"Prevented a possible Third World War by containing the Soviet Union."
Camilla Cavendish.
8. Ronald Reagan
1981-89 (Republican)
Feted by many of the panel and implicated in the current financial crisis by
others, Reagan's controversial reputation remains but his revolutionary zeal
forced him into the top ten.
He was elected with a clear mandate for radical economic policy to tackle high
inflation and unemployment rates. His tax cutting, budget slashing,
laissez-faire strategy
known as “Reaganomics” became extremely popular as the US
economy recovered.
The former actor’s foreign policy was more divisive and his administration was
attacked for perceived bellicosity as well as embarrassments including the
Iran-Contra affair. But even though he was seen as a hawk when he took
office, Reagan managed to grasp the historic opportunity brought about by
Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to power in the Soviet Union to help bring an end
to the Cold War.
"Revived American self-confidence at its lowest ebb." Gerard
Baker.
9. James Polk
1845-49 (Democratic)
Polk was one of the greatest presidential advocates of the idea that expanding
the Union from the Atlantic to the Pacific was “manifest destiny”.
Victory in the war with Mexico allowed the United States to acquire
California, Nevada, and parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and
Wyoming.
"Trounced the Mexicans and dramatically increased the size of the
Union, all in one term." Chris Ayres.
10. Woodrow Wilson
1913-21 (Democratic)
Snuck into the top ten despite being unpopular with some of our panel who felt
many of his goals were never realised. A radical first term included
anti-trust legislation, tariff
revision and the creation of the Federal Reserve. Wilson’s reputation,
however, was built on his destruction of America’s cherished
non-interventionist policy in his second term. He was reluctant to lead the
US into the First World War, but was then instrumental in building a
multi-lateral post-war consensus which included the League of Nations, even
if Congress never allowed America to join it.
11. John F. Kennedy
1961-63 (Democratic)
Although Lyndon Johnson was the man to turn his words into law, JFK pipped him
by a single place in our list.
Kennedy had a troubling and not
entirely successful foreign policy record that included the Cuban
Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the escalation of the Vietnam
War.
His radical domestic reputation was built on intervention in Alabama to uphold
desegregation, his civil rights speeches and rhetorical support for the
space programme. He had actually passed very little in the way of funding or
legislation when he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, leaving him just shy
of our top ten.
"Restored the romance." Ben Macintyre.
12. Lyndon Johnson
1963-69 (Democratic)
Johnson proved remarkably adept at harnessing the surge of public emotion
following JFK’s assassination. He used it to convert his predecessor’s
rhetoric into law, including the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts, which
outlawed segregation, and the Medicare and Medicaid bills that allowed
millions access to healthcare for the first time.
By the end of his presidency he was extremely unpopular, however, as he became bogged
down in the Vietnam War, race riots convulsed urban centres and voters
grew tired of his expensive “great society” programme.
"Deserves more credit for civil rights than Kennedy." Tom
Baldwin, Washington bureau chief.
13. John Adams
1797-1801 (Federalist)
After serving as Vice President throughout George Washington’s time in office,
he lasted only one
term as President. Adams succeeded in steering an outwardly peaceful
course through the international conflict between Britain and France but his
best-known domestic policies were the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts,
which restricted the rights of government critics.
14. Andrew Jackson
1829-37 (Democratic)
A hero of the War of 1812, Jackson was a polarising frontier President
responsible for the shaping of the modern Democratic Party. His populist attacks
on the national bank alienated rich supporters, but he was one of the
first Presidents to actively and successfully court the public vote,
strengthening the standing of popular democracy in the US.
"As one American friend of mine put it, 'he was a baddass', he also
practically invented populism." Chris Ayres.
15. James Madison
1809-17 (Democratic-Republican)
Madison wrote key sections of the Constitution as well as the Bill of Rights,
particularly the sections which laid out his theory of checks and balances,
but as President he was a far more controversial figure.
He led the US into the divisive
and bloody War of 1812 against the British Empire. Despite very few
material gains it has been argued that the war was a pivotal moment in the
birth of a strong and independent America.
"Kudos for his pre-presidency Federalist Papers and a useful military
disaster, which many believe united the country." Chris Ayres.
16. John Quincy Adams
1825-29 (Democratic-Republican)
Great intensions never fully realised meant he was destined to finish outside
of the top ten. Adams attempted an ambitious modernisation of the country
despite an extremely
slender victory in the race to be President. His plans included an
expanded network of roads and canals, a national university and an
astronomical observatory but many of the reforms were never realised because
of an uncooperative Congress.
17. William McKinley
1897-1901 (Republican)
McKinley’s period in office coincided with an upturn in the American economy,
leaving the President free to pursue his energetic foreign policy. After a
100-day war with Spain, he was able to annex the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii
and Puerto Rico as well as seizing temporary control of Cuba.
A year after being re-elected McKinley became the third President to be
assassinated when he was shot
dead by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist.
18. Ulysses S. Grant
1869-77 (Republican)
A controversial president. Grant was a successful general who had led the
Union to victory in the American Civil War. He was elected President to
oversee the radical Reconstruction of the southern states and succeeded in
restricting the violence of the Ku Klux Klan, granting Freedmen voting
rights and establishing a public school system.
His reputation was destroyed, however, by his administration’s failure to deal
with a lengthy
economic depression and a string
of scandals that affected his officials.
"Allowed the south to institutionailse racism after reconstruction,
setting the scene for 100 years of oppression of the supposedly free."
Camilla Cavendish.
19. Grover Cleveland
1885-89 and 1893-97 (Democratic)
Cleveland is the only man to have served two non-consecutive terms as
President of the United States. He was also the only Democrat to be elected
between the American Civil War and the 20th century. These feats allowed him
to score highly on our list.
He used his presidential veto far more often than any previous
Commander-in-Chief, most notably to stymie pension increases for veterans
and a scheme to recompense Texan farmers after a devastating draught. His
pragmatic approach was seen as honest but his reputation suffered during a
second term dominated
by economic hardship and strikes.
20. George H.W. Bush
