The Faces on Every US Bill (2024)

$1 Bill - George Washington

George Washington certainly fits the bill as being among the "persons whose places in history the American peopleknow well," the Treasury department's only known criteria for deciding whose face goes on a U.S. bill.

Washington is the first president of the United States. His face appears on the front of the $1 bill, and there are no plans to change the design. The $1 bill dates back to 1862, and at first,​ it didn't have Washington on it. Instead, it wasSecretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase whose face appeared on the bill. Washington's face first appeared on the $1 bill in 1869.

$2 Bill - Thomas Jefferson

President Thomas Jefferson's face is used on the front of the $2 bill, but that wasn't always the case. The nation's first Treasury secretary, Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, was the first person to appear on the bill, which was first issued by the government in 1862. Jefferson's face was swapped in ​1869 and has appeared on the front of the $2 bill since then.

$5 Bill - Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln's face appears on the front of the $5 bill. The bill dates back to 1914 and has always featured the 16th president of the United States, despite being redesigned several times.

$10 Bill - Alexander Hamilton

Founding Father and former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's face is on the $10 bill. The first $10 bill issued by the Federal Reserve in 1914 had President Andrew Jackson's face. Hamilton's face was swapped in 1929, and Jackson moved to the $20 bill.

The printing of the $10 bill and larger denominations followed the passage of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which created the nation’s central bank and authorized the circulation of Federal Reserve Bank Notes as a form of currency in the early 20th century. The Fed's board of governors later issued new notes called Federal Reserve notes, our form of paper currency.

$20 Bill - Andrew Jackson

President Andrew Jackson's face appears on the $20 bill. The first $20 bill wasissued by the government in 1914 and had President Grover Cleveland's face. Jackson's face was swapped in 1929, and Cleveland moved to the $1,000 bill.

$50 Bill - Ulysses S. Grant

President Ulysses S. Grant's face appears on the $50 bill and has since the denomination was first issued in 1914.The Union general served two terms and helped the nation recover from the Civil War.

$100 Bill - Benjamin Franklin

Founding Father and famed inventor Benjamin Franklin's face appears on the $100 bill, the largest denomination in circulation. Franklin's face has appeared on the bill since it was first issued by the government in 1914.

$500 Bill - William McKinley

President William McKinley's face appears on the $500 bill, which is no longer in circulation. The $500 bill dates to 1918 when ​Chief Justice John Marshall's face initially appeared on the denomination. The Fed and Treasury discontinued the $500 bill in 1969 for lack of use. It was last printed in 1945, but the Treasury says Americans continue to hold the notes.

McKinley is noteworthy because he is among the few presidents who were assassinated. He died after being shot in 1901.

$1,000 Bill - Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland's face appears on the $1,000 bill, which like the $500 bill dates to 1918. Hamilton's face initially appeared on the denomination. The Fed and Treasury discontinued the $1,000 bill in 1969. It was last printed in 1945, but the Treasury says Americans continue to hold the notes.

$5,000 Bill - James Madison

President James Madison's face appears on the $5,000 bill, and always has since the denomination was first printed in 1918. The Fed and Treasury discontinued the $5,000 bill in 1969. It was last printed in 1945, but the Treasury says Americans continue to hold the notes.

$10,000 Bill - Salmon P. Chase

Salmon P. Chase, a onetime Treasury secretary, appears on the $10,000 bill, which was first printed in 1918. The Fed and Treasury discontinued the $10,000 bill in 1969. It was last printed in 1945, but the Treasury says Americans continue to hold the notes.

Chase, who served in the Lincoln administration, is perhaps the least known of the faces on U.S. bills. He was politically ambitious, having served as a U.S. senator and governor of Ohio and set his sights on the presidency in 1860. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican Party's nomination that year; Lincoln won and, upon election, tapped his former rival to be Treasury secretary.

Chase was described as an able manager of the nation's finances, but he quit the job after clashing with the president. Wrote Lincoln upon accepting Chase's resignation: “You and I have reached a point of mutual embarrassment in our official relation which it seems cannot be overcome, or longer sustained.”

Of Chase, historian Rick Beard wrote in The New York Times:

"Chase’s failings lay in his aspirations, not his performance. Convinced he was the ablest man in the cabinet, he also believed he was Lincoln’s superior as both an administrator and statesman. His dream of occupying the White House never deserted him, and he sought to further his ambitions in ways small and large. Responsible for the design of paper currency, for example, he had no compunction about placing his own face on the $1 bill. After all, he told one confidant, he had placed Lincoln’s on the 10!"

$100,000 Bill - Woodrow Wilson

Yes, there is such a thing as a $100,000 bill. But the denomination, known as a "gold certificate," was used only by Federal Reserve Banks and was never circulated among the general public. In fact, the $100,000 was not considered legal tender outside of those Fed transactions. If you're holding onto one, chances are it's worth more than $1 million to collectors.

You'll recognize the six-digit denomination because it has the face of President Woodrow Wilson on it.