The Worst U.S. Presidents US Presidents

The Worst U.S. Presidents

original ranker jduster  35,021 views 44 items 57 followers
The Worst U.S. Presidents of all time, measured by their negative impact on the nation, its citizens health and happiness and its future prosperity. (In some cases - such as the popular selections of Warren G. Harding and Richard Nixon - the negative view of the president and his administration is due to various scandals and perceived corruption within its ranks. Nixon, of course, remains the only president to step down from the office amidst threats of impeachment.)

Much of a president's job - including serving as the figurative head of the American state and setting the nation's general legislative and diplomatic agenda - is sort of intangible and hard to evaluate in strict "good vs. bad" terms. This makes any list of the "best" or "worst" presidents essentially subjective, and though there were administrations with a significant series of positive or negative outcomes, it's rarely clear just how much these had to do with the person in the office of president and how many were simply due to accidents of fate or circumstance. Nonetheless, in particularly extraordinary cases - such as the administration of Abraham Lincoln, which kept the nation intact during the Civil War crisis, or the administration of Andrew Johnson immediately after that threatened the entire success of the Reconstruction project - it is clear which presidents did an overall good or bad job.

Also be sure to check out Ranker's ultimate list of The Best US Presidents.

List Criteria: The US Presidents whose administrations were the worst-run, most ill-fated or most corrupt.

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Rank     Name
  1. 1
    Up 361
    Down 300
    1808
  2. 2
    Up 265
    Down 228
    1791
  3. 3
    Up 1281
    Down 942

    George W. Bush

  4. 4
    Up 306
    Down 244
    1865
  5. 5
    Up 329
    Down 247
    1874
  6. 6
    Up 573
    Down 435
    1913
  7. 7
    Up 678
    Down 597
    1924
  8. 8
    Up 201
    Down 146
    1800
  9. 9
    Up 1188
    Down 1143
    1961
    added by: grelaoer
  10. 10
    Up 185
    Down 153
    1804
  11. 11
    Up 242
    Down 184
    1822
  12. 12
    Up 162
    Down 130
    1790
  13. 13
    Up 538
    Down 363
    1946
    added by: Joshuagreen38
  14. 14
    Up 142
    Down 126
    1782
  15. 15
    Up 120
    Down 114
    1773
  16. 16
    Up 396
    Down 321
    1924
  17. 17
    Up 561
    Down 536
    1911
  18. 18
    Up 112
    Down 107
    1833
  19. 19
    Up 279
    Down 278
    1908
  20. 20
    Up 144
    Down 108
    1767
  21. 21
    Up 243
    Down 233
    1913
  22. 22
    Up 159
    Down 145
    1767
  23. 23
    Up 139
    Down 144
    1872
  24. 24
    Up 104
    Down 96
    1829
  25. 25
    Up 237
    Down 268
    1882
    added by: swag
  26. 26
    Up 70
    Down 63
    1784
  27. 27
    Up 377
    Down 485
    1946
  28. 28
    Up 135
    Down 165
    1856
  29. 29
    Up 70
    Down 65
    1831
    added by: Joshuagreen38
  30. 30
    Up 72
    Down 71
    1857
  31. 31
    Up 61
    Down 68
    1822
  32. 32
    Up 185
    Down 207
    1890
  33. 33
    Up 67
    Down 74
    1843
  34. 34
    Up 105
    Down 101
    1735
  35. 35
    Up 136
    Down 155
    1884
  36. 36
    Up 178
    Down 178
    1732
    added by: Joshuagreen38
  37. 37
    Up 141
    Down 149
    1743
  38. 38
    Up 253
    Down 354
    1917
  39. 39
    Up 135
    Down 148
    1858
    added by: Joshuagreen38
  40. 40
    Up 65
    Down 85
    1837
  41. 41
    Up 80
    Down 97
    1751
  42. 42
    Up 61
    Down 82
    1795
    added by: Joshuagreen38
  43. 43
    Up 73
    Down 93
    1758
  44. 44
    Up 206
    Down 260
    1809
    added by: Joshuagreen38
  45. +Add New Item

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    1. dghammer
      The 10 Worst U.S. Presidents at 5/01/2012 5:34 PM
      Where the hell is obama...number 1 all the way!

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