Who was the last president to be born a British subject Where was he born?

Answer 1

William Henry Harrison, born in February 9, 1773 in Charles City County, Virginia,was the last US president who was born before independence from Britain was declared.

Answer 2

British Subject Status was regulated by British Law, and the laws of some other Commonwealth Countries. It is a status that since 1983 only applies to a small number of individuals. So going forwards for since the US Constitution requires Presidents to be Natural Born Citizens, the chances of someone having that status as well as British Subject status are miniscule. However for individuals born prior to 1983 there probabilities are much greater for someone born a British Subject to also be eligible to serve as President of the United States.

The critical date for British Subject Status in connection with the Thirteen Colonies is not 1776, the Date the USA declared its Independence but 1783 and the Peace of Paris, only signed in September of that year. So any President born between 1776 and 1783, in what American Law considers as the 13 original states, but British Law would have still considered as Colonies, were still British Subjects at birth, even if they were also American Citizens at Birth.

It is possible that later Presidents serving well into the middle of 19th Century, may have been British Subjects due to their father being born in the 13 Colonies prior to the 1783, since it does not appear clear that the recognition of American Independence deprived the residents of the former 13 colonies of British Subject Status. If it did not then those individuals would have passed this status on a further generation, despite the USA being foreign soil in British Law. So to give an extreme but possible example, an 80 year old American man born in New York say on 2 September 1783 could father a British Subject child also born in the USA as late as June 1864, with that child potentially living long enough to see President Kennedy Assassinated. In terms of examples, assumingthat his father was in fact born in North Carolina, president Andrew Johnson was very likely a British Subject throughout his life.

A number of later US Presidents were also British Subjects at Birth due to their parents being immigrants to the United States, born in the British Empire. Some of them would not just have been born British Subjects but had this status throughout their life, including during their Presidency. There are a number. 19th Century examples include James Buchanan and Chester Arthur, whose fathers were both born in Ireland.

The most recent President to be born a British Subject, was in fact President Barrack H Obama, and he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He inherited 'British Subject' Status and 'Citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies' (CUKC), from his father who had this status due to a connection with the Colony of Kenya. Barack Obama ceased to be CUKC when Kenya became independent, and became 'Kenyan Citizen'. Since Kenya remained in the Commonwealth, this meant that in British Law he remained a 'British Subject' until UK law changed in 1983. In Australian law he remained a 'British Subject' for a few months longer until his Kenyan Citizenship lapsed. Barrack Obama is therefore the only undisputed FORMER British Subject to have served as POTUS. All other were either never British Subjects, or are likely to have retained the status until they died.

There are however two current possible post-scripts to this story...

1. Donald Trump.

His mother was born in the United Kingdom, at the time of President's Trump's birth married women could not pass on British Subject Status. The law has changed which allows women to pass on British Citizenship, (a sucessor category to pre-1983 British Subject Status), on a similar basis to men. The law was not considered retro-active. However since the 1980s the United Kingdom has incorporated the European Convention of Human Rights into its domestic law, which prohibits discrimination in grounds of sex. It is therefore not impossible to conceive that a British Court may rule that those born outside tge UK to British Mothers and Foreign Fathers may be entitled to British Citizenship. In effect such a ruling would retroactively mean that Donald Trump would also be classified as if he had been a British Subject (and CUKC), from birth in 1946, until 1983 in the UK Law. Donald Trump was born in Queens, New York, USA.

2. Kamala Harris, the Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate's father is a Jamaican Citizen. She was born in 1964 and inherited Jamaican Citizenship at birth. Since Jamaica was then, (as it is now) in the Commonwealth of Nations, she would have under British law also have been a 'British Subject' at Birth. Unless she took steps to renounce her Jamaican Citizenship she would have remained a British Subject until 1983, and a slightly later date in Australian Law. She was born in Oakland, California, USA.

Answer 3

It has only been possible to have been born as 'British Citizen' since 1983. Since the US Constitution forbids people under 35 years of age from serving as President, the first election where it would be possible for someone born a 'British Citizen' to be elected has not yet ocurred, and will take place in November 2020. Neither major party has selected anyone born a British Citizen, although it is possible a future court case or change in government policy could give President Trump that status due to his mother's birth in the UK.