Ranking the presidents - the long view

In honor of Presidents Day, CSPAN released a ranking of the presidents based on the opinions of 91 historians. It's the third time CSPAN has compiled the poll. The others were in 2000 and 2009.

And looking back farther, it's the 20th serious presidential ranking poll I could find dating back to 1948 when Arthur Schlesinger created the historical craze.

I used the first 19 to create and launch Presidential Poker this summer. You should buy your deck for $9.95 so that you can enjoy playing cards and talking politics.

When I created the game, I knew there would be more presidents and more rankings. The rankings for my deck will change with time, but version two won't be released until a ranking comes out with President Donald Trump. That isn't likely until 2018.

It will be interesting to see where the Donald lands when a ranking does come out with him in it. For tonight, I'm going to do an instant analysis to show you which presidents are moving up and which are falling in historical eyes.

From worst to first.

No. 43 – James Buchanan
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	26 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	29 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	33 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	36 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	37 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	38 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	39 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	40 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	38 of 39
2000	C-Span	41 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	40 of 40
2002	Siena Research Institute	41 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	40 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	42 of 42
2009	C-Span	42 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	42 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	40 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	43 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	40 of 43
2017	C-Span	43 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	38.45 avg.

 

No. 42 – Warren G. Harding
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	29 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	31 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	36 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	37 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	39 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	40 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	41 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	41 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	39 of 39
2000	C-Span	38 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	37 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	40 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	39 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	35 of 42
2009	C-Span	38 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	41 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	38 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	42 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	35 of 43
2017	C-Span	40 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	37.8 avg.

 

No. 41 – Franklin Pierce
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	27 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	28 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	31 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	35 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	35 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	36 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	37 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	37 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	33 of 39
2000	C-Span	39 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	37 of 40
2002	Siena Research Institute	39 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	38 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	41 of 42
2009	C-Span	40 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	40 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	39 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	40 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	41 of 43
2017	C-Span	41 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	36.7 avg.

 

No. 40 – William Henry Harrison
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	38 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	26 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	35 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	28 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	35 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	-
2000	C-Span	37 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	-
2002	Siena Research Institute	36 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	-
2008	London Times Daily	39 of 42
2009	C-Span	39 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	35 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	-
2015	American Political Science Association	39 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	43 of 43
2017	C-Span	38 of 43
Total	13 out of 20 polls	36.0 avg.

 

No. 39 – Andrew Johnson
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	19 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	23 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	32 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	32 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	38 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	39 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	40 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	39 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	37 of 39
2000	C-Span	40 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	36 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	42 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	37 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	24 of 42
2009	C-Span	41 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	43 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	36 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	41 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	39 of 43
2017	C-Span	42 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	36.0 avg.

 

No. 38 – George W. Bush
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	-
1982	Siena Research Institute	-
1990	Siena Research Institute	-
1994	Siena Research Institute	-
1996	Ridings/McIver	-
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	-
2000	C-Span	-
2000	Wall Street Journal	-
2002	Siena Research Institute	23 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	19 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	37 of 42
2009	C-Span	36 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	39 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	31 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	35 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	24 of 43
2017	C-Span	33 of 43
Total	8 out of 20 polls	34.6 avg.

 

No. 37 – Millard Fillmore
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	24 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	26 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	29 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	31 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	32 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	32 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	35 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	36 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	31 of 39
2000	C-Span	35 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	35 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	38 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	36 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	33 of 42
2009	C-Span	37 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	38 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	35 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	37 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	42 of 43
2017	C-Span	37 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	33.95 avg.

 

No. 36 – John Tyler
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	22 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	25 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	28 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	29 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	34 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	33 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	34 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	34 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	32 of 39
2000	C-Span	36 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	34 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	37 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	35 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	31 of 42
2009	C-Span	35 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	37 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	37 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	36 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	36 of 43
2017	C-Span	39 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	33.2 avg.

 

No. 35 – Zachary Taylor
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	25 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	24 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	27 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	28 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	29 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	34 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	33 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	29 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	29 of 39
2000	C-Span	28 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	31 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	34 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	33 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	28 of 42
2009	C-Span	29 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	33 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	33 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	33 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	37 of 43
2017	C-Span	31 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	30.4 avg.

 

No. 34 – Ulysses S. Grant
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	28 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	30 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	35 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	30 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	36 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	37 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	38 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	38 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	34 of 39
2000	C-Span	33 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	32 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	35 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	29 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	18 of 42
2009	C-Span	23 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	26 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	29 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	28 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	26 of 43
2017	C-Span	22 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	33.2 avg.

 

No. 33 – James A. Garfield
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	33 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	25 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	30 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	26 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	30 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	-
2000	C-Span	29 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	-
2002	Siena Research Institute	33 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	-
2008	London Times Daily	34 of 42
2009	C-Span	28 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	27 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	-
2015	American Political Science Association	31 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	38 of 43
2017	C-Span	29 of 43
Total	13 out of 20 polls	30.2 avg.

 

No. 32 – Richard Nixon
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	34 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	34 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	28 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	25 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	23 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	32 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	36 of 39
2000	C-Span	25 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	33 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	26 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	33 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	38 of 42
2009	C-Span	27 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	30 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	23 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	34 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	19 of 43
2017	C-Span	28 of 43
Total	18 out of 20 polls	29.28 avg.

 

No. 31 – Herbert Hoover
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	20 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	19 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	21 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	21 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	27 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	28 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	29 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	24 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	35 of 39
2000	C-Span	34 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	29 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	31 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	31 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	36 of 42
2009	C-Span	34 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	36 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	26 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	38 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	28 of 43
2017	C-Span	36 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	29.15 avg.

 

No. 30 – Benjamin Harrison
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	21 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	20 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	23 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	25 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	31 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	29 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	30 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	31 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	19 of 39
2000	C-Span	31 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	27 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	32 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	30 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	30 of 42
2009	C-Span	30 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	34 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	34 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	29 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	31 of 43
2017	C-Span	30 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	28.35 avg.

 

No. 29 – Calvin Coolidge
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	23 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	27 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	30 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	27 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	30 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	31 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	36 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	33 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	30 of 39
2000	C-Span	27 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	25 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	29 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	23 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	26 of 42
2009	C-Span	26 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	29 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	28 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	27 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	27 of 43
2017	C-Span	27 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	28.05 avg.

 

No. 28 – Chester A. Arthur
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	17 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	21 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	26 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	24 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	24 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	26 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	27 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	28 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	26 of 39
2000	C-Span	32 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	26 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	30 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	26 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	22 of 42
2009	C-Span	32 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	25 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	32 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	32 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	32 of 43
2017	C-Span	35 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	27.15 avg.

 

No. 27 – Jimmy Carter
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	25 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	26 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	33 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	24 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	25 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	19 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	27 of 39
2000	C-Span	22 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	30 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	25 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	34 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	32 of 42
2009	C-Span	25 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	32 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	18 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	26 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	33 of 43
2017	C-Span	26 of 43
Total	18 out of 20 polls	26.78 avg.

 

No. 26 – Gerald Ford
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	24 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	23 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	23 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	27 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	32 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	27 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	28 of 39
2000	C-Span	23 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	28 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	28 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	28 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	25 of 42
2009	C-Span	22 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	28 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	24 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	24 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	34 of 43
2017	C-Span	25 of 43
Total	18 out of 20 polls	26.28 avg.

 

No. 25 – Rutherford B. Hayes
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	13 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	14 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	22 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	22 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	22 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	23 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	24 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	25 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	23 of 39
2000	C-Span	26 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	22 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	27 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	24 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	27 of 42
2009	C-Span	33 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	31 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	30 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	30 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	30 of 43
2017	C-Span	32 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	25.0 avg.

 

No. 24 – Martin Van Buren
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	15 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	17 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	20 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	18 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	21 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	21 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	22 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	21 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	21 of 39
2000	C-Span	30 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	23 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	24 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	27 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	40 of 42
2009	C-Span	31 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	23 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	27 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	25 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	29 of 43
2017	C-Span	34 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	24.45 avg.

 

No. 23 – George H.W. Bush
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	-
1982	Siena Research Institute	-
1990	Siena Research Institute	18 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	31 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	22 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	24 of 39
2000	C-Span	20 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	21 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	22 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	21 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	20 of 42
2009	C-Span	18 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	22 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	22 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	17 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	23 of 43
2017	C-Span	20 of 43
Total	15 out of 20 polls	21.4 avg.

 

No. 22 – William Howard Taft
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	16 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	16 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	19 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	20 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	20 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	20 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	21 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	20 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	22 of 39
2000	C-Span	24 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	19 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	21 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	20 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	29 of 42
2009	C-Span	24 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	24 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	25 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	20 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	20 of 43
2017	C-Span	24 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	21.2 avg.

 

No. 21 – John Quincy Adams
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	11 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	13 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	16 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	19 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	17 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	16 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	17 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	18 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	18 of 39
2000	C-Span	19 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	20 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	17 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	25 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	16 of 42
2009	C-Span	19 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	19 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	20 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	22 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	25 of 43
2017	C-Span	21 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	18.4 avg.

 

No. 20 – Bill Clinton
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	-
1982	Siena Research Institute	-
1990	Siena Research Institute	-
1994	Siena Research Institute	16 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	23 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	20 of 39
2000	C-Span	21 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	24 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	18 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	22 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	23 of 42
2009	C-Span	15 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	13 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	19 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	8 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	16 of 43
2017	C-Span	15 of 43
Total	14 out of 20 polls	18.07 avg.

 

No. 19 – William McKinley
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	18 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	15 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	18 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	10 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	19 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	19 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	18 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	17 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	16 of 39
2000	C-Span	15 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	14 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	19 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	14 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	17 of 42
2009	C-Span	16 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	21 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	17 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	21 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	22 of 43
2017	C-Span	16 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	17.1 avg.

 

No. 18 – Grover Cleveland
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	8 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	11 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	17 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	13 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	18 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	17 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	19 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	16 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	13 of 39
2000	C-Span	17 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	12 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	20 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	12 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	19 of 42
2009	C-Span	21 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	20 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	21 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	23 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	21 of 43
2017	C-Span	23 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	17.05 avg.

 

No. 17 – Barack Obama
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	-
1982	Siena Research Institute	-
1990	Siena Research Institute	-
1994	Siena Research Institute	-
1996	Ridings/McIver	-
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	-
2000	C-Span	-
2000	Wall Street Journal	-
2002	Siena Research Institute	-
2005	Wall Street Journal	-
2008	London Times Daily	-
2009	C-Span	-
2010	Siena Research Institute	15 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	-
2015	American Political Science Association	18 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	14 of 43
2017	C-Span	12 of 43
Total	4 out of 20 polls	14.75 avg.

 

No. 16 – Ronald Reagan
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	-
1982	Chicago Tribune	-
1982	Siena Research Institute	16 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	22 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	20 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	26 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	25 of 39
2000	C-Span	11 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	8 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	16 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	6 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	8 of 42
2009	C-Span	10 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	18 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	8 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	11 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	12 of 43
2017	C-Span	9 of 43
Total	16 out of 20 polls	14.13 avg.

 

No. 15 – James Monroe
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	12 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	18 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	15 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	16 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	15 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	11 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	15 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	13 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	15 of 39
2000	C-Span	14 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	16 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	8 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	16 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	21 of 42
2009	C-Span	14 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	7 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	13 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	16 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	13 of 43
2017	C-Span	13 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	14.05 avg.

 

No. 14 – John Adams
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	9 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	10 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	9 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	14 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	10 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	14 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	12 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	14 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	11 of 39
2000	C-Span	16 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	13 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	12 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	13 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	13 of 42
2009	C-Span	17 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	17 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	12 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	15 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	17 of 43
2017	C-Span	19 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	13.25 avg.

 

No. 13 – James Madison
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	14 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	12 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	14 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	17 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	9 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	8 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	9 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	10 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	17 of 39
2000	C-Span	18 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	15 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	9 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	17 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	15 of 42
2009	C-Span	20 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	6 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	14 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	13 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	11 of 43
2017	C-Span	17 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	13.25 avg.

 

No. 12 – Lyndon Johnson
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	10 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	12 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	14 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	15 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	13 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	12 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	14 of 39
2000	C-Span	10 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	17 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	15 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	18 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	12 of 42
2009	C-Span	11 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	16 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	11 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	12 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	10 of 43
2017	C-Span	10 of 43
Total	18 out of 20 polls	12.89 avg.

 

No. 11 – John F. Kennedy
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1982	Murray-Blessing	13 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	14 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	8 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	10 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	10 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	15 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	12 of 39
2000	C-Span	8 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	18 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	14 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	15 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	11 of 42
2009	C-Span	6 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	11 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	15 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	14 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	18 of 43
2017	C-Span	8 of 43
Total	18 out of 20 polls	12.22 avg.

 

No. 10 – James K. Polk
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	10 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	8 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	12 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	11 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	12 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	13 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	14 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	11 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	9 of 39
2000	C-Span	12 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	10 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	11 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	9 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	9 of 42
2009	C-Span	12 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	12 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	16 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	19 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	15 of 43
2017	C-Span	14 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	11.95 avg.

 

No. 9 – Andrew Jackson
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	6 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	6 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	7 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	6 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	13 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	9 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	11 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	8 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	5 of 39
2000	C-Span	13 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	6 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	13 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	10 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	14 of 42
2009	C-Span	13 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	14 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	9 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	9 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	9 of 43
2017	C-Span	18 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	9.95 avg.

 

No. 8 – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	22 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	11 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	9 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	11 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	12 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	8 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	9 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	10 of 39
2000	C-Span	9 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	9 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	10 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	8 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	6 of 42
2009	C-Span	8 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	10 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	10 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	7 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	6 of 43
2017	C-Span	5 of 43
Total	19 out of 20 polls	9.47 avg.

 

No. 7 – Woodrow Wilson
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	4 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	4 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	6 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	7 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	6 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	6 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	6 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	6 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	7 of 39
2000	C-Span	6 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	11 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	6 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	11 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	10 of 42
2009	C-Span	9 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	8 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	6 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	10 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	3 of 43
2017	C-Span	11 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	7.15 avg.

 

No. 6 – Harry Truman
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	-
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	9 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	8 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	8 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	7 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	7 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	7 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	7 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	8 of 39
2000	C-Span	5 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	7 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	7 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	7 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	7 of 42
2009	C-Span	5 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	9 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	7 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	6 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	4 of 43
2017	C-Span	6 of 43
Total	19 out of 20 polls	6.89 avg.

 

No. 5 – Thomas Jefferson
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	5 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	5 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	4 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	5 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	2 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	3 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	5 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	4 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	4 of 39
2000	C-Span	7 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	4 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	5 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	4 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	4 of 42
2009	C-Span	7 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	5 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	4 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	5 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	8 of 43
2017	C-Span	7 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	4.85 avg.

 

No. 4 – Theodore Roosevelt
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	7 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	7 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	5 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	4 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	5 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	5 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	3 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	5 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	6 of 39
2000	C-Span	4 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	5 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	3 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	5 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	5 of 42
2009	C-Span	4 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	2 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	5 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	4 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	5 of 43
2017	C-Span	4 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	4.65 avg.

 

No. 3 – George Washington
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	2 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	2 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	3 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	3 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	4 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	4 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	4 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	3 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	2 of 39
2000	C-Span	3 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	1 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	4 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	1 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	2 of 42
2009	C-Span	2 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	4 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	3 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	2 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	2 of 43
2017	C-Span	2 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	2.65 avg.

 

No. 2 – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	3 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	3 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	2 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	2 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	1 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	1 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	1 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	2 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	3 of 39
2000	C-Span	2 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	3 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	1 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	3 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	3 of 42
2009	C-Span	3 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	1 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	1 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	3 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	1 of 43
2017	C-Span	3 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	2.10 avg.

 

No. 1 – Abraham Lincoln
Year	Poll	Ranking
1948	Arthur Schlesinger	1 of 29
1962	Arthur Schlesinger	1 of 31
1982	Murray-Blessing	1 of 36
1982	Chicago Tribune	1 of 38
1982	Siena Research Institute	3 of 39
1990	Siena Research Institute	2 of 40
1994	Siena Research Institute	2 of 41
1996	Ridings/McIver	1 of 41
1996	Arthur Schlesinger Jr.	1 of 39
2000	C-Span	1 of 41
2000	Wall Street Journal	2 of 39
2002	Siena Research Institute	2 of 42
2005	Wall Street Journal	2 of 40
2008	London Times Daily	1 of 42
2009	C-Span	1 of 42
2010	Siena Research Institute	3 of 43
2011	London School of Advanced Study	2 of 40
2015	American Political Science Association	1 of 43
2015	Inside.Gov	7 of 43
2017	C-Span	1 of 43
Total	20 out of 20 polls	1.80 avg.