people he served and gained a reputation for honest and straight talk. He also fought against corruption in the Senate.
The majority of his time in the Senate was spent on issues affecting agriculture, aviation, transportation, and defense. He passed two important laws, the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 and the Transportation Act of 1940, that regulated the aviation industry and railroads.
In addition to his legislative work, Truman also used his experience as a judge to fight fraud and waste in the defense industry. He headed a special committee that investigated waste and profiteering in the government’s wartime contracts. This investigation helped save the United States millions of dollars.
John Adams
John Adams was one of the founding fathers of the United States. He was an avid patriot and a lawyer who had a brilliant mind. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as an important diplomat.
Adams was an ardent critic of the British government. He viewed the high taxes imposed by Britain as unfair. He also opposed the Townshend Acts of 1767, which imposed high duties on imports of glass, lead, paper, paint and tea.
He was also known for his extreme political independence and his passion for patriotism. He became a leader in the Continental Congress and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
When he was a young man, he lived on a farm in Braintree, Massachusetts. He went to a day school and Latin school before attending Harvard University. He eventually rejected a career as a minister and began to study law.
His legal career began to flourish and he soon began to be seen as a principled and intelligent opponent of Great Britain’s rule in America. He was a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress and argued vigorously for the rights of Americans to independence. He also opposed the Stamp Act, arguing that it was an illegal tax on American documents.
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams, who served as president from 1825 to 1829, was the only president with a phd degree. He had earned a degree in law from Harvard College before serving as secretary of state under James Monroe.
As a child, Adams was fascinated with politics and history. He spent much of his time reading, writing, and studying. He also took an interest in astronomy and science.
He was a strong supporter of scientific research and believed that America should take an active role in international cooperation to improve the world. In fact, he proposed several far-sighted programs that would advance science in the United States. These included building a network of highways, surveying the coast and land, setting aside public lands for conservation, and building astronomical observatories.
Adams viewed these measures as a way to promote the nation’s interest in science and the arts and to encourage a spirit of invention and enterprise. He also wanted to build a national university and fund scientific expeditions abroad.
Adams was a shrewd politician and an ambitious leader. He used his knowledge of international relations to help build the Monroe Doctrine, which aimed to prevent European intervention in Latin America. He fought against slavery, supported the Louisiana Purchase, and defended the Amistad captives before the Supreme Court. He was one of the most influential men in America and one of its greatest presidents.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson was the only president to earn a phd degree. He was born in Texas and attended schools in Blanco County before completing his education at Southwest Texas State Teachers College.
He became a school teacher and then switched to a career in politics. He was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1937.
In 1948, he ran for the Senate and won a narrow victory, but a vicious campaign involving vote fraud on both sides led to his being nicknamed “Landslide Lyndon.” He held the seat for 12 years until Democrats regained control of the Senate in 1953.
During his time in Congress, he was a strong proponent of civil rights and the American space program. He launched the Great Society to improve the lives of the people of the United States.
He served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 until 1969. He was a Democratic Party politician from Texas who also held the office of vice president under President John F. Kennedy. During his time in office, he made many groundbreaking changes to the government, including Medicare, Head Start and the Voting Rights Act.
Benjamin Demaine
Educated at Bundaberg South State School, he was a bit of a nerd when it came to science and technology. A graduate of the local technical institute and a well-to-do member of the famougs, he was also a savvy shopper — he liked a good deal. Ben was a self-described jack of all trades and master of all trades, the sugar industry being his stomping grounds. In addition to his day job, he was a part time politician, as you’d expect in this neck of the woods. A proud father of six, he died of a heart attack at the age of sixty-five, just short of a second term as president.
William Rainey Harper
Harper was a renowned Hebrew scholar who became the first president of the University of Chicago in 1891. He graduated from Muskingum College in Ohio and received his doctorate from Yale in 1875.
In his time at the new university, he designed and implemented many innovations that benefited students in both the classroom and beyond. These included summer school classes, the creation of correspondence courses, and the establishment of junior colleges that devoted the first two years of college to general education before allowing students to study in more specialized areas.
His goal was to build an institution of world-class scholars and students, while also making the university accessible to the average student. As such, he was successful in attracting some of the greatest scholars of his day, including Albion Small, who created the first sociology department at a public university.
He established an advanced faculty that emphasized research and graduate training and maintained a policy where promotion was directly related to the level of scholarly activity. In addition, he established and financed a number of new facilities and institutes to further the institution’s educational goals, including an observatory, a university press, an Oriental Institute, and a library.
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