Presidential Smarts. Which Commander In Chiefs Had the Highest IQ?

commons Wikimedia (Photo by Pete Souza)

A wise man once said, “beauty is fleeting, but intelligence is forever.” This is the case for many of the Presidents of the United States. They start their first four-year term, young, fresh, and ready to take the free world a better place. After a few years, the stress might give them some gray hair and a few more wrinkles, but as the wise man said, their intelligence is forever. Most presidents have a higher than average IQ. Note that between 90 and 110 is an average score. The Lowest to Highest Presidential IQs, Ranked:

 George W. Bush – IQ 124

George W. Bush had a higher than average IQ with a quirky personality that made him the memorable 41st President of the United States. He went to Harvard and also served as a pilot in the National Guard during the Vietnam War.

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He was a too very talented painter who even had gallery showings. He is most remembered as leading our country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America and initiating The Iraq War.

 Gerald Ford – IQ 127

Gerald Ford was the first unelected president in our nation’s history. This Vice President took office in 1974 when President Nixon resigned due to the Watergate Scandal.

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His confidence and IQ played a role in his decision to pardon President Nixon, which was a controversial decision at the time.

Ronald Reagan- IQ 130

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the great U.S.A. from 1981 to 1989 during a very optimistic time in our country.

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His IQ must have played a part in him first being a successful Hollywood actor turned politician. He is remembered for many things including his charismatic disposition, deep love for his wife Nancy, ending the Cold War and revitalizing the Republican Party

 George H. Bush- IQ 130.1

George H. Bush, father of George W. Bush, a Harvard graduate was a very accomplished military man who was a fighter pilot before becoming the President of The United States.

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He served in a time when the country’s economy was uncertain, and many of his decisions were unpopular. Nonetheless, he is remembered as an honorable man.

 George Washington- IQ 132.5

Our first president and commander in chief, George Washington was a man of integrity, public service, and an IQ of 132.5. He only had a grade school education and was a self-taught colonial surveyor at the young age of 17!

This founding father spent time in the military and was smart enough to recognize our country needed a stable government to succeed.

He led many battles so our country could be the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Barack Obama – IQ 145

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States whose IQ is 145, made history as the first African American President. He attended Harvard, where he graduated from the top of his class.

As president, he was instrumental in ending the war with Iraq and enacted The Healthcare Reform Act, better known as Obama Care.

 Abraham Lincoln – IQ 150

Unlike other United States presidents, Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, didn’t attend prestigious schools. He didn’t have much formal education at all. This self-taught gentleman is known for abolishing slavery in our country through the Emancipation Proclamation. He was referred to as Honest Abe for his tell it like it is, direct style.

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He was a larger than life man with a larger than life personality that impressed the country’s leaders. He was a very skilled speaker and is famous for the Gettysburg Address, know to be the most famous presidential speech in American history.

 Franklin D. Roosevelt – IQ 150.5

Franklin D. Roosevelt or FDR had an IQ of 150.5. He graduated from Harvard and Columbia University, two very prestigious institutions. Although he suffered from Polio, he became the 32nd president of the United States and guided our country through the Great Depression and the Second World War.

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He created The New Deal and Social Security system to improve the economy after the war. He’s also the only president to serve more than two consecutive terms in office.

 John F. Kennedy – IQ 150.8

This man was not only handsome; he was charismatic and very smart with an impressive IQ of 150.8. JFK graduated from Harvard in 1940, won a Purple Heart for his heroism in WWII and held seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before being elected our 35th president in 1961. He also won a Pulitzer Prize, created the Peace Corps and handled the Cuban Missile Crisis with poise.

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He was born with a silver Kennedy spoon in his mouth but with tenacity became the youngest president ever. Unfortunately, he was assassinated and left this Earth way to soon but is remembered for many significant accomplishments.

  Theodore Roosevelt – IQ 153

Theodore Roosevelt or Teddy as he was called was one of our most intelligent and dynamic presidents to walk the halls of the White House. He attended both Harvard and Columbia Law Schools.

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He was called the Father of the U.S. Navy because he built and strengthened this branch of the service to be a force at sea. He was famous for his quote,” Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

 Woodrow Wilson – IQ 155.2

Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States who used his high IQ of 155.2 to get our country through World War I. He studied at Princeton, the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins, which is very impressive.

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Before his political career began, he earned his Ph.D. in political science and was president of Princeton University. Dr. Woodrow Wilson was instrumental in creating the League of Nations which advocated world peace. For these efforts, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

 Jimmy Carter – IQ 156.8

Jimmy Carter was a southern gentleman who was our 39th American President. He had a kind disposition, and many didn’t recognize him as a highly intelligent man, although his IQ was 156. He served in the Navy before becoming president where he used his diplomacy to improve the country’s humanitarian work.

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He established the United States Department of Energy and the United States Department of Education. Later in life, he became a professor, created the Carter Center to advance human rights and was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 Bill Clinton – IQ 159

Bill Clinton, our 42nd President, has an impressive IQ of 159. He attended prestigious Georgetown where he won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford and continued to Yale to earn his law degree.

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He played saxophone and even once considered becoming a professional musician, but he chose public service and moved on to the Arkansas government. He was elected president of the United States in 1993, the first baby boomer generation president.

 James Madison – IQ 160

James Madison, the fifth president of the United States, is known as the Father of the Constitution and helped write the Bill of Rights and the Monroe Doctrine.

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He was a brilliant gentleman who established the Democrat-Republican Party with the help of another smart man,  President Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson – IQ 168

The third president of our great country had a very high IQ, too, and he used it to accomplish great things that formed America. This founding father was extraordinarily intelligent and motivated.

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He not only was the author of the Declaration of Independence, but he also facilitated the Louisiana purchase, abolished the slave trade, and founded the University of Virginia.

John Quincy Adams – IQ 175

Way back, and we mean way, way back in history when the intelligence quotient or IQ test as we know it was implemented, there were some very intelligent people who were also very brave. One was the sixth president of the United States, John Quincy Adams who was noted as having an IQ of 175.

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This Harvard graduate is at the tippy top of all presidents when comparing IQ scores. He traveled and studied all around the world, could speak fluently in seven languages and became a lawyer without ever completing law school!

Presidents use their intelligence and passion to make changes that will go down in history. It takes a high IQ and a lifetime of persistence and confidence to make the White House your home.

 Donald Trump – IQ 156

Our current president, Donald J. Trump’s IQ, has been a subject of debate for years.  There’s no evidence he’s ever actually taken a formal IQ test, but several articles have estimated his IQ at 156, which would make him smarter than 99.98% of the population.  So, what is Donald Trump’s IQ? The world may never know

Trump claims his high IQ is common knowledge, writing “Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest -and you all know it!”

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He is a business tycoon turned celebrity, turned author, turned politician who is still establishing what he will be renowned for other than building the controversial wall. He is a dynamic president of the United States that has changed the landscape of this esteemed office, and the verdict is still out on his mark on history.