Who Is the Worst President?

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | February 20, 2017

No. 1,307

Every few years on President’s Day, somebody conducts a survey of history professors to determine the rankings of Presidents.  Lincoln always wins and Washington is always second.  The two Roosevelts follow behind.

There hasn’t been much movement in these top ranks.  James Buchanan has been ranked at the bottom of this poll.  The reason, of course, is that he presided over the years in which the United States slid into the Civil War.

There is no question that Buchanan provided very little leadership during this critical time.  However, it is doubtful that Buchanan or anyone else could have prevented the Civil War. While his administration had few accomplishments, there are many others that could claim the prize for least accomplished.  On the other hand, Buchanan had an excellent resume — he had held many high offices, including Secretary of State.

Despite all of that, there are a handful of Presidents who accomplished even less in office.  William Henry Harrison caught pneumonia in the Inaugural Parade and died shortly afterward. James A. Garfield was assassinated relatively early in his administration and never had an opportunity to exercise leadership.

The Vice Presidents who succeeded these two were not, very frankly, Presidential timber — Tyler and Arthur.  And then there was Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln. All three of these ex-Vice Presidents were unprepared for the challenge and had very little political power.  They were swept aside by strong leaders in Congress and left almost no legacy.

Benjamin, the other Harrison, hated being President. He belongs in a trio of mediocres, including Filmore and Harding.

So who is the worst?  It depends on what you value most in a President.

Here’s my ranking. Not the same as the C-Span Rankings.  Politics shouldn’t play any role in these rankings.  Leadership should be the chief criterion.

1. Lincoln
2. Washington
3. FDR
4. Jefferson
5. Theodore Roosevelt
6. Eisenhower
7. Lyndon Johnson
8. Madison
9. Monroe
10. Polk
11. Reagan
12. Truman
13. Clinton
14. Jackson
15. JohnAdams
16. George H W Bush
17. Obama
18. Nixon
19. Cleveland
20. Taft
21. Carter
22. Wilson
23. John Quincy Adams
24. Hoover
25. McKinley
26. Kennedy
27. Van Buren
28. Taylor
29. George W Bush
30. Ford
31. Coolidge
32. Pierce
33. Hayes
34. Arthur
35. Benjamin Harrison
36. Fillmore
37. Tyler
38. Harding
39. Buchanan
40. Andrew Johnson
41. William Henry Harrison

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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