Presidents' Body Counts: The Twelve Worst and Four Best American Presidents by Al Carroll - HTML preview

Conclusions:

* Here are our worst presidents:

* 1. Nixon

* 2. Reagan

* 3. Jackson

* 4. Buchanan

* 5. Polk

* 6. Fillmore

* 7. Clinton

* 8. Ford

* 9. Truman

* 10. McKinley

* 11. GW Bush

* 12. Andrew Johnson

*

* Here are our best:

* 1. Lincoln

* 2. Van Buren

* 3. Carter

* 4. Grant

* Those that have a mixed legacy, with actions among both the best and worst that a president could do, cannot be ranked, are only listed chronologically:

* Jefferson

* Franklin Roosevelt

* Lyndon Johnson

* Bush Sr.

* Obama.

* Let us look in more detail as to why, what those rankings in polls mean, and what other rankings of presidents by scholars and the public should reflect, but often do not.