Who was the greatest President in U.S. history?

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:06:14 -0400

This is a topic that can be debated forever but I would like to know who, in your opinion, is the greatest President in the history of the United States. Who was the worst?

*EDIT* Since the consensus seems to be George Washington, my follow up question is how you think he would deal with the globalized world today?

Response by ENS Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2016 6:07 PM

ENS Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:07:44 -0400

This is one of the hardest questions to answer. I'll say George Washington. He was a leader and probably didn't go around telling people what they wanted to hear!

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Sep 11 at 2016 6:32 PM

SGT Philip Roncari — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:32:41 -0400

My response for best would be George Washington,as for worst the list grows after FDR.

Response by ENS Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2016 6:38 PM

ENS Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:38:44 -0400

Here's a run down of a few. No particular order.

1. George Washington was the General of the Armies. He probably didn't go around telling people what they wanted to hear or worrying about reelection..

2. Ronald Reagan - I prefer Ronald Reagan out of all the presidents we have had. He was a man of integrity and honor. He looked out for the American people and thought the "government is the problem". He did a lot of great things during his time. He was a friendly, logical, and relatable person.

3. John Quincy Adams - During his time in office he reduced the National debt from a stunning $16 Million in 1825 to a mere $5 Million (which was paid off soon after he left office).
*$16M is the equivalent to nearly $400M today.

4. Benjamin Harrison - though controversial, he did make several attempts at granting ALL people, of any color or gender, equal rights. This bill was defeated by the white Senate. Harrison also established the first forest reserve. Interestingly enough, Harrison also had electricity installed in the White House for the first time, but he and his wife refused to touch any light switch out of fear of electrocution. Before he left office, he ordered to construction of several Naval vessels, stressing the importance of Naval power and Naval dominance.

5. Theodore Roosevelt - Because of the lack of quality control over food and drugs, Roosevelt passed the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 which established quality control and banned misleading labels and harmful preservatives. Roosevelt also established the United States Forest Service, signed into law the creation of five National Parks, and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 new U.S. National Monuments. - Wiki

Response by Maj John Bell made Sep 11 at 2016 6:44 PM

Maj John Bell — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:44:40 -0400

William Henry Harrison.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Sep 11 at 2016 6:49 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:49:11 -0400

I'm going with Abraham Lincoln.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2016 6:55 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:55:14 -0400

Ronald Reagan

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Sep 11 at 2016 6:55 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:55:33 -0400

I don't think we'll ever know. Greatness isn't revealed unless tested. Neither is baseness. Thus we may have had other great presidents and really poor ones who simply were never challenged. However, I'd say that the most important attribute among those who rose to their challenges was honesty. Think about it. George Washington couldn't tell a lie. Honest Abe Lincoln. There were others. Harry Truman was honest enough to refuse to "sell the President" even though he was financially impoverished when he left office. Ronald Reagan told us the truth: Don't expect government to fix things for you, they are the problem, and We the People proceeded to fix things. That's why I see Hillary as the worst of candidates. Trump may be wrong about a lot of things, but I haven't seen him intentionally lie (despite what his opposition may claim). Hillary is the greatest liar I have ever met or seen in politics.

Response by SPC James Harsh made Sep 11 at 2016 6:56 PM

SPC James Harsh — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 18:56:55 -0400

For all intents & purposes would choose George Washington because he invokes the image of passing in front of troops, whether or not that's true.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Sep 11 at 2016 7:27 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 19:27:17 -0400

I'd say FDR. He successfully led us 1) out of the Great Depression and 2) through almost all of World War II. Either would be historically notable, but both put him over the top. Just my $0.02.

Response by PO3 Steven Stinnett made Sep 11 at 2016 7:35 PM

PO3 Steven Stinnett — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 19:35:38 -0400

That is a thinker, I would have to say, during the modern era, it would be Reagan for eliminating U.S.S.R., and everything it represented and creating pride in the U.S.A., uniting the country as one, AMERICAN. Overall, Washington for the democracy he helped create, along with Jefferson, and recommending you only serve TWO TERMS which everybody respected until King Roosevelt, he made us realize not all men are created equal so we had to make the two term President LAW...

Response by SFC George Smith made Sep 11 at 2016 10:58 PM

SFC George Smith — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 22:58:51 -0400

Its a Really Loaded Question...

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2016 6:42 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 06:42:45 -0400

I would say that the best would have to be Thomas Jefferson. his presidency not only proved that we could have a transition of power from the federalists to non-federalists but also expanded the country via the Louisiana purchase. in addition, being the author of the Declaration of Independence solidifies the pick for me.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2016 8:11 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 08:11:13 -0400

Quantifying the greatest would be opinion based, but two of the toughest presidency's would have to be Lincoln and FDR.

Response by SPC Anthony Landon made Sep 12 at 2016 4:07 PM

SPC Anthony Landon — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:07:01 -0400

I would consider Andrew Jackson or John F. Kennedy to be the best president we've ever had. Jackson was a strong leader and JFK tried to end political corruption. As far as the worst president, I'd consider Jimmy Carter or Nixon. Jimmy Carter created the welfare state we have now and Nixon ended the gold standard which still impacts us today.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Sep 12 at 2016 6:11 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 18:11:27 -0400

Lincoln had a lot of warts but due to the unprecedented circumstances, he still gets my vote.