ranking terms of multi-term US Presidents

Recently I had occasion to update my list of US presidents best to worst and found some unexpected results. In the process I began to ponder the usefulness of ranking individual terms.

I now present my rankings of multi-term US Presidents. This too has many surprises.

I did not includeLincoln because he served only one month of his second term.

I did not include Grover Cleveland because his two terms were not consecutive.

I did not include William McKinley because he served only six months of his second term.

I did not include the three months of Franklin Roosevelt’s fourth term.

I did include the 18 months Calvin Coolidge finished Warren G. Harding’s term.

I did include the 14 months of Lyndon Johnson’s finishing of John F. Kennedy’s term.

I did include the18 months of Richard Nixon’s second term up to his resignation.

I did include the first 18 months of Barack Obama’s second term up to the present.

Of course I included the three plus years of Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman before they won their full terms.

That makes 37 terms.

It was easier to start at the bottom.

The worst term of any multi-term President was Lyndon Johnson’s full term (1965-69). The Vietnam War got out of hand, his Chief Justice pick was filibustered and his own party turned against him.

In 36th place was Ulysses S. Grant’s second term (1873-77). There was a recession and scandals at every level of government, the Little Big Horn, difficulties in reconstruction and the disastrous election of 1876.

Harry Truman’s full term (1949-53) comes next. His mismanagement of the Korean War spoiled a good start.

Bill Clinton’s second term (1997-2001) comes next. Though he was acquitted he accomplished nothing after his impeachment and terrorism went untouched.

Nixon (1973-74) comes slightly above Clinton because he started his second term by ending the Vietnam War. He weathered the energy crisis and was working on healthcare reform when he resigned.

George W. Bush’s second term (2005-09) comes next. The economy collapsed and both wars became quagmires. He did appoint two solid Supreme Court Justices though.

Barack Obama’s current term stands31st. Blame whomever you wish, he has gotten no legislation passed and his foreign policy has fallen apart. He has time to redeem himself but could also sink lower.

Grant’s first term (1869-73) had all the problems of his second term except the recession. He is the worst eight-year President by any measure.

James Madison’s first term (1809-13) comes next because it ended with the War of 1812. He appointed two long-lasting but not legendary Supreme Court Justices but struggled with everything else.

Believe it or not George Washington’s second term (1793-97) ranks 28th on the list. His Chief Justice appointee was rejected. His cabinet deserted him and was replaced by incompetents. The Treaty with the Indians and avoiding war helped.

The good news is we have already reached mediocrity, and that means Calvin Coolidge’s full term (1925-29). A few things needed to be done and he didn’t do them.

Thomas Jefferson’s second term (1805-09) comes next. He won the Tripolitian War but labored with Europe.

Franklin Roosevelt gets an A for effort for his first term (1933-37) but all those agencies didn’t end the Great Depression. The National Recovery Act was declared unconstitutional. It was his weakest term.

Richard Nixon’s first term (1969-73) had many bad moments but was redeemed by progress in Vietnam and his visit to China.

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second term (1957-61) ranks 23rd. It featured a brief recession and a hiccup in the space race, but it really was happy days.

Woodrow Wilson’s second term (1913-17) ranks 22nd. He joined World War I but took his time deploying them. When the US arrived the war was quickly won. His stroke made his last two years empty.

Madison’s second term (1813-17) had some bad moments, but he ended the War of 1812 and left the country in great shape.

Andrew Jackson’s second term (1833-370 ranks 20th. His only personal failure was having his last Supreme Court appointee rejected. His reshuffling of the banking system and Trail of Tears were bad, but he gets points for activism.

Clinton’s first term (1993-97) comes next. The solid economy helps, but his early scandals were more important than the later ones. He raised taxes and his Democratic Party lost the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years.
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Don’t get cocky Republicans. Ronald Reagan’s second term (1985-89) comes next. He failed to get Robert Bork on the Supreme Court, had some scandals and many medical problems. Republicans lost the Senate.

In 17th place is FDR’s third term (1941-45). His insistenceon unconditional surrender and unnecessary battles for little islands in the Pacific led to many extra casualties, but at least we won all the battles. At the Yalta Conference he needlessly planted the seeds of the Cold War.

Jefferson’s first term (1805-09) is next. The Louisiana Purchase offset his problems with the Supreme Court.

Next comes Jackson’s first term (1829-33). He got everything he wanted but some of it was bad.

Eisenhower’s first term (1953-57) comes next. The Interstate Highway Act, ending the Korean War and appointing three solid Supreme Court Justices (though two voted differently than he hoped) made for a great four years.

George W. Bush’s first term (2001-05) ranks one step ahead though. He responded boldly to the 9/11 attacks, got Congressional endorsement for two wars and toppled the regimes.

Harry Truman’s first term (1945-49) comes next. He ended the Second World War with a show of bolness and strength that scared off challengers.

Next comes the first 18 months of Coolidge’s administration (1923-25). The scandals were investigated fairly and he was never suspected of anything.

Next comes Obama’s first term. It could sink with time but he got the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act. His Supreme Court appointees have voted exactly as he wished.

Reagan’s first term (1981-85) is next. His bold stance against the Soviet Union, navigation of the recession and small but inspirational tax cut revived America.

James Monroe’s first term (1817-21) ranks eighth best. He purchased Florida, signed the Missouri Compromise and was unchallenged for reelection.

In seventh place is Wilson’s first term (1913-17). It featured many reforms and he dodged the First World War.

Theodore Roosevelt’s second term (1905-09) is next. He busted trusts and won the Nobel Peace Prize by ending a foreign war.

In fifth place is Johnson’s first 14 months (1963-65). He got the Voting Rights Act passed,proposed the Great Society and instantly found the only person who wanted John Kennedy dead.

George Washington’s first term (1789-93) was hard to beat. He created the cabinet and appointed a solid Supreme Court. People got comfortable with the new government.

FDR’s second term (1937-41) ranks third best. The Great Depression ended. He got five Supreme Court Justices, all of whom voted as he wished.

Theodore Roosevelt’s first term (1901-05) ranks second best ever. He got the Panama Canal started, passed many needed reforms and appointed the legendary Oliver Wendell Holmes to the Supreme Court.
The best term ever though was Monroe’s second term (1821-25). The Era of Good Feeling saw the recognition of the new Latin American republics reinforced by the Monroe Doctrine but not soldiers. The economy was great. His one Supreme Court appointee was unblemished. His cabinet was so great they should have all become President in sequence.

The top 27 of these represent about 108 good years.

One term Presidents Polk, Lincoln, Hayes, Arthur, McKinley and George H. W. Bush also did more good than harm, adding 24 good years. Even ineffective Presidents like John Quincy Adams, Taylor, Fillmore and Taft did no real damage.

That means for about 145 of 225 years (about two-thirds) since the Constitutional government was established are praiseworthy.

Can that be said of any Latin American, Asian or even European country?

 

Would you please Cliff Note a list of Presidents whose second term was more successful than their first.

Thank You

Moi
James K. Polk didn't need a second term. Opted out from the get go. Most unappreciated Prez ! Too bad about 54'40" = 49'00"
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Madison 1813-17 because it's better to end a war than start one.
FDR (1937-41) because the Depression finally ended and ha got five Supreme Court appointees, and .
Monroe (1821-25) because nothing bad happened. Even the election of 1824 was settled as the Constitution prescribed.
An excellent discussion question would be: which runnerup in a mid-term election could have done better than the reelected incumbent?
My answer would be Henry Clay (1832).
Since the two-term limit became official, terrible candidates have challenged incumbents six times. Mediocre candidates have won the nominations against incumbents twice (both won). Only twice did the parties make the best choice.

 

I never liked Clay.
Not since he sold out Andrew Jackson
Clay was of the West but, served the East.

I guess playing the odds, a wise President should
quit after one term. But, don't announce the decision not to
run until as late as possible to avoid Lame Duck status.


Moi
Jacksonian

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