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The Presidential Pantheon

A Scholarly Appraisal of American Leadership

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Overview

The Measure of Leadership

Since the mid-20th century, academic historians and political scientists have regularly conducted surveys to rank the success of United States presidents. These evaluations typically focus on presidential achievements, leadership qualities, perceived failures, and overall character.

Benchmarks of Greatness

Across numerous scholarly rankings, Abraham Lincoln is consistently lauded as the greatest president. Conversely, his predecessor, James Buchanan, is most frequently cited as the least effective, largely due to his handling of the secession crisis leading up to the Civil War.

Evolving Perceptions

These rankings are not static; they evolve with new historical scholarship, changing societal values, and the passage of time. Recent presidents are often subject to more polarized views, while historical figures are viewed through the lens of accumulated historical context.

History of Rankings

Early Surveys

The practice of ranking presidents gained significant academic traction in the mid-20th century. Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. conducted an influential survey in 1948, followed by another in 1962 involving 75 historians. His son, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., continued this tradition with a poll in 1996.

Methodological Diversity

Various institutions and publications have undertaken these surveys, employing diverse methodologies. These include polls by the Chicago Tribune (1982), the Siena College Research Institute (beginning in 1982 and continuing periodically), C-SPAN (2000, 2009, 2017, 2021), and analyses by organizations like the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the United States Presidency Centre (USPC).

Global Perspectives

While most rankings originate from American scholars, some efforts have sought broader international perspectives. A 2011 survey by the USPC polled British specialists in American history and politics, offering a comparative viewpoint on presidential performance.

Key Surveys & Criteria

C-SPAN Presidential Leadership Survey

This comprehensive survey, conducted by C-SPAN since 2000, polls presidential historians and biographers. Participants rate presidents on a scale across 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. Results have shown remarkable consistency over the years.

Siena College Research Institute

The Siena College Research Institute has conducted regular surveys since 1982, polling historians and scholars on various attributes and accomplishments. Their methodology often involves assessing presidents during the second year of their first term, providing a consistent benchmark across administrations.

APSA & Murray-Blessing

The American Political Science Association (APSA) has also facilitated expert surveys, notably in 2015 and 2018, assessing presidents based on criteria like leadership qualities and character. The 1982 Murray-Blessing survey notably analyzed rankings based on the political leanings (liberal vs. conservative) of the historians surveyed, revealing minimal divergence on the top and bottom performers.

Presidential Rankings Across Surveys

Below is a compilation of presidential rankings from various scholarly surveys. Click the column headers to sort, and use the scrollbar to navigate the extensive data.

Seq.
[b][c]
President Party
APSA 2024[27][32]
Siena 2022[33]
C-SPAN 2021[31]
Siena 2018[34]
APSA 2018[26]
C-SPAN 2017[35]
PHN 2016[24]
APSA 2015[23]
USPC 2011[36]
Siena 2010[37][38]
C-SPAN 2009[39]
Times 2008[40]
WSJ 2005[13]
Siena 2002
WSJ 2000
C-SPAN 2000
Schl. 1996[5]
R-McI 1996[41]
Siena 1994
Siena 1990
Siena 1982
CT 1982
M-B 1982
Schl. 1962[4]
Schl. 1948
1 George Washington Independent 3 3 2 1 2 2 3 2 3 4 2 2 1 4 1 3 2 (tie) 3 4 4 4 2 3 2 2
2 John Adams Federalist 13 16 15 14 14 19 10 15 12 17 17 13 13 12 13 16 11 14 12 14 10 15 9 10 9
3 Thomas Jefferson Democratic-Republican 5 5 7 5 5 7 5 5 4 5 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 5 5
4 James Madison Democratic-Republican 11 10 16 7 12 13 14 16 13 6 20 15 15 16 17 13 15 17 10 9 8 9 17 14 12
5 James Monroe Democratic-Republican 18 12 12 8 14 9 9 8 17 8 16 16 8 10 11 2 13 15 7 9 7
6 John Quincy Adams Democratic-Republican 2 34 20 35 16 14 30 29 23 13 15 11 18 4 21 16 26 5 20 21 19
7 Andrew Jackson Democratic 30 2 10 14 27 28 4 38 5 19 12 13 14 23 6 19 5 23 12 13 14
8 Martin Van Buren Democratic 16 13 23 19 24 38 33 13 32 25 24 24 27 29 23 25 27 22 27 24 23
9 William Henry Harrison Whig 24 30 25 31 33 27 42 35 30 24 37 35 36 30 33 39 24 31 33 34 35
10 John Tyler Whig/
Independent[d]
33 42 39 42 39 31 22 39 26 34 35 29 34 33 37 35 36 33 32 36 37
11 James K. Polk Democratic 17 9 13 12 21 15 7 23 7 16 17 14 11 18 9 8 10 20 9 11 12
12 Zachary Taylor Whig 37 35 28 37 37 24 36 34 28 28 34 27 37 21 31 34 25 37 25 33 33
13 Millard Fillmore Whig 40 41 40 38 35 33 25 25 37 35 38 36 35 36 38 33 39 39 30 35 38
14 Franklin Pierce Democratic 38 37 37 41 40 34 35 36 38 38 39 39 39 38 40 40 40 38 35 40 40
15 James Buchanan Democratic 23 40 41 40 42 41 40 41 43 39 42 42 43 40 42 41 43 40 41 43 42
16 Abraham Lincoln Republican 28 6 2 6 4 5 13 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 5 2 3 2 1 3
17 Andrew Johnson National Union[e] 42 43 43 43 43 37 39 43 34 42 41 41 42 37 41 38 42 41 42 42 43
18 Ulysses S. Grant Republican 26 28 24 22 25 29 21 22 22 40 28 26 26 27 34 24 21 29 31 31 26
19 Rutherford B. Hayes Republican 29 33 30 29 29 26 19 18 33 33 33 32 33 28 30 30 32 30 24 29 31
20 James A. Garfield Republican 20 22 22 24 32 23 41 27 31 29 25 28 25 25 26 31 23 26 22 27 27
21 Chester A. Arthur Republican 41 31 32 27 28 19 14 21 27 26 30 25 20 32 27 26 28 32 17 26 25
22/24 Grover Cleveland Democratic 19 16 17 15 17 22 20 19 24 18 20 22 17 19 17 21 19 25 14 19 20
23 Benjamin Harrison Republican 39 32 34 28 30 35 29 30 39 36 36 34 32 31 35 28 34 35 23 32 34
25 William McKinley Republican 21 14 19 11 23 18 24 20 21 20 21 23 19 22 18 15 18 27 11 20 21
26 Theodore Roosevelt Republican 6 7 3 5 1 2 2 12 1 4 3 1 2 6 4 4 4 6 3 4 2
27 William Howard Taft Republican 14 36 29 30 18 20 32 24 36 22 23 30 21 18 25 23 31 18 28 23 24
28 Woodrow Wilson Democratic 8 8 9 16 8 8 15 37 9 10 8 5 9 11 10 10 12 4 29 10 8
29 Warren G. Harding Republican 43 38 36 34 36 39 37 26 40 43 43 43 40 42 43 37 41 43 39 41 41
30 Calvin Coolidge Republican 25 24 38 21 26 30 12 28 41 30 32 37 31 17 28 32 33 28 19 28 29
31 Herbert Hoover Republican 10 26 31 33 19 43 43 40 42 32 26 38 41 13 29 36 37 14 40 38 36
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic 5 1 1 2 2 1 5 2 3 3 2 4 4 3 16 3 1 3 10 4 2 1
33 Harry S. Truman Democratic 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 8 6 5 6 7 5 9 7 10 10 8 6 8 10 9 9 10 8 12 11 9 11 21 (tie) โ€“
35 John F. Kennedy Democratic 10 9 8 10 16 8 12 14 15 11 6 11 15 14 18 8 13 15 10 10 8 โ€“ โ€“
36 Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic 9 8 11 16 10 10 11 12 11 16 11 12 18 15 17 10 14 12 13 15 14 โ€“ โ€“
37 Richard Nixon Republican 35 28 31 29 33 28 26 34 23 30 27 27 25 25 26 31 23 26 22 27 27
38 Gerald Ford Republican 27 30 28 27 27 25 28 24 24 28 26 26 26 27 23 26 28 32 17 26 25
39 Jimmy Carter Democratic 22 24 26 26 26 26 18 26 18 32 25 25 26 26 27 23 25 24 33 27 25 โ€“ โ€“
40 Ronald Reagan Republican 16 18 9 13 9 9 13 11 8 18 10 8 6 16 8 15 26 20 22 16 โ€“ โ€“
41 George H. W. Bush Republican 19 20 21 21 17 20 21 17 22 22 18 20 21 22 21 20 24 22 31 18 โ€“ โ€“
42 Bill Clinton Democratic 12 14 19 15 13 15 19 8 19 13 15 23 22 18 24 21 20 23 16 โ€“ โ€“
43 George W. Bush Republican 32 35 29 29 33 28 26 34 31 30 32 32 33 19 23 โ€“ โ€“
44 Barack Obama Democratic 7 11 10 17 8 12 7 18 (8)[f] 15 โ€“ โ€“
45/47 Donald Trump Republican 45 43 41 42 44 โ€“ โ€“
46 Joe Biden Democratic 14 19 โ€“ โ€“
Total surveyed[b][c] 45 45 44 44 44 43 41 43 40 43 42 42 40 42 39 41 41 40 39 36 36 31 29

Notable Rankings & Trends

The Pantheon

Consistently appearing in the top tier across most surveys are:

  • Abraham Lincoln: Universally recognized for his leadership during the Civil War and abolition of slavery.
  • George Washington: Praised for establishing the presidency and guiding the nascent nation.
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt: Celebrated for navigating the Great Depression and World War II.
  • Theodore Roosevelt: Noted for his progressive reforms, conservation efforts, and trust-busting.

The Lowest Ranks

Conversely, presidents frequently found at the bottom of rankings include:

  • James Buchanan: Criticized for inaction preceding the Civil War.
  • Andrew Johnson: Condemned for obstructing Reconstruction and impeached.
  • Franklin Pierce: Associated with the escalating sectional crisis.
  • Warren G. Harding: Often ranked low due to scandals during his administration.
  • Donald Trump: Recent surveys place him among the lowest, often cited for breaking norms and challenging democratic institutions.

Shifting Tides

Some presidents experience significant shifts in perception over time. For instance, Ulysses S. Grant has seen a notable rehabilitation in recent rankings, moving up from earlier low placements. Similarly, George W. Bush's standing has improved in some later surveys, reflecting a re-evaluation of his presidency.

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References

References

  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.  There have been 45 presidents but 47 presidencies, as Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump were elected to two nonconsecutive terms.
  3.  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.
  4.  The average rank as calculated by Siena 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.
  5.  Schlesinger, Arthur M. "Our Presidents: A Rating by 75 Historians". The New York Times. July 1962. pp. 12รขย€ย“13, 40รขย€ย“41, 43.
  6.  "FDR America's Greatest President". August 19, 2002. Archived February 10, 2007.
  7.  Hanes Walton Jr, Robert C. Smith & Sherri L. Wallace, eds. (2021) American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom. Pearson Longman. 9th edition, p 195รขย€ย“197
  8.  The weights were 5 for "Outstanding", 4 for "Above Average", 3 for "Average", 2 for "Below Average" and 1 for "Poor".
  9.  Zelizer, Julian E. (February 21, 2011). Opinion: "What's wrong with presidential rankings" . CNN Opinion.
  10.  Michael Genovese (2010) "The Leaders We Deserved (And a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game." Presidential Studies Quarterly 40.4: 799รขย€ย“800.
A full list of references for this article are available at the Historical rankings of presidents of the United States Wikipedia page

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Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

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