An intelligence quotient test (IQ test) is a series of standardized tests used to gauge and assess a person's intelligence. While most people will never take a formal IQ test, high IQs have nevertheless always been a topic of public interest.
In recent history, US president IQs have been the subject of debate and discussion. This is in part due to Donald Trump's perpetual tweeting about his high IQ during the controversial election cycle of 2016. This led people to wonder who the smartest and dumbest presidents were throughout history.
A president's IQ is rarely made public, and many United States presidents were born before the modern IQ test was invented. Nevertheless, many psychological studies have provided educated guesses of presidential IQ based on a variety of factors. When it comes to IQ scores, a score over 140 is considered genius level.
Research indicates most presidents fall somewhere around 130, but that doesn't mean America has never had a genius in the Oval Office. There are outliers on either side, with many presidents' IQs being higher or lower than average. If you're curious to learn where our presidents rank in terms of intellectual prowess, browse the list below.
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John Quincy Adams
Dec. at 81 (1767-1848)Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Presidency: 6
V.P.: John C. Calhoun
Profession: Politician, Diplomat, Attorney at law, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 175
John Quincy Adams ( (listen); July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman,... more2
Thomas Jefferson
Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)Birthplace: Shadwell, Colony of Virginia, British America
Presidency: 3
V.P.: Aaron Burr, George Clinton
Profession: Statesman, Inventor, Author, Farmer, Architect
Alleged IQ: 160
Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of... more3
John F. Kennedy
Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, USA
Presidency: 35
V.P.: Lyndon B. Johnson
Profession: Politician, Soldier, Screenwriter, Military Officer, Author
Alleged IQ: 160
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by initials JFK... more4
Bill Clinton
Age: 74Birthplace: Hope, Arkansas, United States of America
Presidency: 42
V.P.: Al Gore
Profession: Statesman, Politician, Author, Lawyer, Teacher
Alleged IQ: 159
William Jefferson Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III; August 19, 1946) is an American... more5
Jimmy Carter
Age: 96Birthplace: Plains, Georgia, United States of America
Presidency: 39
V.P.: Walter Mondale
Profession: Statesman, Politician, Novelist, Military Officer, Author
Alleged IQ: 156.8
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician and philanthropist who... more6
James Madison
Dec. at 85 (1751-1836)Birthplace: Port Conway, Colony of Virginia, British America
Presidency: 4
V.P.: Elbridge Gerry, George Clinton
Profession: Politician, Author, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 155
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, lawyer,... more7
John Adams
Dec. at 91 (1735-1826)Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Presidency: 2
V.P.: Thomas Jefferson
Profession: Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 155
John Adams Jr. (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney,... more8
Barack Obama
Age: 59Birthplace: Area code 808, Honolulu County, Hawaiian Islands, United States of America, United States
Presidency: 44
V.P.: Joe Biden
Profession: Politician, Author, Writer, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 155
Barack Hussein Obama born August 4, 1961is an American attorney and politician who served as... more9
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dec. at 63 (1882-1945)Birthplace: New York City, Hyde Park, New York, USA
Presidency: 32
V.P.: John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Harry S. Truman
Profession: Politician, Soldier, Corporate lawyer, Writer, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 150
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (, ; January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), often referred to by... more10
Millard Fillmore
Dec. at 74 (1800-1874)Birthplace: Moravia, New York, United States of America
Presidency: 13
Profession: Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 149
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States... more11
Franklin Pierce
Dec. at 65 (1804-1869)Birthplace: Hillsborough, New Hampshire, United States of America
Presidency: 14
V.P.: William R. King
Profession: Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 147
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United... more12
Rutherford B. Hayes
Dec. at 71 (1822-1893)Birthplace: Delaware, Ohio, United States of America
Presidency: 19
V.P.: William A. Wheeler
Profession: Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 146
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the... more13
Woodrow Wilson
Dec. at 68 (1856-1924)Birthplace: Staunton, Virginia, United States of America
Presidency: 28
V.P.: Thomas R. Marshall
Profession: Politician, Professor, Historian, Political scientist, Political Science
Alleged IQ: 145.1
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Benjamin Harrison
Dec. at 68 (1833-1901)Birthplace: North Bend, Ohio, United States of America
Presidency: 23
V.P.: Levi P. Morton
Profession: Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 145
Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833 – March 13, 1901) was an American politician and lawyer who... more15
Andrew Jackson
Dec. at 78 (1767-1845)Birthplace: Waxhaw Settlement between North Carolina and South Carolina, British America
Presidency: 7
V.P.: Martin Van Buren, John C. Calhoun
Profession: Prosecutor, Politician, Judge, Soldier, Farmer
Alleged IQ: 145
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American soldier and statesman who... more16
Alleged IQ: 145
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 45th... more17
Grover Cleveland
Dec. at 71 (1837-1908)Birthplace: Essex County, Contiguous United States, United States of America, United States, with Territories
Presidency: 22, 24
V.P.: Adlai Stevenson I, Thomas A. Hendricks
Profession: Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 144
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was an American politician and... more18
Theodore Roosevelt
Dec. at 61 (1858-1919)Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, Area code 917, Contiguous United States, New York
Presidency: 26
V.P.: Charles W. Fairbanks
Profession: Statesman, Politician, Police officer, Historian, Polymath
Alleged IQ: 143
19
George H.W. Bush
Age: 96Birthplace: Milton, Massachusetts, United States of America
Presidency: 41
V.P.: Dan Quayle
Profession: Businessperson, Politician, Entrepreneur, Military aviator
Alleged IQ: 143
George Herbert Walker Bush (June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018) was an American politician and... more20
Chester A. Arthur
Dec. at 57 (1829-1886)Birthplace: Fairfield, Vermont, United States of America
Presidency: 21
Profession: Politician, Lawyer, Teacher
Alleged IQ: 142
Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American attorney and... more21
James A. Garfield
Dec. at 50 (1831-1881)Birthplace: Moreland Hills, Ohio, United States of America
Presidency: 20
V.P.: Chester A. Arthur
Profession: Politician, Lawyer, Teacher
Alleged IQ: 141.5
22
Abraham Lincoln
Dec. at 56 (1809-1865)Birthplace: Kentucky, Hodgenville, United States of America, United States, with Territories
Presidency: 16
V.P.: Andrew Johnson, Hannibal Hamlin
Profession: Statesman, Politician, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 140
23
Lyndon B. Johnson
Dec. at 65 (1908-1973)Birthplace: Texas, Contiguous United States, Edwards Plateau, United States of America, United States
Presidency: 36
V.P.: Hubert Humphrey
Profession: Politician, Teacher
Alleged IQ: 140
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an... more24
George Washington
Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)Birthplace: Popes Creek, Colony of Virginia, British America
Presidency: 1
V.P.: John Adams
Profession: Surveyor, Politician, Soldier, Military Officer, Farmer
Alleged IQ: 140
George Washington was the first President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief of the... more25
Gerald Ford
Dec. at 93 (1913-2006)Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
Presidency: 38
V.P.: Nelson Rockefeller
Profession: Politician, American football player, Lawyer
Alleged IQ: 140
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was an... more
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