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107.4k voters

The Greatest US Presidents Of All Time

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated July 6, 2021 844.8k votes 107.4k voters 1.1m views45 items

List RulesOnly 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 US 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.

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1
34,549
5,928
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson, Hannibal Hamlin
Birthplace: Hodgenville, Kentucky, United States of America
Presidency: 16
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2
26,593
6,604
George Washington
John Adams
Birthplace: Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 1
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3
19,303
6,869
Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr, George Clinton
Birthplace: Shadwell, Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 3
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4
20,863
5,912
Theodore Roosevelt
Charles W. Fairbanks
Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, USA, New York
Presidency: 26
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5
22,510
9,862
Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace
Birthplace: Hyde Park, New York, United States of America
Presidency: 32
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6
23,050
12,521
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Birthplace: USA, Massachussetts, Brookline
Presidency: 35
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7
15,486
6,327
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Richard Nixon
Birthplace: Denison, Texas, United States of America
Presidency: 34
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8
10,510
7,765
James Madison
Elbridge Gerry, George Clinton
Birthplace: Port Conway, Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 4
9
26,929
12,990
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Birthplace: Tampico, Illinois, USA
Presidency: 40
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10
10,208
6,391
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts, United States of America
Presidency: 2
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11
11,869
7,543
Harry Truman
Alben W. Barkley
Birthplace: Lamar, Missouri, United States of America
Presidency: 33
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12
7,656
7,187
James Monroe
Daniel D. Tompkins
Birthplace: Monroe Hall, Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 5
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13
8,820
7,596
Ulysses S. Grant
Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson
Birthplace: Point Pleasant, Ohio, United States of America
Presidency: 18
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14
25,552
29,958
Barack Obama
Joe Biden
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Presidency: 44
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15
6,273
7,012
John Quincy Adams
John C. Calhoun
Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts, United States of America
Presidency: 6
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16
5,280
7,340
James K. Polk
George M. Dallas
Birthplace: Pineville, North Carolina, United States of America
Presidency: 11
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17
13,218
14,732
George H. W. Bush
Dan Quayle
Birthplace: Milton, Massachusetts, United States of America
Presidency: 41
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18
15,721
22,077
Bill Clinton
Al Gore
Birthplace: Hope, Arkansas, USA
Presidency: 42
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19
8,643
11,138
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren, John C. Calhoun
Birthplace: Waxhaws
Presidency: 7
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20
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7,216
Calvin Coolidge
Charles G. Dawes
Birthplace: Plymouth Notch, Vermont, Vermont, United States of America
Presidency: 30
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21
6,935
10,184
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas R. Marshall
Birthplace: Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 28
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22
4,139
6,199
Grover Cleveland
Adlai Stevenson I, Thomas A. Hendricks
Birthplace: Caldwell, New Jersey, United States of America
Presidency: 22, 24
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23
7,499
12,345
Lyndon Johnson
Hubert Humphrey
Birthplace: Stonewall, Texas, United States of America
Presidency: 36
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24
4,071
6,120
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt, Garret Hobart
Birthplace: Ohio, United States of America, United States, with Territories, Trumbull County
Presidency: 25
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25
3,664
5,234
James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
Birthplace: Moreland Hills, Ohio, United States of America
Presidency: 20
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