The 10 Worst Presidents
Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House.
Introduction
Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. U.S. News averaged the results of five major presidential polls to make its own list of America's worst presidents.
10. (Tie) George W. Bush
Born: July 6, 1946
Presidential term: Jan. 20, 2001-Jan. 20, 2009
Vice President: Dick Cheney
The son of a former president, George W. Bush's legacy will be forever haunted by a series of public speaking gaffes and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Introduction
Not all U.S. presidents are missed once they leave the White House. U.S. News averaged the results of five major presidential polls to make its own list of America's worst presidents.
10. (Tie) George W. Bush
Born: July 6, 1946
Presidential term: Jan. 20, 2001-Jan. 20, 2009
Vice President: Dick Cheney
The son of a former president, George W. Bush's legacy will be forever haunted by a series of public speaking gaffes and costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
10. (Tie) Richard Nixon
Born: Jan. 9, 1913
Died: April 22, 1994
Presidential term: Jan. 20, 1969- Aug. 9, 1974
Vice Presidents: Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford
Though politically gifted, he will forever be associated with the Watergate scandal and his resignation.
9. Herbert Hoover
Born: Aug. 10, 1874
Died: Oct. 20, 1964
Presidential term: March 4, 1929-March 4, 1933
Vice President: Charles Curtis
Hoover was known as a poor communicator who fueled trade wars and exacerbated the Depression.
8. William Henry Harrison
Born: Feb. 9, 1773
Died: April 4, 1841
Presidential term: March 4, 1841-April 4, 1841
Vice President: John Tyler
He was president for all of 30 days after contracting pneumonia during his interminable inaugural.
7. Ulysses S. Grant
Born: April 27, 1822
Died: July 23, 1885
Presidential term: March 4, 1869-March 4, 1877
Vice Presidents: Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson
Serving right after Andrew Johnson, he presided over an outbreak of graft and corruption, but had good intentions.
6. John Tyler
Born: March 29, 1790
Died: Jan. 18, 1862
Presidential term: April 4, 1841-March 4, 1845
Vice President: None
He was a stalwart defender of slavery who abandoned his party's platform once he was president.
5. Millard Fillmore
Born: Jan. 7, 1800
Died: March 8, 1874
Presidential term: July 9, 1850-March 4, 1853
Vice President: None
He backed the Compromise of 1850 that delayed the Southern secession by allowing slavery to spread.
4. Franklin Pierce
Born: Nov. 23, 1804
Died: Oct. 8, 1869
Presidential term: March 4, 1853-March 4, 1857
Vice President: William R. King
His fervor for expanding the borders – thereby adding several slave states – helped set the stage for the Civil War.
3. Andrew Johnson
Born: Dec. 29, 1808
Died: July 31, 1875
Presidential term: April 15, 1865-March 4, 1869
Vice President: None
He survived impeachment after opposing Reconstruction initiatives including the 14th amendment.
2. Warren G. Harding
Born: Nov. 2, 1865
Died: Aug. 2, 1923
Presidential term: March 4, 1921-Aug. 2, 1923
Vice President: Calvin Coolidge
He was an ineffectual and indecisive leader who played poker while his friends plundered the U.S. treasury.
1. James Buchanan
Born: April 23, 1791
Died: June 1, 1868
Presidential term: March 4, 1857-March 4, 1861
Vice President: John Breckinridge
He refused to challenge either the spread of slavery or the growing bloc of states that became the Confederacy.
Conclusion
Were these really America's worst presidents?
Andrew Soergel, Senior Reporter
Andrew Soergel is a Senior Reporter at U.S. News. You can connect with him on LinkedIn, follow ... Read moreAndrew Soergel is a Senior Reporter at U.S. News. You can connect with him on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter or email him at asoergel@usnews.com.
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