Barack Obama is off to a good start in the history books, according to a C-SPAN survey of 91 presidential historians released today. He ranks as our 12th-best president—24 spots ahead of where George W. Bush debuted. The last survey was in 2009.
Edna Greene Medford, a member of C-SPAN’s advisory team, thought Obama would have done even better. Medford said in a press release that she was surprised he ranked “8th in economic management (despite having helped to save the auto industry and significantly reducing unemployment).” Fellow advisory team member Douglas Brinkley called Obama’s showing “quite impressive,” and said it was good news for George W. Bush that he rose from No. 36 to No. 33.
Of other recent presidents, Bill Clinton held tight at No. 15, George H.W. Bush dropped from No. 18 to No. 20, Jimmy Carter dropped one spot to No. 26, and Ronald Reagan moved up a notch, from 10 to 9.
The top of the list hasn’t changed since the last survey in 2009. Few will be surprised to see that Abraham Lincoln maintained his crown. George Washington and FDR are still No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, as well.
The bottom of the list is similar too. James Buchanan remains our worst president. He doesn’t seem to have been better at predictions either. “Posterity will do me justice,” Buchanan said from his deathbed. “History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion.” Maybe next time will be his year.
And in a sign that historians may have President Trump on their minds: Andrew Jackson was this year’s biggest loser. Jackson, the original champion of the white working class, fell from No. 13 to No. 18. Trump might appreciate that Jackson ranks seventh in public persuasion. When it comes to pursuing equal justice for all, on the other hand, Jackson finishes a dismal 38th.
C-SPAN’s next survey will likely come out after Donald Trump leaves office.
Below are the full rankings.
- Abraham Lincoln:
- George Washington
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Dwight Eisenhower
- Harry Truman
- Thomas Jefferson
- John F. Kennedy
- Ronald Reagan
- Lyndon Johnson
- Woodrow Wilson
- Barack Obama
- James Monroe
- James Polk
- Bill Clinton
- William McKinley
- James Madison
- Andrew Jackson
- John Adams
- George H. W. Bush
- John Quincy Adams
- Ulysses Grant
- Grover Cleveland
- William Howard Taft
- Gerald Ford
- Jimmy Carter
- Calvin Coolidge
- Richard Nixon
- James Garfield
- Benjamin Harrison
- Zachary Taylor
- Rutherford Hayes
- George W. Bush
- Martin Van Buren
- Chester Arthur
- Herbert Hoover
- Millard Fillmore
- William Henry Harrison
- John Tyler
- Warren Harding
- Franklin Pierce
- Andrew Johnson
- James Buchanan
Noah Lanard is an editorial fellow. Before Washingtonian, he freelanced for the Guardian, Fusion, and Vice in Mexico City. He was born in DC, grew up in New Jersey, and went to college in Montreal.
