Who were the best — and the worst — presidents in U.S. history?
“The Presidents,” a new book by C-SPAN founding CEO Brian Lamb and co-CEO Susan Swain, ranks America’s 43 past presidents from top to bottom. The rankings by 91 historians are based on qualities ranging from “public persuasion” to “pursued equal justice for all.” President Donald Trump isn’t rated yet.
The book fleshes out the rankings with C-SPAN interviews with biographers of each of the past presidents. Two of the biographers live in the Williamsburg area. I wrote about William Henry Harrison. Edward P. Crapol, professor emeritus of American history at the College of William and Mary, wrote about John Tyler. Both Harrison and Tyler were from nearby Charles City County.
Eight presidents were born in Virginia, the most for any state. George Washington, from Westmoreland County, comes in second behind No. 1 Abraham Lincoln. Washington “wasn’t an egomaniac … he had this sense of personal dignity that was very much part of his power,” said Ron Chernow, author of “Washington. A Life.”
Washington “felt that the American public would often be misled for brief periods of time, but in the long run things would come out right.”
Thomas Jefferson, from Shadwell, ranks seventh. Jefferson “could be quite ruthless in pursuit of something that really mattered to him,” said Willard Sterne Randall, author of “Thomas Jefferson: A Life.” Jefferson used “a congressional slush fund” when “he needed to buy land because he thought that was the wealth and the future of the country, the Louisiana Purchase.”
Woodrow Wilson, who was born in Staunton but elected from New Jersey, ranks No. 11, just ahead of Barack Obama. “The foundation of our economy, the Federal Reserve System — that goes back to Wilson,” said Scott Berg, author of “Wilson.” Also, U.S. foreign policy “is rooted in” Wilson’s 1917 speech when he said, “The world must be made safe for democracy.”
James Monroe, who took office in 1817, is rated the 13th best president. Monroe, who was born in Monroe Hall, ranks high in foreign relations, said John Ferling, author of “Apostles Of Revolution.” His main legacy is the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers to keep their hands off the Western hemisphere.
Another Founding Father, James Madison, from Port Conway, ranks 17th. Standing just 5 feet, 6 inches tall, Madison was our shortest president, noted Noah Feldman, author of “The Three Lives Of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President.” But Madison stood tall as “the father of the U.S. Constitution.” Madison and other early presidents from Virginia lose points in the rankings because they were slave owners.
Further down at No. 31 is Zachary Taylor, who was born in Barboursville and elected in 1848 from Louisiana. “Old Rough and Ready” was a general who “won spectacular battles” in the Mexican War, said Elbert B. Smith, author of “The Presidencies of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore.” Taylor died from an “intestinal disorder” after just two years in office.
William Henry Harrison ranks 38th, which isn’t bad considering that “Old Tippecanoe” died after only one month in office. Harrison, who lived in Ohio, “ran the first modern presidential campaign with rallies and campaign speeches,” I said discussing my book, “The Carnival Campaign: How The Rollicking 1840 Campaign Of Tippecanoe And Tyler Too Changed Presidential Elections Forever.”
John Tyler is number 39. Tyler’s major legacy, following Harrison’s death, was “setting the precedent that the vice president will, in fact, become the president in all regards,” said Crapol, author of “John Tyler. The Accidental President.” Tyler’s “accomplishments were fairly significant,” including expanding America’s influence in the Pacific, Crapol concluded.
Dead last among all 43 past presidents is Pennsylvania’s James Buchanan. These rankings could change as they are periodically updated. The biographers’ interviews can be seen at c-span.org/thepresidents. “The Presidents” is an informative book that should rank high with readers.
Shafer, a James City County resident, is a former Washington political features editor at the Wall Street Journal and a Pulitzer Prize nominee for journalism.
