Rating the Presidents

Arthur M. Schlesinger, New York Times Magazine Dec. 15, 1996.

Great: G. Washington, A. Lincoln, F. D. Roosevelt.

Near Great: T. Jefferson, A. Jackson, J. Polk, T. Roosevelt, W. Wilson, H. Truman.

Average (High): John Adams, J. Monroe, G. Cleveland, W. McKinley, D. Eisenhower, J. Kennedy, L. Johnson.

Average (Low): J. Madison, J. Q. Adams, M. Van Buren, R. Hayes, C. Arthur, B. Harrison, W. H. Taft, G. Ford, J. Carter, R. Reagan, G. Bush, W. Clinton.

Below Average: J. Tyler, Z. Taylor, M. Fillmore, C. Coolidge.

Failure: F. Pierce, J. Buchanan, A. Johnson, U. S. Grant, W. Harding, H. Hoover, R. Nixon.


William J. Ridings & Stuart B. McIver,(1)

 
Overall Rank Leadership Qualities Accomplishments & Crisis Management Political Skill Appointments Character & Integrity
1. Lincoln 2 1 2 3 1
2. FDR 1 2 1 2 15
3. Washington 3 3 7 1 2
4. Jefferson 6 5 5 4 7
5. T. Roosevelt 4 4 4 5 12
6. Wilson 7 7 13 6 8
7. Truman 9 6 8 9 9
8. Jackson 5 9 6 19 18
9. Eisenhower 10 10 14 16 10
10. Madison 14 14 15 11 6
11. Polk 12 8 12 15 20
12. L. Johnson 11 12 3 10 37
13. Monroe 15 13 16 8 13
14. J. Adams 17 11 21 13 3
15. Kennedy 8 13 10 7 34
16. Cleveland 13 17 19 17 16
17. McKinley 18 15 17 18 19
18. J. Q. Adams 20 20 25 12 4
19. Carter 28 22 32 14 5
20. Taft 25 21 30 20 14
21. Van Buren 19 24 11 22 25
22. Bush 24 18 27 25 24
23. Clinton 23 23 20 24 38
24. Hoover 33 33 34 21 11
25. Hayes 36 26 23 26 22
26. Reagan 16 27 9 39 39
27. Ford 34 28 24 23 17
28. Arthur 31 25 22 27 33
29. Taylor 23 31 33 28 23
30. Garfield 30 36 26 32 26
31. B. Harrison 32 29 29 29 28
32. Nixon 21 19 18 34 41
33. Coolidge 37 34 29 31 21
34. Tyler 35 30 18 30 27
35. W. H. Harrison 33 39 28 35 29
36. Fillmore 36 32 31 33 31
37. Pierce 38 37 37 36 35
38. Grant 27 35 40 40 32
39. A. Johnson 39 38 41 37 30
40. Buchanan 40 41 39 38 36
41. Harding  41 40 38 41 40


President Ranking by "Experts" (Murray/Blessing Poll)(2)
Great Near Great Above Average
Abraham Lincoln

Franklin D. Roosevelt

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

Theodore Roosevelt

Woodrow Wilson

Andrew Jackson

Harry S. Truman

John Adams
Lyndon B. Johnson
Dwight D. Eisenhower
James K. Polk
John F. Kennedy
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Grover Cleveland
Average Below Average Failure
William McKinley
William Taft
Martin Van Buren
Herbert Hoover
Rutherford B. Hayes
Chester A. Arthur
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Benjamin Harrison
Zachary Taylor 

Ronald Reagan 
John Tyler 

Millard Fillmore 
Calvin Coolidge 

Franklin Pierce

Andrew Johnson

James Buchanan

Richard Nixon

Ulysses S. Grant

Warren G. Harding


 


The Best and Worst Presidents, According to the Experts
(58 Presidential Historians and Political Scientists)(3)

The Ten Best
The Ten Worst
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt
4. Thomas Jefferson
5. Theodore Roosevelt
6. Woodrow Wilson
7. Harry S. Truman
8. Andrew Jackson
9. Dwight Eisenhower 
10. James Polk
1. Warren Harding
2. James Buchanan
3. Franklin Pierce
4. Ulysses Grant
5. Andrew Johnson
6. Millard Fillmore
7. Richard Nixon
8. John Tyler
9. Calvin Coolidge 
10. Herbert Hoover

1. "Rating the Presidents" Citadel Press, 1997.
2. Source, Robert K. Murray and Tim Blessing, Greatness of the White House (University Park: the Pennsylvania State University Press, 1994), p. 16.
3. Source Steve Neal, "Putting Presidents in Their Places," Chicago Sun-Times, November 19, 1995, pp. 30-31.