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We had "nearly" paid of the national debt in 1980. It was just below $800 billion at that point, after Truman began paying off WWII and the Great Depression:

Reagan: 1980 was 907B   - added $2.1T, up 275% in 1988 to $3T
Bush I: 1988 was $3T    - added $1.8T, up 63%  in 1992 to $4.8T
Clinton: 1992 was $4.8T - added $1.2T, up 22%  in 2000 to $6T
Bush II: 2000 was $5.1T - added $6.6T, up 129% in 2008 to $11.7T
Obama: 2008 was $11.7T  - added $4.3T, up 37%  in 2012 to $16T

Compiled directly from the numbers at the Dept. of the Treasury: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

But to answer the question directly, I guess the last President to pay off/reduce debt was Carter, though all of them since WWII had been doing it.

EDIT - With consideration to GDP, looking at spending vs revenue, a picture paints a thousand words. This is where each president left the Debt, as a percentage of what "they had to spend".

We had "nearly" paid of the national debt in 1980. It was just below $800 billion at that point, after Truman began paying off WWII and the Great Depression:

Reagan: 1980 was 907B   - added $2.1T, up 275% in 1988 to $3T
Bush I: 1988 was $3T    - added $1.8T, up 63%  in 1992 to $4.8T
Clinton: 1992 was $4.8T - added $1.2T, up 22%  in 2000 to $6T
Bush II: 2000 was $5.1T - added $6.6T, up 129% in 2008 to $11.7T
Obama: 2008 was $11.7T  - added $4.3T, up 37%  in 2012 to $16T

Compiled directly from the numbers at the Dept. of the Treasury

But to answer the question directly, I guess the last President to pay off/reduce debt was Carter, though all of them since WWII had been doing it.

EDIT - With consideration to GDP, looking at spending vs revenue, a picture paints a thousand words. This is where each president left the Debt, as a percentage of what "they had to spend".

We had "nearly" paid of the national debt in 1980. It was just below $800 billion at that point, after Truman began paying off WWII and the Great Depression:

Reagan: 1980 was 907B   - added $2.1T, up 275% in 1988 to $3T
Bush I: 1988 was $3T    - added $1.8T, up 63%  in 1992 to $4.8T
Clinton: 1992 was $4.8T - added $1.2T, up 22%  in 2000 to $6T
Bush II: 2000 was $5.1T - added $6.6T, up 129% in 2008 to $11.7T
Obama: 2008 was $11.7T  - added $4.3T, up 37%  in 2012 to $16T

Compiled directly from the numbers at the Dept. of the Treasury: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

But to answer the question directly, I guess the last President to pay off/reduce debt was Carter, though all of them since WWII had been doing it.

We had "nearly" paid of the national debt in 1980. It was just below $800 billion at that point, after Truman began paying off WWII and the Great Depression:

Reagan: 1980 was 907B   - added $2.1T, up 275% in 1988 to $3T
Bush I: 1988 was $3T    - added $1.8T, up 63%  in 1992 to $4.8T
Clinton: 1992 was $4.8T - added $1.2T, up 22%  in 2000 to $6T
Bush II: 2000 was $5.1T - added $6.6T, up 129% in 2008 to $11.7T
Obama: 2008 was $11.7T  - added $4.3T, up 37%  in 2012 to $16T

Compiled directly from the numbers at the Dept. of the Treasury: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

But to answer the question directly, I guess the last President to pay off/reduce debt was Carter, though all of them since WWII had been doing it.

EDIT - With consideration to GDP, looking at spending vs revenue, a picture paints a thousand words. This is where each president left the Debt, as a percentage of what "they had to spend".

We had "nearly" paid of the national debt in 1980. It was just below $800 billion at that point, after Truman began paying off WWII and the Great Depression:

Reagan: 1980 was 800B   - added $2.2T, up 275% in 1988 to $3T
Bush I: 1988 was $3T    - added $1.8T, up 63%  in 1992 to $4.8T
Clinton: 1992 was $4.8T - added $1.2T, up 22%  in 2000 to $6T
Bush II: 2000 was $5.1T - added $6.6T, up 129% in 2008 to $11.7T
Obama: 2008 was $11.7T  - added $4.3T, up 37%  in 2012 to $16T

Compiled directly from the numbers at the Dept. of the Treasury: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

But to answer the question directly, I guess the last President to pay off/reduce debt was Carter, though all of them since WWII had been doing it.

We had "nearly" paid of the national debt in 1980. It was just below $800 billion at that point, after Truman began paying off WWII and the Great Depression:

Reagan: 1980 was 907B   - added $2.1T, up 275% in 1988 to $3T
Bush I: 1988 was $3T    - added $1.8T, up 63%  in 1992 to $4.8T
Clinton: 1992 was $4.8T - added $1.2T, up 22%  in 2000 to $6T
Bush II: 2000 was $5.1T - added $6.6T, up 129% in 2008 to $11.7T
Obama: 2008 was $11.7T  - added $4.3T, up 37%  in 2012 to $16T

Compiled directly from the numbers at the Dept. of the Treasury: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm

But to answer the question directly, I guess the last President to pay off/reduce debt was Carter, though all of them since WWII had been doing it.