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You'd think that you need to be a super-genius to become the president, but that's simply not true. Yes, all American presidents are slightly more intelligent than the average mule, but most are right up there with the rest of us. Do you think you're smart enough to become the president? Chances are, you might be.
John Quincy Adams
Coming in first we have the sixth president of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams. He wasn't the most agreeable president, but he did have some important policies that helped our country become what it is now.
Big Head, Big Brain
John Quincy Adams had a notoriously large head, most likely so it could hold his high 175 IQ. That's the highest IQ of any president that has ever lived. John Quincy Adams was a lawyer before and after his presidency, and he helped create the legal systems that we still use to this day.
Thomas Jefferson
Coming in second place, we have the one, the only, Thomas Jefferson. He was the third president to ever grace these United States with his presence, and he honestly didn't have the easiest time in the office. Whatever, most presidents have their issues anyways.
Big Author on Campus
Jefferson made his name known when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. This script helped form exactly what America needed, some executive order. Jefferson's IQ is allegedly 160, only because the IQ test was not around when he was the chief.
John F. Kennedy
Number three is none other than John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was pretty well-liked until he was unfortunately assassinated in 1963.
Lyndon B. Johnson Took Over
After Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas Texas on Nov. 22nd, 1963. Vice president Lyndon B. Johnson took over after JFKs passing. Kennedy had an IQ of 160.
Bill Clinton
Coming in at 223 lbs, in fourth place, Bill Clinton clocked in on January 20th, 1993. He was born in Hope, Arkansas into a long, prosperous political family. His IQ is allegedly a high 159.
A Tough Presidency
Clinton had a difficult time when he was in office. He decided to step down after he was alleged of having an affair with one of his White House secretaries. On a lighter note, there was some solid economic prosperity in the country at this time.
Jimmy Carter
When Jimmy Carter was just 52 years of age when he became the 39th president. He was from a small town in Plains, Georgia and he worked his way up in politics until he eventually became the man in charge. On top of his presidency, he was a novelist and a military officer.
The Trouble With Jimmy
Carter had an unfortunately difficult term in the office. He sat through the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the oil crisis, and he pushed inflation to its limit. Carter only served one term, by the end of his presidency, his approval rating was quite low. Despite his glaring mistakes, Carter had a tried and true IQ of 156.8 when he was serving the country in the oval office.
James Madison
Coming in sixth place, we have none other than the fourth president of the United States of America, James Madison. This president was a polarizing one, but at the time, he didn't have much modern influence over the people. When he was president, America was practically the wild west.
The Democratic-Republican
Even though the president's job wasn't as important back then, James Madison had a difficult time in office. He sat through the War of 1812, and he rejected nationally-funded roadways due to the fallout of said war. His alleged IQ was 155.
John Adams
John Adams was the second president of the United States. He was a lawyer, much like a lot of older presidents, before he turned into a politician. His knowledge of law and order made him a formative president for the American people.
We're Scratching Our Heads Too
John Adams was around before there was a formal IQ test. However, based on his level of education and the average intelligence quotient of the time period, we have been able to conclude some results about the man. Adams was leaps and bounds above his competition, so his assumed IQ is around 155.
Barack Obama
Coming in eighth place, we have one of the most advanced, intelligent, and important presidents to date. Obama was a revolutionary president for the American people. He gave marginalized communities hope for eight years. His impact is still being felt, four years later.
The First Black President
Obama was the first Black president. His wife, Michelle Obama, became the first Black First Lady in the history of American politics. Their position as leaders reshaped the way the world looked at America. Obama has a tried and true 155 IQ.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt was the president through WWII. That was no easy task. Some history teachers and sociologists consider Roosevelt to be the most important president in American history.
Before the Term Limit
Before there was an established two-term limit for the president, Roosevelt pioneered America from 1933-1945, serving four terms total. His tenure ended when he died in office in 1945. His experience and knowledge of the practices of law in America solidified him as one of the most intelligent presidents America has ever seen. Additionally, Roosevelt had an IQ of 150.
Millard Fillmore
Before the government was strictly bi-partisan, Millard Fillmore became president. Fillmore was a member of the Whig party, which ended up dissolving into the then-Republican party. Back then, the Democratic and Republican party's ethics were the opposite they are today.
Free the Slaves
Fillmore came after the Emancipation Proclamation, and he made attacking the continuation of slavery one of his main goals in his presidency. He focused on the preservation of the Union, which bothered some of his more conservative Whig party members. After Fillmore left office, the Whig party disbanded, and his conservative adversaries went on to form the American Party. Fillmore had an IQ of 149.
Franklin Pierce
Pierce was the 14th president, directly after Millard Fillmore. His position in office countered the work of Millard Fillmore. He attempted to alienate anti-slavery groups, and he viewed the abolitionist movement within the Union as a threat to the American lifestyle.
He Pushed the Buttons
Pierce was the one who began seriously threatening the American Civil War. He sided with the Confederacy, and he pushed for the Southern secession that eventually led to the separation of the North and the South. Over the years, Historians have ranked Pierce as one of the worst and least memorable presidents of all time. He also had an IQ of 147.
Rutherford B. Hayes
Hayes was the 19th president of the United States. He was from Delaware, Ohio, and his position on segregation was extremely nuanced for the time period. He barely scraped by through the electoral college, despite losing the popular vote.
Jim Crow Needs to Go
Hayes believed that all individuals in America needed to be equal, despite their race, religion, social status, or creed. He fought to implement civil reforms that pushed the objective later into the 1800s. He also had an IQ of 146.
Woodrow Wilson
Wilson was the 28th president of the United States of America. He served two terms as a Democrat, and he was part of a very strange time period in American history.
Strange Times Indeed
Wilson was the president behind the Federal Income Tax, so you can thank him for that. He also pushed for a federal estate tax, which was all grounds to make up post-WWI. He also helped establish the League of Nations which led to the Treaty of Versailles, ultimately defeating the Central Powers. He had an IQ of 145.1.
Benjamin Harrison
Harrison was the 23rd president. He was born in North Bend, Ohio, and he served his term from 1833-1901. He only served one term, similar to the presidents with similar political impacts before him.
Big Brain Ben
Ben was a smart man. When he was in the Civil War, he served in the Union and fought for the abolition of slavery. He ran as a Republican when he was president, and he dismantled the system of slavery from the top down. He had an IQ of 145.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States. He was a soldier and statesman before he got voted into the oval office. Jackson served two terms, but some wish he didn't.
The Trail of Tears
Andrew Jackson was the mastermind behind the Trail of Tears. This event was a forced relocation of more than 60,000 Native Americans from their ancestral homelands to the federally determined "Indian Territory" west of the Mississippi River. Andrew Jackson's IQ was 145, which tells us that he was smart enough to not do this.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the 45th and current president of the United States of America. Before he was the president, he was a TV personality and businessman. He made his money initially by opening a casino-hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.
Interesting Discourse
So, President Trump has used his IQ as ammunition throughout the course of his tenure in the White House. However, Trump has never actually presented formative information regarding his actual IQ test results. He has flip-flopped on his claims over the years, originally boasting an un-realistically high IQ score (156), then adjusting his verbiage to claim that his IQ is 145. We find that the latter claim is more likely than the former (for reference, Einstein scored a 160 on the IQ scale), there has been no real information provided about the actuality of his claims.
Grover Cleveland
Cleveland was both the 22nd and the 24th president of the United States. He was born in Caldwell, New Jersey, and he worked as a lawyer (like many other early presidents) before he got elected in. Cleveland left the office just before WWI, but his impact as the president was somewhat minimal.
A Presidential Snooze
Not much happened while Grover Cleveland was in the office. Although, he did propose a tariff to lower consumer-prices for himself and his fellow Democrats in his first term. This fell through. But, anyone with a 144 IQ would be happy with two terms of virtually no problems.
Theodore Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States of America. He served two terms from 1901-1909, and he spearheaded some very important movements that are still around to this day. Before Teddy was the president, he was a statesman, police officer, historian, and conservationist.
Teddy Was a Hero
Although most history book translations of the term "hero" can be skewed nowadays, Teddy was actually a very important president. He was the inventor of the modern term "progressivism." Everything the government received in funding, he returned it to build infrastructure for the people. We think that's a pretty cool idea for a guy with a 143 IQ.
George H.W. Bush
George Bush Sr. was the 43rd president of the United States of America. He was born in Milton, Massachusetts to a wealthy family. He was a businessman, entrepreneur, and military pilot before he was voted into the oval office.
A Powerful President
When George Bush Sr. became president, he successfully navigated and finalized the Persian Gulf War in just 43 days. He was a republican president, but he focused more on benefiting the people than padding the pockets of the GOP. Additionally, he created the American Disabilities Act. Not bad for an old man with an IQ of 143.
Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur was the 21st president of the United States of America. He was born in Fairfield, Vermont, and later he traveled to Washington D.C. to teach. After being a teacher and a lawyer, he became the president.
A Man Against the System
Arthur was one of the few presidents that tried to get into the office to purge corruption from the government. Seriously, he spent his entire term trying to stop outside and internal political corruption, and he tossed several of his republican mates out of the political scope. He was a good man, he was an honest man, and he had an IQ of 142.
James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States of America. He was from Moreland Hills, Ohio. Before he became the president, he was a lawyer, a teacher, and a laity.
An Unfortunate End
James Garfield didn't get to spend too much time in the office. Due to his opposing views, he only served one term. Well, his term was cut short. He was shot and killed by Charles J. Guiteau on September 19, 1881. Not even his 141.5 IQ could have saved him from that one.
Abraham Lincoln
You know him as the guy who abolished slavery, but you should know him as the guy who crushed the libertarian confederate movement during the Civil War. His name is Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th president of the United States, and he had an IQ of 140.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Johnson had a reputation for being one of the nastiest presidents that America has ever seen. Although, he did manage to get a lot of important work done in Kennedy's wake. Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th president of the United States of America, and he had an IQ of 140.
George Washington
Wow, we bet you wouldn't have thought that the first president would be this far back into the list. Truth be told, they didn't have the same kind of education systems that they do nowadays back in 1732. George Washington was the first president of our country, and he had an alleged IQ of 140.
Gerald Ford
Ford was the 38th president of the United States, and he had a Rockefeller in as his vice. Similar to what we're seeing now, Ford was a celebrity before he was the president. In fact, he was a football player. Despite the fact that he got his head knocked around a few times, he still had an IQ of 140.
George W. Bush
You may know him because of his dad, but you probably know him because of the turbulent time in American politics during his two terms in the early 2000s. George Bush Jr. followed in his father's footsteps in pretty much every aspect of his life. Although, G.B.Jr. did only have an IQ of 139.
James Monroe
The fifth president of the United States of America is James Monroe. He served an absurdly long term. Back then, the presidents kind of got to stick around until they weren't needed anymore. Monroe had an assumed IQ of 139.
John Tyler
John Tyler was the 10th president of the United States of America. He was born in Virginia, and he worked as a lawyer before he became the president. His IQ was rumored to be 136.2.
Martin Van Buren
Van Buren was the eighth president of the United States of America. He had an alleged IQ of 133, mostly because of his formal training as a lawyer. Van Buren was a run-of-the-mill president. There was nothing particularly Earth-shaking bout his term.
William Henry Harrison
Harrison was a soldier, military officer, and local politician before he ran for president. He was the ninth president of the United States, and his IQ was roughly 132. Harrison was the first president to die while he was in office, which set up the constitutional mandate that allows the vice president to take over the presidential position if the president passes away.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower was president, Nixon was his vice, and the world was a dangerous place. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States. Like many before him, he was a ground soldier before he became president. His IQ was an assumed 132.
Richard Nixon
Nixon was a crook, he got caught, and he got impeached. He was the 37th president of the United States, despite being the vice just three terms earlier. He had an alleged IQ of 132, the same as his boss, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
James K. Polk
Polk was one of those older presidents. He was a farmer, and he helped develop the standardized voting process around the agricultural structure. We still use that voting process today. He had an alleged IQ of 130.2.
Herbert Hoover
Hoover was the 31st president of the United States. He helped prioritize the agricultural industry in America over the military complex, even late in the game this was a huge moment for the American people. His IQ was an alleged 130.
William McKinley
McKinley was the 25th president of the United States of America. He was from Niles, Ohio, and he led America through the Spanish-American war. He was a major supporter of American industrial workers, and he had an IQ of 130.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States of America. He was the president that commanded the removal of any communist-leaning individuals from the Screen Actors Guild, propagandizing movies and shaking up the industry. Reagan had an IQ of 130.
James Buchanan
Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States. He was a lawyer, and a diplomat before he got into the office. Coincidentally, he used his power as president for some serious personal gain. He had an alleged IQ of 129.
Zachary Taylor
Taylor was the 12th president of the United States. He died one year into his term, unfortunately. He didn't get much of a chance to be the president, but we assume that he probably would have been a good one. He had an alleged IQ of 129.
Harry S. Truman
Truman was the 33rd President of the United States. He took over for FDR when he passed away, and he helped rebuild the economy of Western Europe, established the Truman Doctrine, and founded NATO. Truman had an IQ of 128.
William Howard Taft
Taft was a man of the people. He was a great president, and he honestly made fun of himself throughout his entire presidency. Do you know that story about the president who got stuck in a bathtub and had to get the fire department to get him out? That was Howard Taft. He had an IQ of 126, by the way.
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president of the United States. He was from Plymouth Notch, Vermont, where he studied law and then ended up in the White House afterward. He had an IQ of 127.
Andrew Johnson
Johnson took over for Lincoln after he was assassinated. Johnson quickly restored seceded states to the American Union without providing slaves with the protections that Lincoln had passed during the time he was in office. He was also the president that purchased Alaska. He had an IQ of 125.
Warren G. Harding
Harding was the 29th president of the United States. He had an impressively high approval rating until after his death when news of covered up scandals that he conducted in the office were brought to light. Harden is considered to be one of the worst presidents in American history, according to historical rankings. He also had an IQ of 124.
Ulysses S. Grant
Grant led the Union Army as a Commanding General during the Civil War. After the war was won, he worked to weed out corruption within the Union to try and make a more hospitable environment for the slaves that had been freed. He had the lowest IQ of all the presidents, which is still slightly higher than the average IQ. Grant had an IQ of 120.