eBusiness Weekly
Who do you think was considered the best president in American history? A team of experts was recently commissioned by C-SPAN to answer that question definitively and the results are fascinating. They ranked each president according to a number of different factors such as public persuasion, crisis leadership, international relations, and vision while in office. So which of the presidents since 1774 were the cream of the crop, the best of the best? We’ve compiled those presidents who made it into the top 40 right here. Whether you agree or disagree, read on to find out who made the cut!
- Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is the highest ranking US president of all time. He served as the 16th president from 1861 until 1865. He led the union through the Civil War and most importantly, started the process of abolishing slavery. He set the grounds for ending slavery with his ground-breaking the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which changed the status of slaves in the South to free people. It was his mission to add the 13th amendment to the constitution, which would officially outlaw slavery in the United States. Sadly, it was only passed after Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. A number of different polls show that Lincoln is the most admired US president of all time.
- George Washington
The second highest-ranking president of all time is George Washington, the very first president of the United States. As a founding father, Washington defined the nation, as well as the duties of a president while in office from 1789 to 1797.
George Washington helped establish many of the most elemental parts of the US government, such as the seat of government and the tax system. He was leader of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Washington scores high in almost every single category except pursuing equal justice for all.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
The third highest ranking president of all time is Franklin D. Roosevelt or FDR for short. He was the 32nd President of the United States and holds the title of being the only president to be elected four times, holding office from 1933 until 1945.
FDR was a master at public persuasion and crisis leadership. He led the nation through the Great Depression and all the way to victory in World War II. He established many social and economic reforms as part of the New Deal in an attempt to pull the US out of the grips of the Great Depression.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Coming in at number four is Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. He ranks second best for his skills at public persuasion and fourth in the areas of economic management, international relations, administrative skills and vision.During his time in office from 1901 to 1909, Theodore Roosevelt was responsible for creating many national parks and forests, as well as monuments. He began the construction of the Panama Canal, expanded the Navy and won a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War.
- John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy comes in at number eight on the list. He served as the 35th President of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He holds the title of being the first and only Roman Catholic to hold the position of president. Kennedy scores highest for his abilities in public persuasion and holding a clear vision and agenda for the country.
- Barack Obama
Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States and was the very first African-American to serve as president. Obama scores very high for his moral authority, pursuing justice for all and was highly skilled at public persuasion while in office from 2009 until 2017.
Obama is remembered for reforming healthcare with the Affordable Care Act, repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, helping broker a nuclear agreement with Iran, normalising relations with Cuba, and initiating sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine.
- Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton served as the 42nd President of the United States and is well remembered for his public persuasion and exemplary economic management during his term from 1993 until 2001. Clinton holds the title as having the longest period of economic expansion during peacetime of any president.
He accomplished a number of reforms regarding welfare and health insurance for children and was active in promoting peace efforts around the world. “He has brought on the greatest prosperity we have ever known and he doesn’t get the credit for it and that’s too bad,” said White House reporter Helen Thomas.
His approval rating when he left office was 60%, the highest since World War II.
- George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush ranks high on the list of top presidents due to his excellence in crisis leadership, being highly skilled in international relations and for his high moral authority. He served from 1989 until 1993, following eight years as vice president under Ronald Reagan. During his presidency, he oversaw the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, and the first Gulf War.
Regarding domestic affairs, he established the Americans With Disablities Act and the Clean Air Act. He was also one of the signatories of the landmark North American Free Trade Agreement between the US, Canada, and Mexico. He and his wife Barbara hold the record for longest presidential marriage. When Barbara Bush passed away in April 2018, they had been married for 73 years.
- George W. Bush
George W. Bush was the 43rd US President and was commander in chief during one of its most devastating moments, the September 11 attacks in 2001. During his two-term presidency from 2001 to 2008, he ordered the invasion of Afghanistan as well as a second Gulf War in Iraq, which overthrew its leader Saddam Hussein.
He also established the Department of Homeland Security in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. Prior to becoming president, he spent five years as the governor of Texas. He won the 2000 presidential election following a lengthy recount of the votes in Florida due to winning the popular vote by only 0.5 percent in that state.
He became president after winning the electoral vote, even though he lost the popular vote.
He was also the second president in history to be the son of a former president, since his father George H.W. Bush had been president about a decade prior.
- Warren G. Harding
The election of 29th president Warren G. Harding was a landmark one because it was the first one in which women could vote. A rural Ohio man through and through, Warren Harding started out his career in the newspaper industry, owning newspaper Marion Star.
After he entered politics, he only left his rural Ohio hometown when it was absolutely required for the role.
During his tenure form 1921 to 1923, Harding championed a “return to normalcy” and formally ended World War I in 1921 when he declared the US officially at peace with Germany, Hungary, and Austria.
He attempted to stimulate the economy through a number of measures.
His cabinet suffered many scandals and he sadly died of a heart attack while in office as they were first becoming public.
