Sculptor Gutzon Borglum and Presidents Calvin Coolidge selected Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln to appear on Mount Rushmore.

In political science, historical rankings of United States Presidents are surveys conducted in order to construct rankings of the success of individuals who have served as President of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The rankings focus on the presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures and faults (such as corruption). Image File history File links Mountrushmore. ... Image File history File links Mountrushmore. ... Mt Rushmore, Black Hills, South Dakota (John) Gutzon Borglum (March 25, 1867 –March 6, 1941). ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ... For the 1960s rock band, see Mount Rushmore (band). ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political Science is the field concerning the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behaviour. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... This article is about the occupation of studying history. ... See also: Political Science Notable political scientists Kenneth Arrow - Nobel Memorial Prize winning economist who published influential paper on his widely cited Arrows Impossibility Theorem Robert Axelrod Duncan Black - Responsible for unearthing the work of many early political scientists, including Charles Dodgson Jean-Charles de Borda - 18th century mathematician...

Three Presidents—George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt—are consistently ranked at the top of the lists. Usually ranked just below those three are Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt. The remaining "top 10" ranks are often rounded out by Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Jackson, and in two recent polls sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, Ronald Reagan. Ranking at the bottom of most polls are Warren G. Harding, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan. William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield, who died before serving most of their terms, are sometimes not ranked. George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and in 1789 was elected the first President of the United States of America. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... FDR redirects here. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... For other persons named Harry Truman, see Harry Truman (disambiguation). ... Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... Reagan redirects here. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the twenty-ninth President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ... Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. ... James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States (1857–1861). ... William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. ... James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831–September 19, 1881) was a major general in the United States Army, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the twentieth President of the United States. ...

Some presidents present special problems because their foreign policy success or failure stands in contradiction to their domestic policy failure or success. Political scientist Walter Dean Burnham noted the "dichotomous or schizoid profiles." Historian Alan Brinkley said: "There are presidents who could be considered both failures and great or near great (for example, Nixon)". James MacGregor Burns observed of Nixon, 'How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic president, so brilliant and so morally lacking?'"^[1] Walter Dean Burnham (b. ... Alan Brinkley is the Allan Nevins Professor of History at Columbia University. ... Nixon redirects here. ...

Abraham Lincoln is often considered the greatest president for his leadership during the American Civil War and his eloquence in speeches such as the Gettysburg Address.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2850x3742, 1215 KB) Description Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2850x3742, 1215 KB) Description Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... The only confirmed photo of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg (seated), taken about noon, just after Lincoln arrived and some three hours before he spoke. ...

Presidents by average scholar rank

For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... FDR redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and in 1789 was elected the first President of the United States of America. ... Pro-Administration Party is a term used by historians to describe the supporters of the policies of George Washingtons administration — especially Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamiltons financial policies — prior to the formation of the Federalist and Republican Parties; it is also sometimes used to describe the supporters of the... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... The Democratic-Republican Party, also known as the Republican Party , was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ... For other persons named Harry Truman, see Harry Truman (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ... This article is about the U.S. President. ... For other persons named John Adams, see John Adams (disambiguation). ... The Federalist Party (or Federal Party) was an American political party in the period 1793 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836), was an American politician and the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817), and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. ... LBJ redirects here. ... Reagan redirects here. ... For other persons named James Monroe, see James Monroe (disambiguation). ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908), the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States, was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 and 1893–1897). ... This article is about the 25th President of the United States; for other people named William McKinley, see William McKinley (disambiguation). ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was a diplomat, politician, and the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829). ... For other persons named William Howard Taft, see William Howard Taft (disambiguation). ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ... Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the nineteenth President of the United States (1877–1881). ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 21st President of the United States. ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933), was a world-famous mining engineer and humanitarian administrator. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Gerald Ford, see Gerald Ford (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ... Nixon redirects here. ... James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831–September 19, 1881) was a major general in the United States Army, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the twentieth President of the United States. ... This article is about the twelfth President of the United States. ... The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. ... John Tyler, Jr. ... Not to be confused with Mallard Fillmore. ... Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. ... For other persons of the same name, see Andrew Johnson (disambiguation). ... Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. ... James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States (1857–1861). ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the twenty-ninth President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ...

Scholar surveys details

The 1948 poll was conducted by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. of Harvard University.^[2] The 1962 survey was also conducted by Schlesinger, who surveyed 75 historians; the results of this survey are given in the book The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents by William A. Degregorio. Schlesinger's son Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. conducted another poll in 1996, not currently on the above chart. Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Sr. ... Harvard redirects here. ... This article is about Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. ...

The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents also gives the results of the 1982 survey, a poll of 49 historians conducted by the Chicago Tribune. A notable difference from the 1962 Schlesinger poll was the ranking of President Eisenhower, who was ranked #22 in 1962, but was ranked #9 in the 1982 survey. // The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois and owned by the Tribune Company. ... Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ...

Andrew Johnson (1865-69) routinely receives poor marks due to his handling of Reconstruction

The Siena Research Institute of Siena College conducted surveys in 1982, 1990, 1994, and 2002. The 1994 survey placed only two Presidents, Franklin Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, above 80 points, and placed two Presidents, Andrew Johnson and Warren G. Harding, below 50 points.^[3][4] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (457x607, 35 KB) U.S. President Andrew Johnson. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (457x607, 35 KB) U.S. President Andrew Johnson. ... Siena College is a nationally recognized independent Catholic Liberal Arts College situated on US 9 in the suburban community of Loudonville, New York, two miles (3. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), often referred to as FDR, was the 32nd (1933–1945) President of the United States. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... For other persons of the same name, see Andrew Johnson (disambiguation). ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the twenty-ninth President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ...

The 1996 column shows the results from a poll conducted from 1989 to 1996 by William J. Ridings, Jr. and Stuart B. McIver, and published in the book Rating the Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent. More than 719 people took part in the poll, primarily academic historians and political scientists, although some politicians and celebrities also took part. Participants from every state were included, and emphasis was placed upon getting input from female historians and "specialists in African-American studies", as well as a few non-American historians. Poll respondents rated the Presidents in five categories (leadership qualities, accomplishments & crisis management, political skill, appointments, character & integrity), and the results were tabulated to create the overall ranking. For other uses, see Female (disambiguation). ... African American studies, or Black studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans. ...

The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership was a 1999 survey of academic historians. It found that historians consider Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt the three best presidents by a wide margin and William Henry Harrison, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan the worst.^[5] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and in 1789 was elected the first President of the United States of America. ... FDR redirects here. ... William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. ... For other persons of the same name, see Andrew Johnson (disambiguation). ... Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. ... James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States (1857–1861). ...

A 2000 survey by The Wall Street Journal consisted of an "ideologically balanced group of 132 prominent professors of history, law, and political science". This poll sought to include an equal number of liberals and conservatives in the survey, as the editors argued that previous polls were dominated by either one group or the other, but never balanced. According to the editors, this poll included responses from more women, minorities, and young professors than the 1996 Schlesinger poll. The editors noted that the results of their poll were "remarkably similar" to the 1996 Schlesinger poll, with the main difference in the 2000 poll being the lower rankings for the 1960s presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy, and higher ranking of President Ronald Reagan at #8. Franklin Roosevelt still ranked in the top three. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an international daily newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company in New York City, New York, USA, with Asian and European editions, and a worldwide daily circulation of more than 2 million as of 2006, with 931,000 paying online subscribers. ... Political Liberalism is an update to John Rawls 1971 Theory of Justice in which Rawls attempts to show that his theory of justice is not a comprehensive conception of the good, but is instead compatible with a liberal conception of the role of justice: namely, that government should be neutral... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... LBJ redirects here. ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... Reagan redirects here. ... FDR redirects here. ...

Another presidential poll was conducted by The Wall Street Journal in 2005, with James Lindgren of Northwestern University Law School for the Federalist Society. [9] As in the 2000 survey, the editors sought to balance the opinions of liberals and conservatives, adjusting the results "to give Democratic- and Republican-leaning scholars equal weight." Franklin D. Roosevelt still ranked in the top-three, but editor James Taranto noted that Democratic-leaning scholars rated George W. Bush the sixth-worst president of all time, while Republican scholars rated him the sixth-best, giving President George W. Bush a split-decision rating of "average". James Lindgren is a professor of law at Northwestern University. ... The School of Law at Northwestern University is one of Americas leading law schools. ... The Federalist Society logo, depicting James Madisons silhouette The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, most frequently called simply the Federalist Society, began at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School in 1982 as a student organization that challenged the perceived... FDR redirects here. ... James Taranto (born 1966) is a Manhattan-based columnist for The Wall Street Journal and editor of its online editorial page, OpinionJournal. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Surveys of scholars

More than one thousand people have participated in the surveys. The issue of the validity of the rankings has been of special interest to historians and political scientists, who have tried to specify the relative importance of personality, leadership, issues and partisanship. Quantitative ranking by groups of scholars has been in favor in recent decades, displacing the traditional methods of evaluation by individual writers as typified by Bailey (1966) and most biographers. George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and in 1789 was elected the first President of the United States of America. ... For other persons named John Adams, see John Adams (disambiguation). ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836), was an American politician and the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817), and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. ... For other persons named James Monroe, see James Monroe (disambiguation). ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was a diplomat, politician, and the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829). ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ... William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. ... John Tyler, Jr. ... This article is about the U.S. President. ... This article is about the twelfth President of the United States. ... Not to be confused with Mallard Fillmore. ... Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. ... James Buchanan (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States (1857–1861). ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ... For other persons of the same name, see Andrew Johnson (disambiguation). ... Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the nineteenth President of the United States (1877–1881). ... James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831–September 19, 1881) was a major general in the United States Army, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the twentieth President of the United States. ... Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 21st President of the United States. ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908), the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States, was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 and 1893–1897). ... For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... This article is about the 25th President of the United States; for other people named William McKinley, see William McKinley (disambiguation). ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... For other persons named William Howard Taft, see William Howard Taft (disambiguation). ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the twenty-ninth President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933), was a world-famous mining engineer and humanitarian administrator. ... FDR redirects here. ... For other persons named Harry Truman, see Harry Truman (disambiguation). ... Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American General and politician, who served as the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953–1961). ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... LBJ redirects here. ... Nixon redirects here. ... Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ... Reagan redirects here. ... George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) was the 41st President of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ...

Because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms as both the 22nd and 24th President, the total number of Presidents in each poll is at least one less than the number of the most recently serving President in the poll. Because of their short time in office, Presidents William Henry Harrison and James Garfield are sometimes omitted from these polls. Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908), the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States, was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms (1885–1889 and 1893–1897). ... William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. ... James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831–September 19, 1881) was a major general in the United States Army, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the twentieth President of the United States. ...

Liberal and conservative raters

The Murray-Blessing 1982 survey asked historians whether they were liberal or conservative on domestic, social and economic issues. The table below shows that the two groups had only small differences in ranking the best and worst presidents. There is only one difference between the ideologies' top 10 lists - Lyndon B. Johnson (liberals) instead of Dwight Eisenhower (conservatives) - and the "worst 7" lists also differ by only one person, with the conservatives selecting Jimmy Carter as one of the bottom seven instead of Calvin Coolidge, the liberals' choice for seventh-worst president.

Source: Murray and Blessing p 135

Classical Liberal/Libertarian Dissent on the Liberal/Conservative Consensus

While no survey of libertarian historians is known, a chapter in Reassessing the Presidency contains an article by Vedder and Gallaway that ranks presidential performance by the objective measures of change in government spending as a percent of GDP and change in price index during the administration, weighted equally. From a libertarian perspective, a higher-ranked president would have lower government spending and low (even negative) rates of change in price index. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Even though this ranking is crude and mechanistic, it is consonant with the assessments of many classical liberal and libertarian historians, such as Robert Higgs,^{[citation needed]} Jeffrey Rogers Hummel,^{[citation needed]} Thomas DiLorenzo,^{[citation needed]} John V. Denson,^{[citation needed]} Ralph Raico,^{[citation needed]} Joseph Stromberg,^{[citation needed]} Scott Trask,^{[citation needed]} Clyde Wilson,^{[citation needed]} and Thomas E. Woods, Jr.^{[citation needed]} Liberalism is a political current embracing several historical and present-day ideologies that claim defense of individual liberty as the purpose of government. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... Robert Higgs Robert Higgs (born 1 February 1944) is an American economist who adheres to the tenets of the Austrian School. ... Thomas DiLorenzo Thomas J. DiLorenzo (born 1954) is an American economics professor at Loyola College in Maryland. ... Ralph Raico is a professor of history at Buffalo State College (USA), and a specialist of European classical liberalism. ... Joseph R. Stromberg holds the JoAnn B. Rothbard chair in History at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. ... Clyde N. Wilson is a professor of history at the University of South Carolina, a conservative political commentator, and an occasional contributor to the National Review. ... Thomas Woods Thomas E. Woods, Jr. ...

Libertarian Ranking of Presidential Performance

One study suggests that Warren Harding was the president who best embodied libertarian values.

(with comparison to above "by average scholar rank") Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 - August 2, 1923) was the 29th (1921-1923) President of the United States and the sixth President to die in office. ... This article is about the political philosophy based on private property rights. ...

Ranking Source: Vedder and Gallaway, Table 4, Variant 1, p. 19

Popular opinion

C-SPAN viewer survey

C-SPAN asked viewers in 1999 to rank the presidents, and 1,145 people participated. The results of the viewer survey were similar to the results of the 1999 C-SPAN historian survey, with a few notable differences.^[6]

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Theodore Roosevelt
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt
5. Thomas Jefferson
6. Ronald Reagan
7. Harry S. Truman
8. Dwight D. Eisenhower
9. James Monroe
10. James Madison
11. John Adams
12. John F. Kennedy
13. Woodrow Wilson
14. Andrew Jackson
15. John Quincy Adams
16. George H.W. Bush
17. James Polk
18. William McKinley
19. Lyndon Baines Johnson
20. Richard Nixon

ABC poll

An ABC News poll about presidential greatness, taken 16-20 February 2000, asked 1012 adults nationwide, "Who do you think was the greatest American president?" [10] This article is about the American broadcast network. ...

1. Abraham Lincoln (19%)
2. John Kennedy (17%)
3. Franklin Roosevelt (11%)
4. No opinion (10%)
5. Ronald Reagan (9%)
6. George Washington (8%)
7. Bill Clinton (7%)
8. Theodore Roosevelt (4%)
9. George H.W. Bush (4%)
10. Thomas Jefferson (3%)
11. Harry Truman (2%)
12. Richard Nixon (2%)
13. Jimmy Carter (1%)
14. Dwight Eisenhower (1%)

Rasmussen Reports poll

A Rasmussen Reports poll taken June 13-24 of 2007 asked 1,000 randomly selected adults to rate America's presidents. Six presidents were rated favorably by at least 80% of respondents. They were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. Twenty presidents were viewed favorably by at least 50% of respondents. Rasmussen Reports is an American public opinion polling firm. ...

Only two presidents were viewed unfavorably by at least 50% of respondents. They were Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, the current president. [11]

Favorably-Viewed Presidents

1. George Washington (94% favorable)
2. Abraham Lincoln (92% favorable)
3. Thomas Jefferson (89% favorable)
4. Theodore Roosevelt (84% favorable)
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt (81% favorable)
6. John F. Kennedy (80% favorable)
7. John Adams (74% favorable)
8. James Madison (73% favorable)
9. Ronald Reagan (72% favorable)
10. Dwight Eisenhower (72% favorable)
11. Harry Truman (70% favorable)
12. Andrew Jackson (69% favorable)
13. Gerald Ford (62% favorable)
14. John Quincy Adams (59% favorable)
15. Ulysses S. Grant (58% favorable)
16. Jimmy Carter (57% favorable)
17. William Taft (57% favorable)
18. George H.W. Bush – the former president (57% favorable)
19. Woodrow Wilson (56% favorable)
20. Bill Clinton (55% favorable)

Unfavorably-Viewed Presidents

1. Richard Nixon (60% unfavorable)
2. George W. Bush – the current president (59% unfavorable)

Washington College poll

A Washington College poll about presidential greatness, taken 11 February 2005, asked 800 adults nationwide, "Thinking about all the presidents of the United States throughout history to the present, who would you say was America's greatest president?"^[7] See Washington University (disambiguation) for institutions with similar names. ...

1. Abraham Lincoln (20%)
2. Ronald Reagan (15%)
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt (12%)
4. John F. Kennedy (11%)
5. Bill Clinton (10%)
6. Other/Don't Know (9%)
7. George W. Bush (8%)
8. George Washington (6%)
9. Theodore Roosevelt (3%)
10. Dwight Eisenhower (3%)
11. Jimmy Carter (2%)
12. Thomas Jefferson (2%)
13. Richard Nixon (1%)
14. John Adams (<1%)
15. Andrew Jackson (<1%)
16. Lyndon Johnson (<1%)

Gallup poll

Ronald Reagan has fared well in recent public opinion polls

A Gallup poll about presidential greatness, taken February 9-11, 2007, asked 1006 adults nationwide, "Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?"^[8] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (594x750, 49 KB) Official Portrait of President Reagan, 1981. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (594x750, 49 KB) Official Portrait of President Reagan, 1981. ... A Gallup poll is an opinion poll frequently used by the mass media for representing public opinion. ...

1. Abraham Lincoln (18%)
2. Ronald Reagan (16%)
3. John F. Kennedy (14%)
4. Bill Clinton (13%)
5. Franklin Roosevelt (9%)
6. Other/None/No opinion (8%)
7. George Washington (7%)
8. Harry Truman (3%)
9. George W. Bush (2%)
10. Theodore Roosevelt (2%)
11. Dwight Eisenhower (2%)
12. Thomas Jefferson (2%)
13. Jimmy Carter (2%)
14. Gerald Ford (1%)
15. George H.W. Bush (1%)
16. Richard Nixon (0%)

Recent president polls

These polls evaluate Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower and later succession.

CNN poll

A CNN poll, taken November 17-19, 2006, asked 1,025 adults nationwide, “Who do you think was the better president: George W. Bush, the current president, or his father, George Bush, who was president from 1989 to 1993?"

Current President: 25%

Former President: 61%

Equally Good or Bad 12%

Unsure 2%

Quinnipiac University poll

A Quinnipiac University poll, taken May 23-30, 2006, asked 1,534 registered American voters to pick the worst U.S. President of the last 61 years.^[9] Quinnipiac University is a private four-year university in Hamden, Connecticut, located on about 500 acres (2 km²), just north of New Haven. ...

"Which of these eleven presidents we have had since World War II would you consider the worst president - Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush?"

1. George W. Bush (34%)
2. Richard Nixon (17%)
3. Bill Clinton (16%)
4. Jimmy Carter (13%)
5. Don't Know/No Answer (5%)
6. Lyndon Johnson (4%)
7. George H. W. Bush (3%)
8. Ronald Reagan (3%)
9. Gerald Ford (2%)
10. Harry Truman (1%)
11. John Kennedy (1%)
12. Dwight Eisenhower (<1%)

USA Today/Gallup poll

A USA Today/Gallup Poll, taken December 8-10, 2006, asked 1009 adults nationwide, "How do you think each of the following presidents will go down in history -- as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor?"

References

• Thomas A. Bailey, Presidential Greatness (1966), a non quantitative appraisal by leading historian
• Degregorio, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. 4th ed. New York: Avenel, 1993. Contains the results of the 1962 and 1982 surveys.
• Faber, Charles and Richard Faber. The American Presidents Ranked by Performance (2000)
• Felzenberg, Alvin S. “There You Go Again: Liberal Historians and the New York Times Deny Ronald Reagan His Due,” Policy Review, March—April 1997.
• Melvin G. Holli. The American Mayor: The Best & the Worst Big-City Leaders (1999)
• Miller, Nathan. Star-Spangled Men America's Ten Worst Presidents (1999)
• Murray, Robert K. and Tim H. Blessing. Greatness in the White House: Rating the Presidents, from Washington Through Ronald Reagan (1994)
• Pfiffner, James P. ; "Ranking the Presidents: Continuity and Volatility" White House Studies, Vol. 3, 2003 pp 23+
• Ridings, William J., Jr. and Stuart B. McIver. Rating the Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-8065-1799-9.
• Schlesinger, Jr. Arthur M. "Ranking the Presidents: From Washington to Clinton," Political Science Quarterly (1997) 112:179-90
• Skidmore, Max J. Presidential Performance: A Comprehensive Review (2004)
• Skidmore, Max J. "Ranking and Evaluating Presidents: The Case of Theodore Roosevelt" White House Studies. Volume: 1. Issue: 4. 2001. pp 495+.
• Taranto, James and Leonard Leo, eds. Presidential Leadership: Rating the Best and Worst in the White House. New York: Wall Street Journal Books, 2004. ISBN 0-7432-5433-3, for Federalist Society surveys.
• Vedder, Richard and Gallaway, Lowell, "Rating Presidential Performance" in Reassessing the Presidency: The Rise of the Executive State and the Decline of Freedom ed. John V. Denson, Mises Institute, 2001. ISBN 0-945466-29-3

External links

• "Ranking Presidents: Utter Nonsense Or Useful Analysis?, 2001 column by John Dean
• "The Worst President in History?", 2006 Rolling Stone article by Princeton University historian Sean Wilentz
• "Historians vs. George W. Bush, 2004 article by Millsaps College historian Robert S. McElvaine

John Dean, May 7, 1972. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... Sean Wilentz (b. ... Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi, supported by the United Methodist Church. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

See also

• Historical rankings of British Prime Ministers