In the 1920s, sculptor Gutzon Borglum and President Calvin Coolidge selected George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln (L to R) to appear on Mount Rushmore—it later became an iconic symbol of presidential greatness, chosen to represent the nation's birth, growth, development and preservation, respectively.

In political studies, surveys have been conducted in order to construct historical rankings of the success of the presidents of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The scholarly rankings focus on presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures and faults.[1][2][3] Popular-opinion polls typically focus on recent or well-known presidents.

General findings

Political scientist Walter Dean Burnham noted the "dichotomous or schizoid profiles" of presidents, which can make some hard to classify. Historian Alan Brinkley stated that "there are presidents who could be considered both failures and great or near great (for example, Nixon)". Historian and political scientist James MacGregor Burns observed of Nixon: "How can one evaluate such an idiosyncratic president, so brilliant and so morally lacking?"[4] It is also not clear that the absolute rankings have great overall significance, especially for the middling presidents. Gerard Baker, US editor for The Times, writes, "the 42 American presidents fall into a well-established, bell-curve or normal distribution on a chart – a handful of outstanding ones, a handful of duds, and a lot of so-sos. I couldn't, in all honesty therefore, really say that number 13 on the list is that much better than number 30."[5]

History

Abraham Lincoln
Franklin D. Roosevelt
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln is mostly regarded as the greatest president for his leadership during the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. His main competitors are Franklin D. Roosevelt, for leading the country out of the Great Depression and during World War II; and Founding Father and first president George Washington, for setting several enduring and important precedents for the office of the presidency, including the peaceful transition of power.
James Buchanan
Andrew Johnson
Warren G. Harding
21st-century surveys mostly consider James Buchanan (left), Lincoln's predecessor, as the worst president for his leadership during the build-up to the Civil War. Others vote Lincoln's successor Andrew Johnson (middle), for blocking civil rights for freed slaves and undermining Reconstruction. In the 20th century, surveys focused on the corruption and scandal-laden presidency of Warren G. Harding (right), ranking him in last place.

A 1948 poll was conducted by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. of Harvard University.[1] A 1962 survey was also conducted by Schlesinger, who surveyed 75 historians.[6] Schlesinger's son, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., conducted another poll in 1996.[7]

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 Dwight D. Eisenhower, which rose from 22nd in 1962 to 9th in 1982.

The 1996 column shows the results from a poll conducted from 1988 to 1996 by William J. Ridings Jr. and Stuart B. McIver and published in Rating The Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. Leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent.[8] 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, and character and integrity) and the results were tabulated to create the overall ranking.

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 him a split-decision rating of "average".

The Siena College Research Institute has conducted surveys in 1982, 1990, 1994, 2002, 2010, 2018 and 2022 - during the second year of the first term of each president since Ronald Reagan.[10] These surveys collect presidential rankings from historians, political scientists, and presidential scholars in a range of attributes, abilities, and accomplishments.[11] The 1994 survey placed only two presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, above 80 points and two presidents, Andrew Johnson and Warren G. Harding, below 50 points.[12][13]

In 2008, The Times daily newspaper of London asked eight of its own "top international and political commentators" to rank all 42 presidents "in order of greatness".[14]

The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership consists of rankings from a group of presidential historians and biographers. The C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Leadership has taken place four times: in 2000, 2009, 2017, and 2021.[15][16][17][18] The most recent survey was of 142 presidential historians, surveyed by C-SPAN's Academic Advisor Team, made up of Douglas G. Brinkley, Edna Greene Medford, Richard Norton Smith, and Amity Shlaes. In the survey, each historian rates each president on a scale of one ("not effective") to 10 ("very effective") on presidential leadership in ten categories: Public Persuasion, Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Moral Authority, International Relations, Administrative Skills, Relations with Congress, Vision/Setting An Agenda, Pursued Equal Justice for All and Performance Within the Context of His Times—with each category equally weighed.[19] The results of all four C-SPAN surveys have been fairly consistent. Abraham Lincoln has taken the highest ranking in each survey and George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt have always ranked in the top five while James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce have been ranked at the bottom of all four surveys.[17]

In 2011, through the agency of its United States Presidency Centre (USPC), the Institute for the Study of the Americas (located in the University of London's School of Advanced Study) released the first ever United Kingdom academic survey to rate presidents. This polled the opinion of British specialists in American history and politics to assess presidential performance. They also gave an interim assessment of Barack Obama, but his unfinished presidency was not included in the survey. (Had he been included, he would have attained eighth place overall.)[20]

In 2012, Newsweek magazine asked a panel of historians to rank the ten best presidents since 1900. The results showed that historians had ranked Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama as the best since that year.[21]

A 2015 poll administered by the American Political Science Association (APSA) among political scientists specializing in the American presidency had Abraham Lincoln in the top spot, with George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Andrew Jackson, and Woodrow Wilson making the top 10.[22] APSA conducted a repeat of this poll in 2018, with Donald Trump appearing for the first time, in last position.[23]

A 2016 survey of 71 British specialists by the Presidential History Network produced similar results to the 2011 USPC survey, with Barack Obama placed in the first quartile.[24][25]

The 2018 Siena poll of 157 presidential scholars reported George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson as the top five US presidents, with SCRI director Don Levy stating, "The top five, Mount Rushmore plus FDR, is carved in granite with presidential historians...."[26] Donald Trump—entering the SCRI survey for the first time—joined Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, and Franklin Pierce among the bottom five US presidents. George W. Bush, whom presidential scholars had rated among the bottom five in the previous 2010 survey, improved in position to the bottom of the third quartile. A 2021 C-SPAN poll continued a recent rehabilitation of Ulysses Grant, with Bush improving yet again, Obama remaining high, and Trump near the bottom.[27]

Scholar survey summary

Within each column
 Blue  backgrounds indicate rankings in the first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate rankings in the second quartile.
 Yellow-green  backgrounds indicate the median ranking of an odd number of presidents.[lower-alpha 1]
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate rankings in the third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate rankings in the fourth quartile.

Note: click the "sort" icon at the head of each column to view the rankings for each survey in numerical order.

No.
[lower-alpha 2]
[lower-alpha 3]		 President Political party
Schl. 1962[6]
M-B 1982
CT 1982
Siena 1982
Siena 1990
Siena 1994
R-McI 1996[8]
C-SPAN 2000
WSJ 2000
Siena 2002
WSJ 2005[9]
Times 2008[28]
C-SPAN 2009[29]
Siena 2010[30][31]
USPC 2011[32]
APSA 2015[22]
PHN 2016[24]
C-SPAN 2017[33]
APSA 2018[23]
Siena 2018[34]
C-SPAN 2021[27]
Siena 2022[35]
1 George Washington Independent 223244432 (tie)314 1 2 2432 3 2 212 3
2 John Adams Federalist 9109151014121411161312 13 13 17171215 10 19 141415 16
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 554523544745 4 4 7545 5 7 557 5
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican 14121417989101718159 17 15 2061413 15 17 12716 10
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican 12181516151115131514168 16 21 1471316 14 13 18812 12
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 111316191716171818192017 25 16 19192022 17 21 231817 17
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic 6677139118513613 10 14 131499 16 18 151922 23
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic 151720182121222121302324 27 40 31232725 27 34 272534 29
9 William H. Harrison Whig – – – –26352835 –37 –36 – 39 3935 –[lower-alpha 3]39 – 38 423940 40
10 John Tyler Independent[36] 222528283433343432363437 35 31 35373736 36 39 373739 39
11 James K. Polk Democratic 108 (tie)1210121314119121011 9 9 12121619 22 14 201218 15
12 Zachary Taylor Whig 252427262934332929283134 33 28 29333333 33 31 353035 36
13 Millard Fillmore Whig 242629313232353631353538 36 33 37383537 39 37 383838 38
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic 272831333536373733 (tie)3937 (tie)39 38 41 40403940 40 41 414042 41
15 James Buchanan Democratic 26293334373839403841[lower-alpha 4]39[lower-alpha 4]41 40[lower-alpha 4] 42[lower-alpha 4] 42[lower-alpha 4]4240[lower-alpha 4]43[lower-alpha 4] 41[lower-alpha 4] 43[lower-alpha 4]434344[lower-alpha 4] 44
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican 111132211122 2 1 1321 2 1131 2
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[37] 192332303839403937403642[lower-alpha 4] 37 24 4143[lower-alpha 4]3641 37 424044[lower-alpha 4]43 45[lower-alpha 4]
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 283035323637383833 (tie)333235 29 18 23262928 23 22212420 21
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 131422222223242523262227 24 27 33313030 32 32293233 31
20 James A. Garfield Republican – – – –25302630 –29 –33 – 34 (tie) 2827 –[lower-alpha 3]31 – 29342827 27
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican 1721 (tie)23242426272826322630 26 22 32253232 35 35313430 33
22, 24 Grover Cleveland Democratic 81117131817191613171220 12 19 21202123 24 23242325 26
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican 212026253129303119312732 30 29 (tie) 30343429 30 30323532 34
25 William McKinley Republican 181518111919181716151419 14 17 16211721 20 16192014 22
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 775455356453 5 5 4254 4 4444 4
27 William H. Taft Republican 161619202020212022241921 20 29 (tie) 24242520 25 24222223 25
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 4466666676116 11 10 98610 6 11111113 13
29 Warren G. Harding Republican 29[lower-alpha 4]31[lower-alpha 4]36[lower-alpha 4]36[lower-alpha 4]39[lower-alpha 4]40[lower-alpha 4]41[lower-alpha 4]41[lower-alpha 4]39[lower-alpha 4]3837 (tie)40 39 34 (tie) 38413842 38 40394137 42
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican 232730293031363330272529 23 26 26292827 31 27283124 32
31 Herbert Hoover Republican 201921212728292433 (tie)342931 31 36 34362638 29 36363636 37
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 332311122 (tie)231 3 3 3113 1 3323 1
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic –8 (tie)8877778577 7 7 5976 8 6696 7
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican –21 (tie)119111289109910 8 6 810107 9 5765 6
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic – –131481010151281814 15 11 6111514 12 816108 9
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic – –10121415131214101715 18 12 11161112 11 10101611 8
37 Richard Nixon Republican – –34352825233236253326 32 37 (tie) 27302334 26 28332931 28
38 Gerald Ford Republican – –24232327322728232828 28 25 22282424 28 25252728 30
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic – –25273324251927223025 34 32 25321826 18 26262626 24
40[lower-alpha 5] Ronald Reagan Republican – – – –162220262511816 6 8 1018811 13 99139 18
41[lower-alpha 5] George H. W. Bush Republican – – – – –18312224202122 21 20 18222217 21 20172121 20
42[lower-alpha 5] Bill Clinton Democratic – – – – – –162320212418 22 23 1513198 19 15131519 14
43[lower-alpha 5] George W. Bush Republican – – – – – – – – – – –23 19 37 (tie) 36393135 34 33303329 35
44[lower-alpha 5] Barack Obama Democratic – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –15(8)[lower-alpha 6]18 7 1281710 11
45[lower-alpha 5] Donald Trump Republican – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –44[lower-alpha 4]4241 43
46[lower-alpha 5] Joe Biden Democratic – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 19
Total surveyed[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] 293136363940414139413942 404242434043 41 4344444445
  1. ↑ Quartiles were determined by splitting the data into an upper and lower half and then splitting these halves each into two quartiles. When splitting an odd total number of rankings, the median is given an intermediate color.
  2. 1 2 Note: Grover Cleveland was elected to two non-consecutive terms, serving as both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States; he is the only person to have held the office in non-consecutive terms. Because Cleveland had two presidencies, the number of persons who have served as president is one less than the number of presidents in order of succession.
  3. 1 2 3 4 William Henry Harrison and James Garfield are sometimes omitted from rankings of the presidents because of the brevity of their terms in office. In addition to Grover Cleveland's two presidential numbers, this contributes to the number of ranks assigned by some sources being less than the presidential complement of the era.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Underline within a column indicates a given survey's lowest-ranking president (or presidents, in the event of a tie for last place).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Italics within row indicate rank awarded before president had completed term in office.
  6. ↑ Obama would place 8th based on provisional scores of the USPC 2011 survey, but was not given a ranking in the final results as he had not yet completed his term when the survey was conducted.

Notable scholar surveys

Murray–Blessing 1982 survey

The Murray–Blessing 1982 survey asked historians whether they were liberal or conservative on domestic, social, and economic issues.[38] The table below shows that the two groups had only small differences in ranking the best and worst presidents. Both groups agreed on the composition of nine of the top ten presidents (and were split over the inclusion of either Lyndon B. Johnson or Dwight D. Eisenhower) and six of the worst seven (split over Jimmy Carter or Calvin Coolidge).

Rankings by liberals and conservatives
Rank Liberals (n = 190) Conservatives (n = 50)
1 Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln
2 Franklin D. Roosevelt George Washington
3 George Washington Franklin D. Roosevelt
4 Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson
5 Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt
6 Woodrow Wilson Andrew Jackson
7 Andrew Jackson Harry S. Truman
8 Harry S. Truman Woodrow Wilson
9 Lyndon B. Johnson Dwight D. Eisenhower
10 John Adams John Adams
... ... ...
30 Calvin Coolidge Jimmy Carter
31 Franklin Pierce Richard Nixon
32 James Buchanan Franklin Pierce
33 Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson
34 Ulysses S. Grant James Buchanan
35 Richard Nixon Ulysses S. Grant
36 Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding

Siena College Research Institute, 5th Presidential Expert Poll 1982 – 2010

Abbreviations
Bg = Background
PL = Party leadership
CAb = Communication ability
RC = Relations with Congress
CAp = Court appointments
HE = Handling of economy
L = Luck
AC = Ability to compromise
WR = Willing to take risks
EAp = Executive appointments
OA = Overall ability
Im = Imagination
DA = Domestic accomplishments
Int = Integrity
EAb = Executive ability
FPA = Foreign policy accomplishments
LA = Leadership ability
IQ = Intelligence
AM = Avoid crucial mistakes
EV = Experts' view
O = Overall
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow-green  backgrounds indicate the median.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Source:[39]

Seq. President Political party Bg PL CAb RC CAp HE L AC WR EAp OA Im DA Int EAb FPA LA IQ AM EV O
 
1 George Washington Independent718123341341494223112134
2 John Adams Federalist429182610132332161513172231912207151217
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican146461661185536145761655
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican3101197121771596812514201721086
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican9121581499817816168101121315797
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican234203516143029231315111842116265202119
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic3021014272843851912131423619523121314
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic161323192438331332252424272923252722272423
9 William Henry Harrison Whig243025313327423530243735363033392431333435
10 John Tyler Independent[36]334239423931223926343529343337353633323637
11 James K. Polk Democratic179131221157237161714112498102091112
12 Zachary Taylor Whig373528373724363428283427372131342537253333
13 Millard Fillmore Whig404140383533252537353836353638333939303538
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic383737414034353638383939393840404038354040
15 James Buchanan Democratic234041404241404143394242434042414340414342
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican28626451312212111523213
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[37]424343434337394334424141423741384241424243
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican262824222529212222402826262734242129313126
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican293330292926191833333332332830303230242931
20 James A. Garfield Republican202222243223412731292528252526312326222727
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican413132272819142127263025203227262832172625
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic191617151722201924182022171917211925141920
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican393234283035293039363634323135283435233234
25 William McKinley Republican211419112318242021202123192218151827112021
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican6735122121431264446342
27 William Howard Taft Republican143629301820322436222330211825233118282324
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic8891688153791085911101012429108
29 Warren G. Harding Republican433836343639372640434343404243374143394141
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican252438212630122841303237311728323328192829
31 Herbert Hoover Republican102631331943434042322638411329363714403836
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic51122152332431631310421
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic351514201561115677157886917869
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican121721109118520171120139797195710
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic1319413127276106147153513171111161411
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic153161510289121291253412431521371616
37 Richard Nixon Republican182026363825343314372219244324112916433730
38 Gerald Ford Republican272535172236311735233133301532273034262528
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic31392739204038312521292129736293513363032
40 Ronald Reagan Republican3455731213141131191823262013836131718
41 George H. W. Bush Republican112733233432261629272731282022142224182222
42 Bill Clinton Democratic22118251131041811101010411518149341513
43 George W. Bush Republican362342324142184219414040383939423842383939
44 Barack Obama Democratic322171813171610131418616121622168211815
Seq. President Political party Bg PL CAb RC CAp HE L AC WR EAp OA Im DA Int EAb FPA LA IQ AM EV O

2011 USPC UK Survey of US Presidents

In September/October 2010, the United States Presidency Centre (USPC) of the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the University of London surveyed 47 British specialists on American history and politics. Presidents were rated from 1 to 10 in five categories:

  1. vision/agenda-setting: "did the president have the clarity of vision to establish overarching goals for his administration and shape the terms of policy discourse?"
  2. domestic leadership: "did the president display the political skill needed to achieve his domestic objectives and respond effectively to unforeseen developments?"
  3. foreign policy leadership: "was the president an effective leader in promoting US foreign policy interests and national security?"
  4. moral authority: "did the president uphold the moral authority of his office through his character, values, and conduct?"
  5. positive historical significance of legacy: "did the president's legacy have positive benefits for America's development over time?"

William Henry Harrison (1841) and James Garfield (1881) were not rated because they died shortly after taking office. Barack Obama (2009–) ranked 8th in interim ranking as of January 2011, but was not counted in the final results (and thus did not affect the rankings of other presidents) because he had yet to complete a term.[20]

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) came in first overall and in the categories of vision/agenda, domestic leadership, and foreign policy leadership. Washington came in first for moral authority; Lincoln for his legacy. Morgan believes it is likely that Roosevelt's ranking (which only marginally surpassed Lincoln's) rose because the poll was conducted during the worst economic troubles since the 1930s.[20]

Of presidents since 1960, only Ronald Reagan and (in interim results) Barack Obama placed in the top ten; Obama was the highest-ranked president since Harry Truman (1945–1953). Most of the other recent presidents held middling positions, though George W. Bush placed in the bottom ten, the lowest-ranked president since Warren Harding (1921–1923). Lyndon Johnson (1963–1969) "would have been placed much higher in recognition of his civil rights achievement but for the corrosive effect of Vietnam on his foreign policy and moral authority scores." As with US polls, the bottom five (other than Harding) were president before and after the Civil War.[20]

One of the more significant differences from American polls is the relatively low ranking of John F. Kennedy (1961–1963), who placed fifteenth. British academics "seemingly faulted JFK for the gap between his rhetoric and his substantive achievements as president."[20]

Abbreviations
VSA = Vision/Setting an agenda
DL = Domestic leadership
FPL = Foreign-policy leadership
MA = Moral authority
HL = Historical legacy (positive significance of)
O = Overall
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Each category is ranked according to its averaged numerical score (in parentheses). Source:[32]

Seq. President Political party VSA DL FPL MA HL O
 
1 George Washington Independent 5 (8.22) 4 (7.78) 2 (7.89) 1 (9.20) 3 (9.18) 3 (84.5%)
2 John Adams Federalist 13 (6.33) 17 (5.56) 11 (7.05) 9 (7.15) 12 (6.26) 12 (64.7%)
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 3 (8.29) 6 (7.57) 8 (7.14) 8 (7.16) 4 (8.16) 4 (76.6%)
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican 15 (6.23) 15 (5.78) 19 (5.75) 11 (6.72) 10 (6.38) 14 (61.7%)
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican 18 (5.97) 18 (5.55) 9 (7.08) 12 (6.27) 14 (6.18) 13 (62.1%)
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 17 (6.00) 21 (4.89) 20 (5.69) 13 (6.00) 19 (5.22) 20 (55.6%)
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic 9 (7.50) 7 (7.29) 18 (6.08) 18 (5.63) 9 (6.40) 9 (65.8%)
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic 27 (4.33) 25 (4.42) 27 (4.55) 27 (4.45) 25 (4.06) 27 (43.6%)
9 William H. Harrison Whig – – – – – –
10 John Tyler Independent[36] 37 (3.38) 37 (3.08) 30 (4.00) 35 (3.19) 38 (2.46) 37 (32.2%)
11 James K. Polk Democratic 12 (6.44) 13 (5.97) 14 (6.50) 22 (5.19) 20 (5.22) 16 (58.6%)
12 Zachary Taylor Whig 33 (3.84) 33 (3.88) 28 (4.13) 26 (4.46) 34 (3.00) 33 (38.6%)
13 Millard Fillmore Whig 36 (3.50) 35 (3.62) 35 (3.72) 32 (3.72) 32 (3.19) 35 (35.5%)
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic 40 (2.79) 39 (2.50) 39 (3.00) 37 (2.81) 39 (2.18) 39 (26.5%)
15 James Buchanan Democratic 39 (3.06) 40 (2.33) 40 (2.91) 38 (2.74) 40 (2.11) 40 (26.3%)
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican 2 (8.98) 2 (8.91) 3 (7.73) 2 (9.13) 1 (9.37) 2 (88.2%)
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[37] 26 (4.39) 38 (2.90) 31 (3.92) 36 (3.05) 36 (2.54) 36 (33.6%)
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 30 (4.05) 30 (4.08) 26 (4.64) 31 (3.95) 26 (3.95) 29 (41.3%)
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 28 (4.27) 26 (4.27) 33 (3.81) 30 (4.10) 31 (3.48) 30 (39.8%)
20 James A. Garfield Republican – – – – – –
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican 34 (3.74) 29 (4.22) 36 (3.68) 28 (4.26) 30 (3.48) 32 (38.8%)
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic 23 (5.44) 19 (5.28) 22 (5.16) 19 (5.56) 21 (5.06) 21 (53.0%)
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican 35 (3.68) 34 (3.68) 34 (3.75) 29 (4.24) 33 (3.04) 34 (36.8%)
25 William McKinley Republican 19 (5.95) 16 (5.58) 17 (6.28) 17 (5.86) 17 (5.46) 17 (58.3%)
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 7 (8.11) 5 (7.76) 5 (7.61) 10 (7.09) 7 (7.28) 5 (75.7%)
27 William Howard Taft Republican 25 (4.61) 24 (4.59) 24 (4.73) 25 (4.97) 23 (4.18) 25 (46.1%)
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 8 (8.11) 8 (6.98) 6 (7.50) 5 (7.30) 5 (7.43) 6 (75.7%)
29 Warren G. Harding Republican 38 (3.32) 36 (3.23) 37 (3.62) 39 (2.21) 37 (2.52) 38 (29.8%)
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican 29 (4.22) 31 (4.07) 29 (4.02) 23 (5.07) 29 (3.56) 28 (41.9%)
31 Herbert Hoover Republican 24 (4.87) 32 (4.02) 25 (4.72) 24 (5.00) 28 (3.78) 26 (44.8%)
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1 (9.11) 1 (9.04) 1 (8.77) 3 (8.43) 2 (9.32) 1 (89.3%)
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic 10 (7.06) 9 (6.79) 4 (7.72) 7 (7.28) 6 (7.32) 7 (72.3%)
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 20 (5.81) 12 (6.13) 7 (7.21) 4 (7.40) 11 (6.34) 10 (65.8%)
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic 11 (6.96) 14 (5.79) 15 (6.41) 21 (5.42) 13 (6.23) 15 (61.6%)
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 4 (8.23) 3 (8.55) 32 (3.87) 20 (5.45) 8 (6.53) 11 (65.3%)
37 Richard Nixon Republican 16 (6.11) 20 (5.09) 12 (6.83) 40 (2.02) 27 (3.89) 23 (47.9%)
38 Gerald Ford Republican 32 (3.93) 22 (4.72) 23 (4.89) 16 (5.87) 24 (4.11) 24 (47.0%)
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic 22 (5.60) 23 (4.72) 21 (5.62) 6 (7.28) 18 (5.38) 18 (57.2%)
40 Ronald Reagan Republican 6 (8.17) 11 (6.28) 10 (7.06) 14 (5.89) 15 (5.89) 8 (66.6%)
41 George H. W. Bush Republican 31 (4.04) 27 (4.24) 13 (6.64) 15 (5.87) 22 (4.71) 22 (51.0%)
42 Bill Clinton Democratic 14 (6.28) 10 (6.46) 16 (6.39) 34 (3.48) 16 (5.57) 19 (56.4%)
43 George W. Bush Republican 21 (5.64) 28 (4.22) 38 (3.82) 33 (3.55) 35 (2.75) 31 (39.6%)
44 Barack Obama Democratic 11 (7.00) 11 (6.44) 19 (6.04) 8 (7.27) 8 (6.66) 8 (66.8%)
Seq. President Political party VSA DL FPL MA HL O

2016 PHN UK Survey of U.S. Presidents

In 2016, the Presidential History Network surveyed 71 named British and Irish specialists. The questions were the same as in the USPC survey, which was directed by some of the same people. Some respondents did not rate presidents that they were not familiar with. The minimum number of responses (62) were for the rather obscure and inconsequential presidents Hayes, Arthur, Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison. 69–70 rated all recent presidents, from FDR on.[24]

Abbreviations
VSA = Vision/Setting an agenda
DL = Domestic leadership
FPL = Foreign-policy leadership
MA = Moral authority
HL = Historical legacy (positive significance of)
O = Overall
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow-green  backgrounds indicate the median.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Each category is ranked according to its averaged numerical score. Source:[25]

Seq. President Political party VSA DL FPL MA HL O
 
1 George Washington Independent 3 (8.46) 4 (7.65) 3 (7.69) 2 (8.90) 3 (8.94) 3 (8.33)
2 John Adams Federalist 18 (6.27) 14 (5.98) 11 (6.79) 11 (6.79) 10 (6.47) 10 (6.52)
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 4 (8.38) 6 (7.20) 9 (6.83) 10 (6.82) 4 (7.65) 5 (7.38)
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican 15 (6.36) 13 (6.08) 20 (5.79) 12 (6.47) 13 (6.36) 15 (6.21)
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican 14 (6.40) 16 (5.80) 8 (7.02) 14 (6.16) 14 (6.20) 14 (6.32)
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 20 (6.17) 19 (5.41) 17 (6.09) 13 (6.44) 15 (6.06) 17 (6.03)
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic 11 (7.24) 8 (6.73) 21 (5.67) 22 (5.00) 17 (5.63) 16 (6.05)
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic 29 (4.57) 25 (4.76) 26 (4.58) 25 (4.46) 26 (4.11) 27 (4.50)
9 William H. Harrison[40] Whig – – – – – –
10 John Tyler Independent[36] 36 (3.52) 36 (3.36) 33 (3.57) 32 (3.42) 35 (3.12) 36 (3.39)
11 James K. Polk Democratic 17 (6.30) 19 (5.41) 18 (6.06) 26 (4.36) 23 (4.75) 22 (5.38)
12 Zachary Taylor Whig 34 (3.66) 35 (3.61) 34 (3.51) 30 (4.12) 33 (3.29) 33 (3.64)
13 Millard Fillmore Whig 40 (2.80) 38 (3.10) 38 (3.00) 36 (2.86) 36 (2.78) 39 (2.91)
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic 39 (2.84) 40 (2.58) 40 (2.92) 37 (2.74) 40 (2.26) 40 (2.67)
15 James Buchanan Democratic 41 (2.69) 41 (2.31) 41 (2.82) 40 (2.33) 41 (2.13) 41 (2.46)
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican 2 (9.16) 1 (9.03) 2 (8.01) 1 (9.32) 1 (9.49) 2 (9.00)
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[37] 35 (3.54) 39 (2.95) 37 (3.41) 38 (2.73) 38 (2.56) 37 (3.04)
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 24 (5.30) 22 (5.17) 23 (5.44) 21 (5.05) 22 (5.00) 23 (5.19)
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 33 (3.83) 31 (3.92) 32 (3.70) 31 (3.67) 32 (3.44) 32 (3.71)
20 James A. Garfield[41] Republican – – – – – –
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican 37 (3.36) 33 (3.78) 35 (3.49) 33 (3.38) 34 (3.18) 35 (3.44)
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic 23 (5.33) 24 (4.93) 24 (5.15) 20 (5.22) 24 (4.73) 24 (5.07)
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican 30 (4.06) 29 (4.10) 29 (4.10) 29 (4.13) 29 (3.55) 30 (3.99)
25 William McKinley Republican 22 (5.84) 18 (5.65) 16 (6.13) 18 (5.42) 21 (5.24) 20 (5.66)
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 8 (8.07) 5 (7.55) 4 (7.62) 7 (7.03) 6 (7.07) 4 (7.47)
27 William Howard Taft Republican 28 (4.63) 27 (4.63) 25 (4.76) 24 (4.84) 25 (4.34) 25 (4.64)
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 5 (8.37) 11 (6.26) 5 (7.53) 8 (7.00) 8 (7.01) 6 (7.23)
29 Warren G. Harding Republican 38 (3.22) 37 (3.17) 36 (3.48) 39 (2.37) 39 (2.54) 38 (2.96)
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican 31 (3.90) 30 (4.00) 31 (3.83) 28 (4.29) 31 (3.48) 31 (3.90)
31 Herbert Hoover Republican 27 (4.72) 34 (3.76) 28 (4.15) 27 (4.31) 30 (3.48) 29 (4.08)
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 1 (9.31) 2 (9.00) 1 (9.11) 3 (8.40) 2 (9.23) 1 (9.01)
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic 12 (6.90) 9 (6.71) 5 (7.53) 9 (6.86) 7 (7.03) 8 (7.06)
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 19 (6.22) 12 (6.09) 7 (7.13) 5 (7.30) 11 (6.44) 9 (6.64)
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic 9 (7.56) 17 (5.77) 13 (6.60) 16 (5.67) 12 (6.43) 12 (6.41)
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 7 (8.16) 3 (8.46) 30 (4.06) 19 (5.23) 9 (6.59) 11 (6.50)
37 Richard Nixon Republican 21 (6.16) 21 (5.19) 19 (5.99) 41 (1.75) 28 (3.58) 26 (4.53)
38 Gerald Ford Republican 32 (3.85) 28 (4.38) 27 (4.46) 23 (4.94) 27 (4.06) 28 (4.34)
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic 16 (6.31) 23 (4.99) 22 (5.53) 6 (7.14) 18 (5.59) 18 (5.91)
40 Ronald Reagan Republican 6 (8.19) 15 (5.86) 12 (6.72) 17 (5.64) 19 (5.51) 13 (6.38)
41 George H. W. Bush Republican 26 (4.83) 26 (4.67) 10 (6.81) 15 (5.68) 20 (5.41) 21 (5.48)
42 Bill Clinton Democratic 13 (6.88) 7 (6.93) 14 (6.35) 34 (3.22) 16 (5.85) 19 (5.85)
43 George W. Bush Republican 25 (4.93) 32 (3.83) 39 (2.94) 35 (2.91) 37 (2.60) 34 (3.44)
44 Barack Obama Democratic 10 (7.39) 9 (6.71) 15 (6.30) 4 (7.86) 5 (7.44) 7 (7.14)
Seq. President Political party VSA DL FPL MA HL O

2017 C-SPAN Presidential Historians Survey

Abbreviations
PP = Public persuasion
CL = Crisis leadership
EM = Economic management
MA = Moral authority
IR = International relations
AS = Administrative skills
RC = Relations with Congress
VSA = Vision/Setting an agenda
PEJ = Pursued equal justice for all
PCT = Performance within context of times
O = Overall
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow-green  backgrounds indicate the median.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Source:[42]

Seq. President Political party PP CL EM MA IR AS RC VSA PEJ PCT O
 
1 George Washington Independent421122221312
2 John Adams Federalist2217151113212420151919
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican813136117551767
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican181919922171318181617
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican17141816711914251113
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican332317121518321592221
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic710262020232110381318
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic3035403326262833303334
9 William Henry Harrison Whig2838383142403836373838
10 John Tyler Independent[36]3936393728384137413639
11 James K. Polk Democratic13914271691111361214
12 Zachary Taylor Whig2728282830353530343031
13 Millard Fillmore Whig4034343634363639393737
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic4141413940394041424141
15 James Buchanan Democratic4343424343414243434343
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican31223141121
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[37]4242374139434342404242
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican1921271919372023102122
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican2930253233293032322832
20 James A. Garfield Republican2131292236322725202729
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican3732313535282934273235
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic2022242623222221312323
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican3233323027302631243130
25 William McKinley Republican1616111817131017261816
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican254544741144
27 William Howard Taft Republican3126202521122328222424
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic111198128167351011
29 Warren G. Harding Republican3639354037423440334040
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican2429222129251829292627
31 Herbert Hoover Republican3840432931143138283936
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic13531333833
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic14410105101413456
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican12664656161275
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic677151416129798
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic152012243861821410
37 Richard Nixon Republican2627234210243724213428
38 Gerald Ford Republican3424302325271935142525
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic353733143231332252926
40 Ronald Reagan Republican581613933862389
41 George H. W. Bush Republican231221178161527162020
42 Bill Clinton Democratic9183381820171961715
43 George W. Bush Republican2525363441342526193533
44 Barack Obama Democratic1015872419391231512
Seq. President Political party PP CL EM MA IR AS RC VSA PEJ PCT O

Siena College Research Institute, Presidential Expert Poll of 2018

On February 13, 2019, Siena released its sixth presidential poll.[43]

The poll was initiated in 1982 and occurs one year into the term of each new president. It is currently a survey of 157 presidential scholars across a range of leadership parameters.

The ranking awarded the top five spots to George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson, in keeping with prior surveys. Washington had been ranked fourth in all previous surveys, and Franklin Roosevelt first.

(Note that the numbers below do not match the source where there are ties in the rankings. They have instead been counted as ties are in other polls (e.g. 26, 27, 27, 27, 30 rather than 26, 27, 27, 27, 28), so that all categories span the range 1–44.)

Abbreviations
Bg = Background
Im = Imagination
Int = Integrity
IQ = Intelligence
L = Luck
WR = Willing to take risks
AC = Ability to compromise
EAb = Executive ability
LA = Leadership ability
CAb = Communication ability
OA = Overall ability
PL = Party leadership
RC = Relations with Congress
CAp = Court appointments
HE = Handling of economy
EAp = Executive appointments
DA = Domestic accomplishments
FPA = Foreign policy accomplishments
AM = Avoid crucial mistakes
EV = Experts' view
O = Overall
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.
Seq. President Political party Bg Im Int IQ L WR AC EAb LA CAb OA PL RC CAp HE EAp DA FPA AM EV O
 
1 George Washington Independent 771101622111218111122121
2 John Adams Federalist 3144424143221211382817413151913161014
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 221418514664455720469755
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican 4673161561317106910614711191187
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican 91511186167101215171281199105698
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 19652919252223121629291517182115141818
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic 38162928443911918196163025251723201919
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic 242327253430202827252716232531262927242825
9 William Henry Harrison Whig 22 (tie)3928374434423929313736384241404244373939
10 John Tyler Independent 353435342226383737343641413834363626323637
11 James K. Polk Democratic 1910232397187111612101122151612881312
12 Zachary Taylor Whig 312722323724272625323235323727332730263030
13 Millard Fillmore Whig 413836383540 (tie)333839403940403937373737333738
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic 394038403940 (tie)404040414039394140394139384040
15 James Buchanan Democratic 374440394244414344424342424342434443444443
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican 29122181112112434216213
17 Andrew Johnson Democratic 434341424036444443444244444443424341434344
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 202525242618172718262624192426382424312424
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 363132292337243433303133302722303531282932
20 James A. Garfield Republican 22 (tie)2621204132262524232427263429273434272528
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican 42323736173522 (tie)303436353433 (tie)3330312532233134
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic 272426271927 (tie)22 (tie)1920192220272021232321152223
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican 343530352838343635353431283532343229293335
25 William McKinley Republican 302120263222211719222011122316172014132020
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 5486221544557793543544
27 William Howard Taft Republican 122912142733192326212330211619211822192322
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 8819714113614147148141311141411251511
29 Warren G. Harding Republican 404242433343354141394138363635413836394141
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican 3337173313422832 (tie)38373326243124323335223231
31 Herbert Hoover Republican 13361513433937293629293233 (tie)2644353933403536
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 63161253433231322331432
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic 321792112812810141014151781074979
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 1119517721555207159561187366
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic 14531113198128311171312761517181210
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 1511 (tie)342225109913179328128540351716
37 Richard Nixon Republican 162243163612312428272522353223282216423829
38 Gerald Ford Republican 183310303031113130333025252133243128212727
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic 26203153827 (tie)3032 (tie)32242837371938222825342626
40 Ronald Reagan Republican 2818243131310157618461818201612121613
41 George H. W. Bush Republican 102818192027 (tie)132022282121202928192610172121
42 Bill Clinton Democratic 2113398111731615813131810512918301415
43 George W. Bush Republican 173033412120293531383819222836293038363433
44 Barack Obama Democratic 2511 (tie)139152316181691523311410131320101117
45 Donald Trump Republican 444144441025434242434443434039444042414242
Seq. President Political party Bg Im Int IQ L WR AC EAb LA CAb OA PL RC CAp HE EAp DA FPA AM EV O

2021 C-SPAN Presidential Historians Survey

Abbreviations
PP = Public persuasion
CL = Crisis leadership
EM = Economic management
MA = Moral authority
IR = International relations
AS = Administrative skills
RC = Relations with Congress
VSA = Vision/Setting an agenda
PEJ = Pursued equal justice for all
PCT = Performance within context of times
O = Overall
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Source:[44]

Seq. President Political party PP CL EM MA IR AS RC VSA PEJ PCT O
 
1 George Washington Independent422222121422
2 John Adams Federalist221810814192220131815
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican781111116562067
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican1919201222161215211216
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican17141714610914251112
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican2623141010172917102217
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic813253223272410391922
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic2934393426252830333334
9 William Henry Harrison Whig3839413541404037364040
10 John Tyler Independent[36]4036403735384140413839
11 James K. Polk Democratic131216281791311351718
12 Zachary Taylor Whig3129302931353732343435
13 Millard Fillmore Whig4137363637373541383638
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic4242383940393942424142
15 James Buchanan Democratic4344434344424344444444
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican21113141111
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[37]4443424242434443434343
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican181628171836162161620
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican3033293330313133313233
20 James A. Garfield Republican2430262336282629162727
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican3431273133242731272830
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic2024222524232522292525
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican3632312729323034233132
25 William McKinley Republican1515132116121018261414
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican344545741144
27 William Howard Taft Republican2826192220152026192323
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic121112191311189371513
29 Warren G. Harding Republican3338324034413338303737
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican2127211827211527242424
31 Herbert Hoover Republican3940443032203639323936
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic13331333933
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic14589781413456
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican11664546161275
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic677161518117798
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic162118243972821311
37 Richard Nixon Republican2728244112263823283531
38 Gerald Ford Republican3725332025291935172628
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic35353772834342453026
40 Ronald Reagan Republican591513930852289
41 George H. W. Bush Republican251023158131728152121
42 Bill Clinton Democratic10205381922231982019
43 George W. Bush Republican2322352638332125182929
44 Barack Obama Democratic917962114321231010
45 Donald Trump Republican3241344443444236404241
Seq. President Political party PP CL EM MA IR AS RC VSA PEJ PCT O

Siena College Research Institute, Presidential Expert Poll of 2022

The Siena College Research Institute released their seventh poll results on June 22, 2022. The best and worst 10% remain unchanged from their 2018 poll (top five: F. D. Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, T. Roosevelt, Jefferson; bottom five: Andrew Johnson, Buchanan, Trump, Harding, Pierce). 41% of the scholars polled said that if a president were to be added to Mount Rushmore, it should be FDR. 63% believed that the president should be elected by a national popular vote, versus 17% support for the Electoral College.[45]

A year into his term, Joe Biden entered the ranking in the second quartile, at No. 19 out of 45. Among recent presidents, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama moved up in the rankings, while George W. Bush and Donald Trump moved down, though part of the downward shift was due to the addition of a new president to the poll; counting from the other direction, Trump remained unchanged at third place from last. The changes were relatively small (one or two places), apart from Obama, who moved up six places (14%) to No. 11, in the first quartile. Notable shifts among earlier presidents included the continuing rehabilitation of Lyndon Johnson, up 8 places into the first quartile, and of Ulysses Grant, up 3 places (up 8 in the individual evaluations) into the second quartile; and the lessening appreciation of Andrew Jackson, down 4 places to the median (down 7, into the third quartile, in the individual evaluations); Ronald Reagan, down 5 places, remaining in the second quartile; and Zachary Taylor, down 6 places into the fourth quartile.[46]

Abbreviations
Bg = Background (family, education, experience)
Im = Imagination
Int = Integrity
IQ = Intelligence
L = Luck
WR = Willing to take risks
AC = Ability to compromise
EAb = Executive ability
LA = Leadership ability
CAb = Communication ability (speak, write)
OA = Overall ability
PL = Party leadership
RC = Relationship with Congress
CAp = Court appointments
HE = Handling of U.S. economy
EAp = Executive appointments
DA = Domestic accomplishments
FPA = Foreign policy accomplishments
AM = Avoid crucial mistakes
PV = Present overall view [the average ranking of the polled experts][lower-alpha 1]
O = Overall rank [the average of the individual parameters][lower-alpha 2]
 Blue  backgrounds indicate first quartile.
 Green  backgrounds indicate second quartile.
 Yellow-green  backgrounds indicate the median.
 Yellow  backgrounds indicate third quartile.
 Orange  backgrounds indicate fourth quartile.

Source: Siena College Research Institute: 2022 Survey of U.S. Presidents

Seq. President Political party ATTRIBUTES ABILITIES ACCOMPLISHMENTS AVERAGE
Bg Im Int IQ L WR AC EAb LA CAb OA PL RC CAp HE EAp DA FPA AM PV O
   
1George Washington Independent663121533311318314142133
2John Adams Federalist51654262035232312153133815171817201416
3Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican74202581476554511207610875
4James Madison Democratic-Republican479313151112188910101419111320111110
5James Monroe Democratic-Republican131516218147131415161791512139661212
6John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican211752519282421131729351713182015131817
7Andrew Jackson Democratic381737326441181120225213530262229272623
8Martin Van Buren Democratic222430253728202926272915302736273025252929
9William Henry Harrison Whig323929344540383831363838414242414142373940
10John Tyler Independent353739363133424040334043434037393627363739
11James K. Polk Democratic261428239722101217141411321821159101715
12Zachary Taylor Whig402925383830333528393339363729343135233236
13Millard Fillmore Whig423835392836313939383941393931363737344038
14Franklin Pierce Democratic414138403941394141404142404140404038394141
15James Buchanan Democratic374541424345434344444544444443424544454544
16Abraham Lincoln Republican29111211112112432314212
17Andrew Johnson Democratic444442444239454545454445454544444443444345
18Ulysses S. Grant Republican312318241916162213192022162023381722311621
19Rutherford B. Hayes Republican293132292037233232313130262228233233193031
20James A. Garfield Republican252522204130252624212426193124292930212727
21Chester A. Arthur Republican393436371634293436343635283227332834223433
22/24Grover Cleveland Democratic342823262229272020232720232532232624242426
23Benjamin Harrison Republican273233332935333634323436292833313532283134
25William McKinley Republican232626283325261519221811142416192311142122
26Theodore Roosevelt Republican33106231844447763555544
27William Howard Taft Republican103011143038192733252834241917252428262525
28Woodrow Wilson Democratic9921815113791710138131611151113301513
29Warren G. Harding Republican434243433543364242424240343835433940404242
30Calvin Coolidge Republican334019311242303338413527252925353836183332
31Herbert Hoover Republican143615154444402837293233383045324231423837
32Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic12141062221221221221421
33Harry S. Truman Democratic2813819119138814101215127983757
34Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican112041641855518796561277366
35John F. Kennedy Democratic12527122710814731216121394141215109
36Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic16103118186669166314863393598
37Richard Nixon Republican172144173612212527262523322622301614413628
38Gerald Ford Republican243313303232153030353028202338223326292830
39Jimmy Carter Democratic21192114026243129242637371834162523322324
40Ronald Reagan Republican36182435313171910721682121282116171918
41George H. W. Bush Republican8271722242712172228192417362620278122220
42Bill Clinton Democratic1912409101741616911131875141218331314
43George W. Bush Republican203534412322323735373721223439373441383535
44Barack Obama Democratic187671421101115681927910810199811
45Donald Trump Republican454345451723444443434332424341454345434443
46Joe Biden Democratic15221227342492125302325311014101921162019
Seq. President Party Bg Im Int IQ L WR AC EAb LA CAb OA PL RC CAp HE EAp DA FPA AM PV O
  1. ↑ The average evaluation. The wording on the survey was "your present overall view."
  2. ↑ The average rank as calculated by Sienna from the data items in the table. This is usually within a few places of the average evaluation, but more divergent in the cases of Ulysses Grant and Richard Nixon.

Scholar surveys of diversity and racism

American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom polls (2002–2020)

Professors Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert Smith conducted a poll in 2002 for their book American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom, where 44 African-American political scientists and historians ranked presidents for their personal and institutional racism against their policies to counter racial subordination. The polls have been updated for subsequent editions of the book. The results (through Donald Trump) were as follows. Note that "white supremacist" refers to personal belief; the other categories refer to policy.[47]

Rating of presidential racism[47]
White supremacist[nb 1] Institutionally racist[nb 2] Institutionally neutral[nb 3] Ambivalent[nb 4] Anti-racist[nb 5]
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson[nb 6]
James Madison
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
William Harrison
John Tyler
James Polk
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce
James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln[nb 7]
Andrew Johnson
Grover Cleveland
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Warren Harding
Harry S. Truman[nb 7]
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Richard Nixon[nb 7]
Donald Trump[nb 8]		 George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson[nb 6]
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams[nb 9]
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren
William Harrison
John Tyler
James Polk
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce
James Buchanan
Andrew Johnson
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Donald Trump[nb 8]		 Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland
William McKinley
William Taft
Warren Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt		 Rutherford B. Hayes
James Garfield
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush		 Abraham Lincoln[nb 7]
Ulysses S. Grant
Benjamin Harrison
Harry S. Truman[nb 7]
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon[nb 7]
Jimmy Carter
Barack Obama[48]
  1. ↑ Held a belief in the inferiority of African people
  2. ↑ Supported slavery or segregation. All presidents before Lincoln defended slavery.
  3. ↑ Record shows no positions on racial issues
  4. ↑ Varied between anti-racist and racially neutral policies
  5. ↑ Attempted to dismantle at least some aspects of racial subordination
  6. 1 2 Jefferson is rated as both white supremacist and institutional racist (for defending the institution of slavery), but acted as soon as constitutionally possible to end the slave trade.[47]
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lincoln, Truman and Nixon are rated as both white supremacist, for their personal views, and antiracist, for their policies.[47]
  8. 1 2 Trump is rated as white supremacist for his personal beliefs and institutionally racist for his policies.[48]
  9. ↑ John Quincy Adams took no anti-racist actions as president, but was not personally racist and after his presidency was a vigorous opponent of slavery.[47]

Northwestern Presidential Leadership on Diversity and Inclusion Survey (2019)

In May 2019, Dr. Alvin Tillery of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern University and Dr. Christina Greer of Fordham University "conducted a poll of 113 academic researchers and asked them to rate the 14 modern presidents on both their overall leadership and rhetoric on diversity and inclusion using a scale ranging from 0 to 100."[49] Survey respondents were significantly more liberal than the national average, "with only 13 percent of the respondents describing themselves as either moderate, slightly conservative, or conservative."

Rank Overall (performance + diversity and inclusion score) Diversity and inclusion leadership score only
1 Franklin D. Roosevelt (83/100) Barack Obama (75/100)
2 Barack Obama (77/100) Bill Clinton (54/100)
3 Lyndon B. Johnson (69/100) Jimmy Carter (43/100)
4 Bill Clinton (62/100) George W. Bush (41/100)
5 John F. Kennedy (61/100) Lyndon B. Johnson (40/100)
6 Harry S. Truman (57/100) George H. W. Bush (34/100)
7 Dwight D. Eisenhower (54.4/100) Franklin D. Roosevelt (31/100)
8 Ronald Reagan (54.1/100) Gerald Ford (30/100)
9 Jimmy Carter (50/100) John F. Kennedy (28.4/100)
10 George H. W. Bush (49/100) Harry S. Truman (28/100)
11 Gerald Ford (39/100) Ronald Reagan (27.8/100)
12 George W. Bush (38/100) Dwight D. Eisenhower (26/100)
13 Richard Nixon (32/100) Richard Nixon (24/100)
14 Donald Trump (11/100) Donald Trump (9/100)

Public opinion polls

2010 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken on November 19–21, 2010, asked 1,037 Americans to say, based on what they know or remember about the nine most recent former presidents, whether they approve or disapprove of how each handled his job in office.[50]

  1. John F. Kennedy (85% approval/10% disapproval)
  2. Ronald Reagan (74% approval/24% disapproval)
  3. Bill Clinton (69% approval/30% disapproval)
  4. George H. W. Bush (64% approval/34% disapproval)
  5. Gerald Ford (61% approval/26% disapproval)
  6. Jimmy Carter (52% approval/42% disapproval)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (49% approval/36% disapproval)
  8. George W. Bush (47% approval/51% disapproval)
  9. Richard Nixon (29% approval/65% disapproval)

2011 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll about presidential greatness taken February 2–5, 2011, asked 1,015 American adults the following question: "Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?"[3]

  1. Ronald Reagan (19%)
  2. Abraham Lincoln (14%)
  3. Bill Clinton (13%)
  4. John F. Kennedy (11%)
  5. George Washington (10%)
  6. Franklin Roosevelt (8%)
  7. Barack Obama (5%)
  8. Theodore Roosevelt (3%)
  9. Harry S. Truman (3%)
  10. George W. Bush (2%)
  11. Thomas Jefferson (2%)
  12. Jimmy Carter (1%)
  13. Dwight Eisenhower (1%)
  14. George H. W. Bush (1%)
  15. Andrew Jackson (<0.5%)
  16. Lyndon B. Johnson (<0.5%)
  17. Richard Nixon (<0.5%)

In addition, "Other" received 1%, "None" received 1% and "No opinion" received 5%.

Public Policy Polling

A Public Policy Polling poll taken between September 8–11, 2011, asked 665 American voters, based on what they know or remember about the nine then-most recent former presidents, whether they hold favorable or unfavorable views of how each handled his job in office.[51]

  1. John F. Kennedy (74% favorability/15% unfavorability)
  2. Ronald Reagan (60% favorability/30% unfavorability)
  3. Bill Clinton (62% favorability/34% unfavorability)
  4. George H. W. Bush (53% favorability/35% unfavorability)
  5. Gerald Ford (45% favorability/26% unfavorability)
  6. Jimmy Carter (45% favorability/43% unfavorability)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (36% favorability/39% unfavorability)
  8. George W. Bush (41% favorability/51% unfavorability)
  9. Richard Nixon (19% favorability/62% unfavorability)

Vision Critical/Angus Reid poll

A Vision Critical/Angus Reid Public Opinion poll taken on February 18–19, 2011, asked 1,010 respondents about 11 former presidents plus the current president and whether each was a good or bad president.[52]

  1. John F. Kennedy (80% approval/6% disapproval)
  2. Ronald Reagan (72% approval/16% disapproval)
  3. Bill Clinton (65% approval/24% disapproval)
  4. Dwight D. Eisenhower (61% approval/6% disapproval)
  5. Harry S. Truman (57% approval/7% disapproval)
  6. Jimmy Carter (47% approval/28% disapproval)
  7. George H. W. Bush (44% approval/38% disapproval)
  8. Barack Obama (41% approval/33% disapproval)
  9. Gerald Ford (37% approval/25% disapproval)
  10. Lyndon B. Johnson (33% approval/27% disapproval)
  11. George W. Bush (30% approval/55% disapproval)
  12. Richard Nixon (24% approval/54% disapproval)

2013 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken November 7–10, 2013, asked 1,039 American adults the following question: "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?".[53]

Gallup poll 2013
President Outstanding Above average Average Below average Poor No opinion Weighted average[54]
Dwight D. Eisenhower 10% 39% 36% 2% 1% 12% 3.63
John F. Kennedy 18% 56% 19% 2% 1% 4% 3.92
Lyndon B. Johnson 4% 16% 46% 14% 8% 12% 2.93
Richard Nixon 2% 13% 27% 29% 23% 6% 2.38
Gerald Ford 2% 14% 56% 15% 5% 8% 2.92
Jimmy Carter 4% 19% 37% 20% 15% 6% 2.76
Ronald Reagan 19% 42% 27% 6% 4% 2% 3.67
George H. W. Bush 3% 24% 48% 12% 10% 2% 2.98
Bill Clinton 11% 44% 29% 9% 6% 1% 3.45
George W. Bush 3% 18% 36% 20% 23% 1% 2.58
Barack Obama 6% 22% 31% 18% 22% 1% 2.72

2014 Quinnipiac poll

A Quinnipiac University poll taken June 24–30, 2014, asked 1,446 American registered voters who they believed were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[55]

Best president since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (35%)
  2. Bill Clinton (18%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (15%)
  4. Barack Obama (8%)
  5. Dwight Eisenhower (5%)
  6. Harry S. Truman (4%)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (3%)
  8. George H. W. Bush (tie) (3%)
  9. Jimmy Carter (2%)
  10. Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
  11. Gerald Ford (tie) (1%)
  12. George W. Bush (tie) (1%)

Worst president since World War II:

  1. Barack Obama (33%)
  2. George W. Bush (28%)
  3. Richard Nixon (13%)
  4. Jimmy Carter (8%)
  5. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (3%)
  6. Ronald Reagan (tie) (3%)
  7. Bill Clinton (tie) (3%)
  8. Gerald Ford (tie) (2%)
  9. George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  10. Dwight Eisenhower (1%)
  11. Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
  12. John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)

2017 Quinnipiac poll

Four years later, a Quinnipiac University poll taken January 20–25, 2017, asked 1,190 American voters who they believed were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[56]

Best president since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (30%)
  2. Barack Obama (29%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (12%)
  4. Bill Clinton (9%)
  5. Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (3%)
  6. George W. Bush (tie) (3%)
  7. Harry S. Truman (tie) (2%)
  8. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (2%)
  9. Jimmy Carter (tie) (2%)
  10. George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  11. Richard Nixon (tie) (<1%)
  12. Gerald R. Ford (tie) (<1%)

Worst president since World War II:

  1. Richard Nixon (24%)
  2. Barack Obama (23%)
  3. George W. Bush (22%)
  4. Jimmy Carter (10%)
  5. Ronald Reagan (5%)
  6. Bill Clinton (4%)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (3%)
  8. George H. W. Bush (2%)
  9. Gerald R. Ford (1%)
  10. Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
  11. Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (<1%)
  12. John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)

2017 Morning Consult poll

Including President Donald Trump for the first time, a Morning Consult poll taken February 9–10, 2017, asked 1,791 American registered voters who they believed were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[57][58]

Best president since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (26%)
  2. Barack Obama (20%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (17%)
  4. Bill Clinton (9%)
  5. Donald Trump (6%)
  6. George W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  7. Harry S. Truman (tie) (2%)
  8. Jimmy Carter (tie) (2%)
  9. George H. W. Bush (tie) (2%)
  10. Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
  11. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (1%)
  12. Gerald R. Ford (<1%)

Worst president since World War II:

  1. Donald Trump (26%)
  2. Barack Obama (25%)
  3. Richard Nixon (13%)
  4. George W. Bush (7%)
  5. Bill Clinton (6%)
  6. Jimmy Carter (5%)
  7. George H. W. Bush (3%)
  8. Lyndon B. Johnson (2%)
  9. Ronald Reagan (tie) (1%)
  10. Gerald R. Ford (tie) (1%)
  11. Dwight D. Eisenhower (tie) (1%)
  12. Harry S. Truman (tie) (1%)
  13. John F. Kennedy (<1%)

2018 Quinnipiac poll

A Quinnipiac University poll taken March 3–5, 2018, asked 1,122 American voters who they believed were the best and worst presidents since World War II.[59]

Best president since World War II:

  1. Ronald Reagan (28%)
  2. Barack Obama (24%)
  3. John F. Kennedy (tie) (10%)
  4. Bill Clinton (tie) (10%)
  5. Donald Trump (7%)
  6. Dwight Eisenhower (4%)
  7. Harry S. Truman (tie) (3%)
  8. Jimmy Carter (tie) (3%)
  9. Lyndon B. Johnson (2%)
  10. George H. W. Bush (tie) (1%)
  11. Richard Nixon (tie) (1%)
  12. George W. Bush (tie) (1%)
  13. Gerald R. Ford (<1%)

Worst president since World War II:

  1. Donald Trump (41%)
  2. Barack Obama (21%)
  3. Richard Nixon (10%)
  4. Jimmy Carter (8%)
  5. George W. Bush (6%)
  6. Bill Clinton (4%)
  7. Lyndon B. Johnson (tie) (2%)
  8. Ronald Reagan (tie) (2%)
  9. Gerald R. Ford (1%)
  10. Harry S. Truman (tie) (<1%)
  11. Dwight Eisenhower (tie) (<1%)
  12. John F. Kennedy (tie) (<1%)
  13. George H. W. Bush (tie) (<1%)

2021 Gallup poll

A Gallup poll taken January 4–15, 2021, asked 1,023 American adults the following question: "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?"[60]

Gallup poll 2021
PresidentOutstandingAbove averageAverageBelow averagePoorWeighted average[54]
John F. Kennedy23%47%25%2%1%3.83
Richard Nixon4%7%26%29%30%2.14
Jimmy Carter6%21%43%14%10%2.81
Ronald Reagan17%35%30%10%6%3.41
George H. W. Bush7%21%53%11%6%3.06
Bill Clinton10%26%37%16%11%3.08
George W. Bush6%18%49%16%10%2.91
Barack Obama21%35%22%11%12%3.45
Donald Trump9%20%10%14%47%2.30

Memorability of the presidents

In November 2014, Henry L. Roediger III and K. Andrew DeSoto published a study in the journal Science asking research subjects to name as many presidents as possible.[61][62] They reported data from three generations as well as from an online survey conducted in 2014. The percentage of participants in the online survey sample who could name each president was the following:

  1. Barack Obama (100%)
  2. Bill Clinton (96%)
  3. George W. Bush or George H. W. Bush (95%)
  4. George Washington (94%)
  5. Abraham Lincoln (88%)
  6. John F. Kennedy (83%)
  7. Richard Nixon (82%)
  8. Jimmy Carter (79%)
  9. Thomas Jefferson (72%)
  10. Ronald Reagan (66%)
  11. Gerald Ford (62%)
  12. Franklin D. Roosevelt or Theodore Roosevelt (60%)
  13. John Adams or John Quincy Adams (56%)
  14. Dwight D. Eisenhower (54%)
  15. Harry S. Truman (50%)
  16. Andrew Jackson (47%)
  17. Herbert Hoover (42%)
  18. Andrew Johnson or Lyndon B. Johnson (41%)
  19. William Howard Taft (39%)
  20. James Madison (38%)
  21. Ulysses S. Grant (38%)
  22. James Monroe (30%)
  23. Woodrow Wilson (29%)
  24. Calvin Coolidge (22%)
  25. James A. Garfield (19%)
  26. James K. Polk (17%)
  27. Warren G. Harding (16%)
  28. William McKinley (15%)
  29. John Tyler (12%)
  30. James Buchanan (12%)
  31. Grover Cleveland (11%)
  32. William Henry Harrison or Benjamin Harrison (11%)
  33. Martin Van Buren (11%)
  34. Rutherford B. Hayes (10%)
  35. Zachary Taylor (10%)
  36. Millard Fillmore (8%)
  37. Franklin Pierce (7%)
  38. Chester A. Arthur (7%)

Criticism

With the exception of Lincoln, the "sectional crisis" presidents of the mid-19th century tend to have poor historical reputations

David Herbert Donald, noted biographer of Abraham Lincoln, relates that when he met John F. Kennedy in 1961, Kennedy voiced his deep dissatisfaction and resentment with historians who had rated some of his predecessors. Kennedy remarked, "No one has a right to grade a president—even poor James Buchanan—who has not sat in his chair, examined the mail and information that came across his desk, and learned why he made his decisions."[63] Historian and political scientist Julian E. Zelizer has argued that traditional presidential rankings explain little concerning actual presidential history and that they are "weak mechanisms for evaluating what has taken place in the White House."[64] The broadly static nature of the rankings over multiple decades has also been called into question, particularly given the frequent exposure of previously unknown material about American government.[65]

In 2002, Ron Walters, former director of the University of Maryland's African American Leadership Institute, stated that ranking based on the presidents' ability to balance the interests of the majority and those of excluded groups was practical in respect to American debate on racial politics. Presidents have traditionally been ranked on personal qualities and their leadership ability to solve problems that move the nation in a positive direction. Walters stated that there was a qualitative difference between presidential evaluations from white and African-American intellectuals. He gives as an example of this difference a comparison between two contemporary studies, a 1996 New York Times poll by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., where 31 white historians and one black historian ranked presidents as "Great", "Near Great", "High Average", "Average", "Below Average", or "Failure", and a survey performed by professors Hanes Walton Jr. and Robert Smith and featured in their book American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom, where 44 African-American political scientists and historians ranked presidents as "White Supremacist", "Racist", "Racially Neutral", "Racially Ambivalent", or "Antiracist".[66]

A 2012 analysis by Mark Zachary Taylor faulted presidential surveys with "partisan bias and subjective judgments", suggesting an algorithm to rank of the presidents based on objectively measurable economic statistics. The results placed Franklin Roosevelt as the best president for the economy, followed by Harding, Hayes and McKinley tied for second. The worst-ranked presidents were Hoover and Van Buren, tied.[67]

The first British survey, published in 2011, places some small government advocates higher than recent US surveys have: Thomas Jefferson at 4, Ronald Reagan at 8, and Andrew Jackson at 9 (compare 7, 10 and 13 in C-SPAN 2009).[20]

Alvin S. Felzenberg, a professor at both the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, has criticized what he sees as a liberal bias in presidential rankings. In particular, he ranks Ronald Reagan in third place, substantially higher than averaged rankings. In his 2010 review of Felzenberg's 2008 book The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't), Michael Genovese says, "Felzenberg is upset—with some justification—at the liberal bias he sees as so prevalent in the ranking of U.S. presidents by historians and political scientists. To remedy this, he has provided a counter to the liberal bias with a conservative bias. In doing so, he commits all the sins of which he accuses liberals. This book is a mirror image of the work he finds so troubling....It is unscientific, impressionistic, and highly subjective."[68]

See also

Individual presidents

Other countries

References

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  2. ↑ William J. Ridings Jr. and Stuart B. McIver. Rating the Presidents: A Ranking of U.S. leaders, from the Great and Honorable to the Dishonest and Incompetent Archived January 3, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. 2000. ISBN 0806521511.
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  5. ↑ Hines, Nico; Griffin, Jeremy (October 28, 2008). "Who's the greatest? The Times US presidential rankings". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Schlesinger, Arthur M. "Our Presidents: A Rating by 75 Historians". The New York Times. July 1962. pp. 12–13, 40–41, 43.
  7. 1 2 "Rating the Presidents: Washington to Clinton". PBS. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
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    Print version of top 14: Ben MacIntyre (1 November 2008) "The big question: who is the greatest president of all time?" The Times. London. p. 42.
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  65. ↑ Mengisen, Annika (October 31, 2008). "The Presidents Ranked and Graded: A Q&A With the Author of The Leaders We Deserved". Freakonomics.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  66. ↑ Walters (July 8, 2002)."Presidency: How Do African-American Scholars Rank Presidents?" Archived March 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. History News Network.
  67. ↑ Taylor, Mark Zachary (2012). "An Economic Ranking of the US Presidents, 1789–2009: A Data-Based Approach". PS: Political Science and Politics. 45 (4): 596–604. doi:10.1017/S1049096512000698. JSTOR 41691393. S2CID 154631454.
  68. ↑ Michael Genovese (2010) "The Leaders We Deserved (And a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game." Presidential Studies Quarterly 40.4: 799–800.

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