Most Underrated U.S. Presidents In History

People only remember him from his Impeachment attempt. He left the presidency with a surplus, did so much for the country, and while this may not seem amazing, he was the 2nd president to open an olympics.
Brilliant, relatable and left us with a surplus! Great president. I was proud of our country with him at the helm.
Amazing president who did so much good for the country and had innumerable achievements...even with a republican, obstructive, congress!
Bill Clinton usually ranks about 15th in presidential rankings. I feel he should be in the top ten (6-10 range).

George Bush Sr. is way underrated as a president. Think of all the things that was on his watch in four short years: the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, German reunification, tensions with China (Tiananmen Square), the cleanup of the saving and loans crisis, the first Gulf War, and the overthrow of Manuel Noriega. Most presidents didn’t have this many important circumstances in the course of eight years, where he dealt with all of this in four. He handled them all very well. With almost all presidents you can look back on their presidency and find things that would have been better if they would have handled a particular situation differently; not so much for Bush Sr. He is usually ranked about 20th, this is way too low for how well he handled these significant events.
Just because a president is underrated, doesn't mean he's good. George H. W. Bush is a BAD, BAD president, but I think Richard Nixon, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Herbert Hoover, James Buchanan, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and Ulysses S. Grant were much worse. He's a dumbass, but hardly the worst president ever... Top ten yes, but not top 5. Just my view.
The media has always been rigged against the Bush's. Both are very underrated! And only focused on their failures and not their many achievements.
Such a kind hearted and intelligent man and president. Much better and more thoughtful than reagan ever was! 1

This President has faced more opposition as President than all the others, yet God always brings h out of it smelling like a rose. If God is for you, who can stand against you. When God opens or closes a door no one can close it or open it. Let's remember if God ordained it, it is so and our arms are to short to box with Him. His will be done.
Well, I don't underrate him but when you see him as number one on worst presidents, that's not really under rating, it's more like jealousy or racism. Really, you may disagree with his policies but the things this man was able to accomplish with no help from Congress are amazing.
Terrible president. He did nothing good for this country! The democratics didn't kill bin laden the republicans did! It took ten years to kill the bastard eight years under bush two under Obama! Therefore the republicans did 80% of the work and the democrats only did 20% of the work!

He created the Department of Energy.
He appointed Volcker to the Fed.
He had a relatively peaceful presidency.
He didn't cause the horrible economy of the 70s. He inherited it. Not only that, but he tried to fix it twice, but the American people wouldn't let him. He suggested transitioning to nuclear energy, but he couldn't get that through. Then, he suggested that people cut down on unneccisary consumption, but people got angry about that. It wasn't until Volcker, the person Carter appointed to the Fed, hiked up interest rates that the economy began to improved.
Reagan didn't end the stagflation, Carter did.
Admittingly not a good president but better than you think. He got Egypt and Israel, two very different countries, to get along with each other. He also appointed Paul Volcker who was the best Federal reserve chairman or close to the top. He also decided to help the hostages in Iran without bombing and allowed more hostages to come out alive and not dead. Basically all the effects his successor Ronald Reagan gets credit for was an effect of Jimmy Carter.
I'm not one to call politicians humble and honest, but Jimmy Carter might just fill that ticket...
Man he just never gets respect even though he’s 94 and still making houses for homeless people and created peace between Egypt and Israel

Crooked as a country back road. Responsible for thousands of dead people voting, but really the Gulf of Tonkin Incident alone makes him possibly the worst ever, given how Viet Nam has resonated in our history since then.
Possibly the most corrupt president in US history, but most of it was not uncovered until after his death, so he seems to get a pass.
The best and most accomplished domestic President ever. Vietnam stands out but he was great
Great proponent of civil rights and really pushed the movement forward

Chester Arthur took over for James Garfield after he was assassinated. And did a pretty good job!

Research the Monroe doctrine and all of the important foreign decisions under his presidency. He is ranked as the best second quartile president.
James Monroe. Who is he? He was the last Founding Father to be president (that's why he's in the shadow of the first four), he nearly got rid of sectionalism and political parties during the Era of Good Feelings. he was so popular he ran unopposed for a second term. He was prominent supporter of the colonization of Liberia (a slave free country) and the American Colonization Society (he even has the capital of Liberia named after him). He established the Monroe Doctrine so Europe wont make colonies in Latin America to stop the rebellion there. He fought in the America Revolution and took a bullet to the shoulder. He was the Secretary of State and Secretary of War during Madison's presidency and was more than prepared to take on the role of a president.
So yeah, he's really underrated as both president and Founding Father.
Definitely the most underrated founding father just forgotten, If you asked people alive from 1788 to 1820 and asked who is your favorite president so far, most would say monroe, He was extremely popular and did so many great things as president. I would call him "Great"
Dude literally ran, effectively, unopposed. That should be a sign of how good he is.

Nixon was a crook overall, he was underrated because of the things that made him the worst president in US history. Sure, he withdrawn troops from Vietnam, Opened relationships with Communist China as well as the USSR and Introducing an Environmental Protection Agency. But, the reality of Nixon was the Watergate Scandal, spying on political opponents which made him win the 1972 election proves to much of a corrupt president he was.
I disagree to an extent. I believe that, yes, Richard Nixon had some good policies, and some terrible ones, but what makes him awful is the fact that he tried to cover up a scandal that he wasn't even involved in! It was a dumb move caused by his paranoia that he feared getting kicked out of office. We gave him power, and look what he decided to do with it!
Very sad that one scandal that was caused by a couple of stupid thieves has brought down one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century, with accomplishments like forming the Envirnmental proctection agency and building strong diplomatic ties to communist states such as China and USSR.
He and LBJ don't deserve the disrespect they get they were some of our great presidents. LBJ: Civil Rights Act passed, made our life more common to today, and helped us survive losing Kennedy. Nixon: Eisenhower's Vice President for EIGHT YEARS, improved forgein relations, and we landed on the moon with him.

Truman Doctrine... Enough said.

I wouldn't say most underrated president but yes a very good president the didn't get enough credit.
The only president who actually did everything he said he would do
The most underrated president by far..
Great president!

The last honest Democrat to serve the oval office, comming from a conservative. I say that because there is no way in hell he would be a Democrat today.
One of the most honest presidents.
Criminally underrated.

What did he really do wrong, though?
No. He was one of history's worst.

Yes a tad underrated. But how do you beat someone and then four years later you lose to them? I don't understand that. But still a good president.

He prevented war with France. While not the best for signing the Alien and Sedition Acts, he did that because he thought it would hold the union together. He also helped build the economy. Definitely the most underrated founding founder (with James Madison).
The 2nd president of the United States of America! He did a great Job as president. A founding father. Amazing president.
Don't want to bring up all the old Canadian-American arguments, Alpha101, but... we won the War of 1812!
You guys didn't win the war of 1812 though :/

I'm not saying that he was a good president. What I'm saying is that if he lived longer then we might have known him for being one of the best. People misjudge him because he was a slave owner.
He is my third to favorite president. Super underrated. Remove Grant and place Taylor and remove Jefferson for Madison
Only 16 months in office but in those 16 months he did a great job.
Also my third to favorite president. He was a veteran in the Mexicon war

How could someone think he is underrated?
Helped pass 13 14 and 15 amendments



Yes underrated! First president of all 50 states! And created the highway system! Great president. And he did a lot with the war!
Most underrated in my opinion, I never heard anyone bring him up in the discussion for greatest presidents

Held the country together after the Civil War. Created lasting positive relations with Great Britain after the Alabama affair. Brought diversity to the government and protected the rights of African Americans and Native Americans in an era of extreme racism while being aware of the need to also protect States Rights. His major downfall was he trusted too many dishonest men and was considered corrupt by association. This is just plain wrong and unjust for one of the most under rated men to ever hold the office of president

James Madison is almost the forgotten founding father and an underrated president. Jefferson gets a lot of the attention, Hamilton is on the $10 bill, and Ben Franklin is on the $100. Where is James Madison’s due? Like the other person’s review in this article wrote, he is the Father of the Constitution for crying out loud. He usually ranks around 18th; I think he should be a little higher than that. My main gripe is he seems to take the back seat with the other founding fathers. In my view he is the most important founding father.
He was the Father of the Constitution for crying out loud!

A good, steady, underrated president.


Great unifier. Tasked with cleaning up the country after we had the worst abomination in the White House
Unbelievable brave kind compassionate persevering leader.
Really put us back on track. Hero

"I Hate him. His dad, George Bush, Is Innocent but he is Terrible. George Bush was Teased by Both Political Parties for Being to Gentle, an he Thought the Republicans Treated him Better. So Poppy is and Underranted Republican. George W. Bush Didn't Listen to HIDS and Decided to do his own Thing, he Also Wanted Another Pressuring Settlement in Iraq, Making us Have war on Them to Make Them Learn Their Lesson but Another war Will Make it Worse! Dubya ("W") is so Underrated but to Some Scholars say he's Underrated, but They can Have Opinions."
Not underrated, just overhated. Sure he was terrible, but a lot of people think he is the absolute worst in US history, which only shows people don't know enough about the presidents. Buchanan was much worse, and unlike Bush, who, at least, has the PEPFAR, which has saved millions of lives, Buchanan did nothing good for the country during his presidency.