Today I’m ranking the Presidents from 1-41 in terms of quality. Dubya isn’t on the list and Grover Cleveland counts as one. These Presidential rankings are sorted by a number of issues, but usually the main question I asked myself is, “who would I rather have as President?”

Here are some other issues that went into the President power rankings:

-Space Race presidents

Bonus points for space race, non-LBJ presidents, notably JFK and Dwight Eisenhower.

-Wartime presidents

Bonus points for being President in a time of war. This keeps FDR out of the bottom ten despite the “New Deal,” and makes Woodrow Wilson among the top Democrats on my list. James K. Polk and William McKinley are also boosted by this. Mega superpoints for Abraham Lincoln.

-Founding Fathers presidents

Presidents who might not have had the effect of a Lincoln or Jefferson but still didn’t screw up our country’s first few decades get bonus points. This includes James Monroe and John Adams.

-Short-lived presidents

I give the benefit of the doubt to Presidents like William Henry Harrison who didn’t live long enough to make much of an impact. They’re generally placed in the middle of the road, and placed above many of the Presidents who might have done more harm than good.

-Scholar opinions

The scholars fill in some of the gaps for what I don’t really understand. Admit it, you don’t know if John Tyler is better than Benjamin Harrison.

Note that I consulted the historical list of Presidents at Wikipedia. They took the averages of a number of scholar rankings and put them together.

First, here’s the Presidential rankings list:

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

Here’s the list with commentary:

1. Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) Scholars’ Rank: 1

Wartime President who preserved the Union, emancipated the slaves, and planted the seeds of Reconstruction. Inherited a country that split after he was elected President, and by the time he was assassinated, it had been put together again.

2. George Washington (1789–1797) Scholars’ Rank: 3

Turned down the opportunity to become King George I of America and established the precedent for every President after him. Understood the fragility of a new nation and resisted the temptation to get caught up in European politics. Laid down his office after two terms even though he didn’t have to.

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) Scholars’ Rank: 4

Made one of the greatest single moves in American history when he bought Louisiana from Napoleon in 1803. He peacefully doubled our size and commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore the second-last frontier.

4. Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) Scholars’ Rank: 5

Born to be President; rounds out the “Mount Rushmore” Presidents. A naval pioneer who understood the importance of the Panama Canal.

5. Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) Scholars’ Rank: 15

Ideal President for a superpower.

6. James K. Polk (1845–1849) Scholars’ Rank: 10

Fought the Mexican-American war, one of our most successful land-grabbing missions.

7. James Monroe (1817–1825) Scholars’ Rank: 16

The Monroe Doctrine influenced policy for hundreds of years.

8. John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) Scholars’ Rank: 12

The best Democrat: set a goal for the moon landing and talked about personal responsibility.

9. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) Scholars’ Rank: 9

The interstate highway system. Need I say more?

10. Andrew Jackson (1829–1837) Scholars’ Rank: 8

Gutsy and decisive, like a general President should be.

11. John Adams (1797–1801) Scholars’ Rank: 11
12. James Madison (1809–1817) Scholars’ Rank: 13
13. Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) Scholars’ Rank: 7
14. William McKinley (1897–1901) Scholars’ Rank: 18
15. John Quincy Adams (1825–1829) Scholars’ Rank: 19
16. Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) Scholars’ Rank: 6
17. Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) Scholars’ Rank: 31
18. Grover Cleveland (1885–1889 and 1893-1897) Scholars’ Rank: 17
19. William Howard Taft (1909–1913) Scholars’ Rank: 20
20. Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) Scholars’ Rank: 23
21. George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) Scholars’ Rank: 25
22. William Henry Harrison (1841) Scholars’ Rank: 38
23. James A. Garfield (1881) Scholars’ Rank: 33
24. Zachary Taylor (1849–1850) Scholars’ Rank: 34
25. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) Scholars’ Rank: 2
26. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881) Scholars’ Rank: 24
27. Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) Scholars’ Rank: 39
28. Gerald Ford (1974–1977) Scholars’ Rank: 27
29. Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885) Scholars’ Rank: 26
30. Richard Nixon (1969–1974) Scholars’ Rank: 32
31. Bill Clinton (1993–2001) Scholars’ Rank: 21
32. Herbert Hoover (1929–1933) Scholars’ Rank: 29
33. Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) Scholars’ Rank: 30
34. John Tyler (1841–1845) Scholars’ Rank: 35
35. Millard Fillmore (1850–1853) Scholars’ Rank: 39
36. Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) Scholars’ Rank: 37
37. Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) Scholars’ Rank: 27
38. Franklin Pierce (1853–1857) Scholars’ Rank: 36
39. Warren G. Harding (1921–1923) Scholars’ Rank: 42
40. James Buchanan (1857–1861) Scholars’ Rank: 41
41. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) Scholars’ Rank: 14