Top 10 Most Intelligent Presidents in the World
How intelligent must one be to rule a whole country? By calculating their IQ scores, Dean Simonton, a researcher, and psychologist from UC Davis, aimed to determine the presidents’ degrees of intelligence. Simonton was able to gauge the intelligence of our leaders’ using traits like openness and intellectual prowess. The information below is all taken from Simonton’s updated assessments of the presidents’ IQs at age 18.
10. Abraham Lincoln:
Lincoln, having an IQ of 150 is especially astounding considering how little formal education he received and how much of his knowledge came from self-study. Despite this, he went on to become a lawyer, served as president during the American Civil War, and oversaw the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery. He delivered the Gettysburg Address, arguably the most well-known presidential speech in American history, and was a brilliant orator. Though the war ended a month after Honest Abe’s murder, he was unable to witness its conclusion.
9. Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had an IQ of 150.5 before starting his 12-year term as president, was an assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy, a Harvard graduate who later attended law school at Columbia University, and he attended Harvard. To improve the health of the American economy, he implemented the New Deal, which included legislative measures like the Social Security Act which is still in effect today. He also led the nation through both the Great Depression and World War II. Since receiving a polio diagnosis at the age of 39, his health had been precarious, and he passed away in office in 1945. One of the most notable first ladies in the White House was Eleanor Roosevelt.
8. Chester Arthur:
After the passing of his predecessor, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, and his 152.3 IQ assumed office. He was raised in New York City as a lawyer after graduating from Union College in upstate New York. He was born in Vermont to an Irish father and an American mother. Before entering politics and assuming the presidency in 1881, he worked on several prominent civil rights lawsuits. The question of whether he was truly Canadian is one unanswered presidential enigma.
7. Teddy Roosevelt:
Teddy Roosevelt was “one of the most energetic presidents in White House history,” according to the Constitution Center, and he was also one of the smartest with an IQ of 153. He was from a well-off New York family and went to Columbia Law School and Harvard, albeit he did not complete the latter. His efforts to bring about peace during the Russo-Japanese War earned him the title “Father of the U.S. Navy” and the Nobel Peace Prize. He prohibited something from the White House while in office.
6. Woodrow Wilson:
From 1913 through 1921, Woodrow Wilson was president, and his IQ of 155.2 didn’t hurt as he made significant contributions to both international affairs and American politics. A few years before the Civil War, he was born in Virginia, and he attended Princeton, the University of Virginia, and Johns Hopkins. Wilson’s first job was in academia before he entered politics. After serving as president during International War I, he promoted world peace and established the League of Nations to do so, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This relates to his unexpected presidential debut.
5. Bill Clinton:
The IQ of Bill Clinton was pegged at 159. He was raised in Arkansas and then went to school at Yale, Georgetown, and Oxford, where he eventually met Hillary Rodham, his future wife. Before taking office in 1992, he began his political career in Arkansas’ state government. One of his major accomplishments was the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Despite remaining in office for an additional two years following the vote to impeach Clinton for his relationship with then-White House staffer Monica Lewinsky, Clinton’s cunning wasn’t enough to save him from being removed from office. Here are pictures of him from before and after he took office, alongside those of other presidents.
4. John F.Kennedy:
John F. Kennedy had a reputation as a mediocre student and a sports enthusiast as a youth, despite having an IQ of 159.8. However, he changed his mind and earned his Harvard degree in 1940. He was a member of the Navy and received a Purple Heart for his valiant exploits in the South Pacific during World War II. After winning seats in the House and Senate, he went on to become the second-youngest president in history and the first and only Catholic leader. During his time in office, he managed the Cuban Missile Crisis, approved the Bay of Pigs invasion, established the Peace Corps, and helped enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many people are also unaware of the fact that JFK’s accomplishments were accompanied by his battle with persistent health issues.
3. James Madison:
James Madison is the shortest president of the United States at 5 feet 4 inches, yet his estimated IQ of 160 indicates that he was no wimp. Though he didn’t receive a degree, he is regarded as Princeton’s first graduate student and is a scholar at heart. He wrote the Bill of Rights and is referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.” Dolley, his wife, contributed to defining the First Lady’s position in terms of social and charitable responsibilities.
2. Thomas Jefferson:
Thomas Jefferson surrendered his collection of books to the Library of Congress after the British burned it down because he needed so many to support his 160 IQ. He cites accomplishments in economics, architecture, cuisine and wine, agriculture, paleontology, astronomy, music, and writing, making him a veritable Renaissance man. Oh, and he also drafted the Declaration of Independence and, through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, increased the size of the United States.
1. John Quincy Adams:
John Quincy Adams, a Harvard graduate, has the highest estimated IQ of all American presidents with a score of 175 points. Over the course of his life, he studied all over the world and became fluent in seven languages. He became a lawyer without ever completing law school. Adams, a renowned diplomat, originally worked for President James Monroe as his secretary of state. His involvement in the development of the Monroe Doctrine and the negotiations to terminate the War of 1812 were among his greatest contributions to government. For his outstanding oratory abilities, he was dubbed “Old Man Eloquent,” and he has even been referred to as one of the fittest presidents. As one of the most well-known first pets to reside in the White House, he is also a president.
