The Greatest US Presidents Ranked

Are you keen to know who has been the best president in the history of the United States? A group of experts was commissioned by C-SPAN to find out the answer. The findings were actually intriguing. Presidents since the year 1774 were evaluated and ranked based on leadership, international relations, and public persuasions. Below are the names of presidents who made the final list.

Warren G. Harding

Warren G. Harding’s election was the first whereby women were allowed to cast their votes. He will be remembered for playing a very crucial role in bringing World War I to an end. Another aspect in which Harding performed very well was introducing policies which boosted the economy of the United States. He died of heart attack while in office.

John Tyler

John Tyler was the tenth US president. He was the first president in the country that wasn’t elected as he took over from President William Henry Harrison who died in office. He was never a passive president as his opinions were heard on almost every issue. On the subject of slavery, he supported the fact that every state should be making its own decisions. Treaties were also negotiated with China and Britain during his tenure.

Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce was president number fourteen in the US and his tenure was marked with lots of controversies. He was also very notable for the opposition of abolitionist movement referring to it as a major threat the country’s unity. One of his actions that make him to be remembered is the signing of Kansas-Nebraska act. He was also an alcoholic though.

James Buchanan

James Buchanan succeeded Franklin Pierce as president of the United States. As put down by historians, Buchanan never made much of an impact during his tenure as president. This was the opposite of his claims initially when he said he would achieve the feat of George Washington.

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison spent the shortest period of time (31 days) in office as president. He is being remembered for the Tippecanoe battle as he led the country’s military to victory. This made people refer to him as ‘‘Old Tippecanoe’’. His days in office were short-lived as he died of pneumonia.

Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore was the last president that Whig Party produced before going into extinct. He was the country’s 13th president and succeeded President Taylor. The Compromise of 1850 was signed by him in order to ensure that a rift between the south and north is avoided. It was during his tenure that America started developing relation with a country such as Japan.

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover’s tenure in office as US president was the most difficult. This is because of the stock market crash. The great depression also took place during his tenure. When the First World War began, he helped over 12,000 Americans evaluate France and Germany. Despite all these challenges, he used some strategies like reduction of taxes to stabilize the economy.

Chester Arthur

Chester Arthur was born by Irish immigrants and was the 21st president in the history of US. It was after President James Garfield got assassinated in 1881 that he became president. During his time, Pendleton Act became a law. This ensured that federal government appointments were made based on merit. Also, examination and tests were conducted before appointments would be made to occupy public posts.

Martin Van Buren

Martin Van Buren was the president during the famous panic of 1837 when there was massive economic crisis in the country. It was the first economic depression the country had ever experienced. The policies he initiated to revamp the economy weren’t noticeable in terms of effects until after his tenure was over. This means someone else received the credit.

George W. Bush

George W. Bush was the country’s 43rd president. It was during his tenure that the country experienced the unforgettable September 11 attacks which led to loss of lives. The second gulf war and the invasion of Afghanistan were his response to such an attack.

Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes was president number 19 in the US. He was of the opinion that people who were appointed to government positions should merit such appointments. Due to this, he was one of those advocating for civil service exams. It was the advocacy which would later develop into Pendleton Act.

Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was the country’s 12th president and his time was very brief. He was fondly called ‘‘Old Rough and Ready’’ as a result of his achievements in the military. His major focus was slavery debate as he considered a country of free men and women. Taylor played a crucial role in the birth of states such as New Mexico and California.

Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison is United States’ 23rd president and is widely regarded as one of the best the country has ever had. He will always be remembered for enforcing of African American voting rights. He also made progress at international relations with other countries around the world. He played an important role in the acceptance of western states like Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Montana.

James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield hadn’t even stayed in the office as US president for up to 4months before being assassinated. He was the country’s 20th president. His short period in office recorded some incredible achievements. For instance, he investigated corrupt practices in the postal services and also built the Navy. He was of the opinion that universal education systems should be introduced. Also, he appointed several African – Americans into key positions like Fredrick Douglass.

Richard M. Nixon

The talent that Richard M. Nixon had when it came to negotiation of foreign affairs was second to none. This was evident when he brought the US involvement with Vietnam to an end, bringing home of POWs, establishment of diplomatic relations with China and ensuring the signing of Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (with USSR). Other achievements are anti – cancer war and signing of anti – crime bill. Despite his popularity waning due to Watergate Scandal, he will still go down as one of the country’s best presidents.

Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge will be remembered as a president who struggled to ensure that scandals and corrupt practices were not seen or heard of in public offices. He was a major advocate of a foreign policy based on laissez-faire. He also fought for racial equality and civil rights during his tenure as president. The Indian Citizenship Act was passed during his days in office which game citizenship to Native Americans.

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter is the country’s 39th president. His involvement in politics can be traced to the passion which he had for civil rights movements. During his time, Department of Energy and Department of Education were established. Some of the international crises which he faced during his tenure were Iran Hostage Crisis and 1979 Energy Crisis. He became popular when he brokered peace between presidents of Egypt (Anwar Saddat) and Israel (Menachem Begin).

Gerald R. Ford Jr.

Gerald R. Ford Jr. Was United States’ 38th president and was popular for the role he played in the Helsinki Accords. It was aimed at improving the country’s relations with USSR. Richard Nixon, former president of the country was also pardoned by Ford. Two assassination attempts were made on his life while being president.

William H. Taft

William H. Taft is number 27 on the list of US presidents. His focus was East Asia while in office as European matters were of less concern to him. He was also popular for having to interfere on Latin American affairs.

Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland’s tenure as president of the United States will be remembered for his fiscal policies as well as his strong advocating for political reform. His second tenure was marked by the 1893 depression. There was also the Pullman Strike which took place in 1984. Although his second tenure wasn’t that successful as compared to his first, he is still one of the best presidents the country has ever had.

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th president of America. His popularity increased during his tenure due to high public persuasion, international relations, and ensuring that all Americans get equal justice. He was also the first president to appoint African Americans as well as Jewish Americans to public offices.

John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams was number 6 on the list of United States presidents. He was a tough character who stood firmly against slavery. All through his days as president, he fought for equal rights for every American. Also, he played a very important part in annexation of Texas.

George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush senior was the father of George W. Bush who would later go on to rule the country. He was president for one term (1989 – 1993). George had great leadership skills and was also good at international relations. His tenure was marked by lots of symbolic events like end of cold war and fall of Berlin Wall. Some of his landmark acts are the Clean Air Act, North American Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, Canada and US as well as Americans with Disabilities Act.

John Adams

John Adams is the country’s second president and is widely remembered as one of the founding fathers of America. It was during his tenure that the Navy got built up. He will also be remembered for resolving a conflict which existed between the country and France back then. However, he couldn’t go for second term as Thomas Jefferson defeated him in the presidential elections.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was only president for one term. Even though he was seriously against the idea of using paper money and was advocating for coins as well as gold, you will see his face on 20 dollar notes. He still remains the country’s only president who was a prisoner of war. Also, the secession of South Carolina was prevented during his tenure and he also paid off every debt the country owed.

James Madison

Being president number four, James Madison was also regarded as one of America’s founding fathers. He led the country during 1812 war and created national bank to help strengthen both the government and military. He had very sound leadership skills.

William McKinley Jr.

William McKinley Jr. Was the country’s 25th president. During the Spanish – US war, he led the country to victory. Due to his powerful negotiation skills Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico all turned into US territories. He was popular amongst Americans for introducing policies which improved the economy. However, the aspect of equal justice for all Americans wasn’t given much attention during his tenure.

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton was the country’s 42nd president. He will always be remembered as a president who brought high level of stability to the country’s economy. That is to say, the country prospered economically during his time. However, his involvement in a scandal with Monica Lewinsky led to calls for his impeachment. He would later go on to complete his tenure though.

James K. Polk

James K. Polk was the country’s eleventh president. The news (telegraph) broadcasted his inauguration for the first time ever. During the period of US – Mexican War, he led the country to victory. Also, the country’s territory expanded as a result of Texas annexation and Mexican secession.

James Monroe

James Monroe was also a founding father of the United States of America since he was president number 5. He was popular amongst the people which led to landslide victory during the elections. The era of good feelings is what most Americans refer his tenure to be. His foreign policy made him famous which is known as ‘‘Monroe Doctrine’’.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama was the country’s 44th president. He is the first African American to become president. He will also be remembered by some historic moves like Affordable Care Act which aimed at ensuring health care is reformed. He also brokered a deal (nuclear) with Iran and was famous for ensuring the country’s relation with Cuba was normalized. He will not be forgotten in a hurry given his powerful and emotional inauguration speech.

Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was the country’s 28th president. It was during his tenure that World War I broke out. The Treaty of Versailles which he played a major role in creating brought an end to the war. He played an important role in US becoming a member of the League of Nations. Wilson was famous for his controversial belief and mindset that America is the world’s saviour.

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson is the country’s 36th president. The legacy he left behind is a strong one which will be hard to forget. These were moves that advanced the country in different aspects. For instance, there were lots of civil rights and welfare laws which came into being during his tenure. The social security law was passed and there was expansion of Medicaid and Medicare.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan happens to be the 40th president of America. One of the legacies he left behind was the famous Reaganomics economic policy. The aim was to increase military spending and decrease social spending. There were widespread tax cuts and domestic markets being deregulated. Based on the role he played in Iran-Contra affair and how the cold war was brought to an end, he will always be remembered. An attempt to assassinate him was made in the year 1981 but he survived.

John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States of America. JFK as he is fondly called by his supporters is the first Roman Catholic to ever become president of US. He had great leadership skills which were displayed during Cuban Missile Crisis as well as the Peace Corps establishment.

JFK’s tenure showed lots of promising signs that the country was heading towards the right direction. However, this wouldn’t last for long as he was assassinated in 1963. He died on the spot.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is also known as one of the founding fathers of America. He is number on the list of US presidents. He played a major role in the writing of the country’s independence declaration. Also, during his leadership, the US territory expanded immensely. In his tenure, he advocated for justice, freedom and equality. This was one of the reasons he was regarded as the president for all.

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman is president number 33. He assumed office just after the end of WW2. He was a veteran in the army during World War I. Truman has gone down in the history books as the only president who ever made use of nuclear weapons. This could be because of the time he served in the military as he was very stubborn and always determined to promote his own cause. This was probably one quality which made him less popular amongst citizens of the United States.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed office as president of the US after the tenure of Harry S. Truman. This means he was the country’s 34th president. One of his famous moves was to reverse the policy of the former president and decision to desegregate the army. He will always be remembered for how he passionately took part in the country’s political issues.

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was a president with plenty of leadership qualities. There were lots of things that people in US and all over the world admired him for ranging from economic management skills, administrative skills, international relations skills and public speaking. Apart from creating National Parks, iconic monuments, he also ensured that the Navy was expanded. It was also during his tenure that the Panama Canal construction began. Furthermore, he played a major role in bring the Russo-Japanese War to an end through negotiations.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt is US’ 32nd president. He was very popular amongst the citizens due to his qualities. A proof of this is that he still remains the only president to have been elected 4 times. He was able to lead the country through WW2 and the great depression. It was also during his tenure that New Deal was created which paved the way for lots of social and economic reforms in the country. However, he never got to see the end of WW2 due to his demise.

George Washington

This is one of the long – awaited names on the list. Being the first president, he is known as the one who started the foundation for American democracy which is being enjoyed today. For instance, the US government system existing today was established during his tenure. At the time of American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army was led by him. George is the second best amongst others in the history of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is the ranked the highest of all the US presidents in history. He served as the 16th president, and is mostly known for leading the Union through the Civil War, and beginning the process of ending the slavery in the US. He was assassinated several days after the end of Civil War.