Politics The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time  

Ranker Community
Originally by Ranker Community
752.7k votes 82.1k voters 1M views 44 items

List Rules Only former U.S. Presidents. Vote based on their entire time in office.

The Greatest United States Presidents in history, ranked from best to worst. Who's the greatest U.S. president? Anyone can vote on or make their own version of this collaborative list of the men who shaped American policy - a fascinating insight into all the US Presidents and how their presidencies were perceived. Who were the best presidents? We expect this list of the Chief Executives to change over time as history's perceptions also change.

And be sure to check out Ranker's ultimate list of the Worst-Ever US Presidents as well, for comparison's sake.
list ordered by

1
25,396 5,306
George Washington is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
John Adams

2
31,957 5,654
Abraham Lincoln is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Andrew Johnson, Hannibal Hamlin

3
18,897 5,630
Thomas Jefferson is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Aaron Burr, George Clinton

4
9,954 6,448
James Madison is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Elbridge Gerry, George Clinton

5
23,352 11,215
John F. Kennedy is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Lyndon B. Johnson

6
19,227 5,615
Theodore Roosevelt is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Charles W. Fairbanks

7
20,787 9,207
Franklin D. Roosevelt is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Harry S. Truman

8
7,198 6,171
James Monroe is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Daniel D. Tompkins

9
25,685 11,526
Ronald Reagan is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
George H. W. Bush

10
14,393 5,979
Dwight D. Eisenhower is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Richard Nixon

11
9,572 5,594
John Adams is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Thomas Jefferson

12
11,172 6,593
Harry S. Truman is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Alben W. Barkley

13
17,388 17,940
Bill Clinton is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Al Gore

14
23,742 27,412
Barack Obama is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Joe Biden

15
13,371 13,161
George H. W. Bush is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Dan Quayle

16
8,178 9,185
Andrew Jackson is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Martin Van Buren, John C. Calhoun

17
5,790 6,116
John Quincy Adams is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
John C. Calhoun

18
6,814 8,632
Woodrow Wilson is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Thomas R. Marshall

19
5,087 6,405
James K. Polk is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
George M. Dallas

20
6,926 6,988
Ulysses S. Grant is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson

21
4,997 6,212
Calvin Coolidge is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Charles G. Dawes

22
6,582 11,046
Lyndon B. Johnson is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Hubert Humphrey

23
11,661 16,551
George W. Bush is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Dick Cheney

24
3,660 5,570
Grover Cleveland is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Adlai Stevenson I, Thomas A. Hendricks

25
3,724 5,170
William McKinley is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time
Theodore Roosevelt, Garret Hobart