WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) – Harriet Tubman will be the new face of the $20 bill in what will be the first change of the portrait on any U.S. currency in nearly 90 years.
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is expected to make the official announcement as well as provide details on other changes being made to the $20, $10 and $5 bills.
Tubman’s portrait will replace President Andrew Jackson, who has been on the $20 bill since 1929.
The faces on U.S. currency have changed very little over the years. Below is the history.
$1 Bill: George Washington
The first $1 notes (called United States Notes or “Legal Tenders”) were issued in 1862 and featured a portrait of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase (1861-1864). The first use of George Washington’s portrait on the $1 bill was in 1869.
$2 Bill: Thomas Jefferson
The first $2 notes were issued in 1862 and featured a portrait of the first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton (1789-1795). The first use of Thomas Jefferson’s portrait on $2 bills was in 1869.
$5 Bill: Abraham Lincoln
The first $5 Federal Reserve note was issued in 1914 and featured a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, as it does today.
$10 Bill: Alexander Hamilton
The first $10 Federal Reserve note was issued in 1914 and featured a portrait of President Andrew Jackson. The portrait was changed to Alexander Hamilton, the secretary of the treasury, in 1929.
$20 Bill: Andrew Jackson
The first $20 Federal Reserve note was issued in 1914 and featured a portrait of President Cleveland. The portrait was changed to President Andrew Jackson in 1929. A U.S. Treasury official said Wednesday Harriet Tubman’s portrait will replace Jackson’s. A timetable was not immediately known.
$50 Bill: Ulysses S. Grant
The first $50 Federal Reserve note was issued in 1914 and featured a portrait of President Ulysses S. Grant, as it does today.
$100 Bill: Benjamin Franklin
The first $100 Federal Reserve note was issued in 1914 and featured a profile portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin’s portrait was changed to forward-facing when the size of the note was reduced in 1929.
Information from the Associated Press, U.S. Currency Education Program and the U.S. Department of the Treasury contributed to this report.