Top 10 List | Top Ten Lists

1. Andrew Jackson

This U.S. President suffered from emotion as well as physical problem. When inaugurated into office at the age of 62, he was extremely thin. He had just lost his wife to a heart attack. He himself was not in good health. He suffered from decaying teeth, chronic headaches, failing eyesight and bleeding inside his lungs. There were also two bullet wounds from two duels he participated in.

Of all presidential reputations, Andrew Jackson’s is perhaps the most tricky to sum up or explain. Most Americans recognize his name, though most almost certainly know him (in the words of a famous song) as the general who “fought the bloody British in the town of New Orleans” in 1815. Many polls were taken between 1948 and 2009 and all of them ranked Jackson in or near the top ten presidents, among the “great” or “near great.”

Andrew Jackson left an everlasting imprint upon American politics and the presidency. Within eight years, he melded the shapeless coalition of personal followers who had elected him into the country’s most durable and successful political party, an electoral machine whose organization and discipline would become the basis for all others. In the meantime, his very contentious conduct in office spurred opponents to organize the Whig party. The Democratic party was his child; the national two-party system was his bequest on America.

2. Woodrow Wilson

He was the U.S. President to rule America during WWI.  The man suffered from extreme hypertension, headaches and double vision. Couple these conditions with a series of strokes that affected his right hand and leaving him unable to write for a year. Increasing strokes also left him blind in one eye and paralyzing on his left side.

He kept his paralysis a secret for most of his later years in presidency. Once it was discovered, the 25^th amendment was enacted to allow the VP to take power upon the death of the President, or even resignation or disability.

Wilson is most remembered for his 14 Points. Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were first outlined in a speech Wilson gave to the American Congress in January 1918. Wilson’s Fourteen Points became the basis for a peace programme and it was on the back of the Fourteen Points that Germany and her allies agreed to an armistice in November 1918.

3. Grover Cleveland

Cleveland suffered all throughout life with obesity, nephritis and gout. He ultimately discovered a tumor in his mouth (jaw cancer) and underwent surgery to remove part of his jaw and hard palate.  Disfigured, but recovered, he died in 1908 of a heart attack.

He is well known for being the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.

4. William Taft

Taft suffered from morbid obesity – the extreme kind. He weighed over 300 lbs, making him the fattest president of the United States. Through aggressive dieting, he was able to lose almost 100 lbs, which he grew back and lost again through his lifetime.  He also suffered from sleep apnea, which caused him to miss his political meeting and high blood pressure and heart problems.

He is well known for creating a progressive system of checks and balances for the U.S federal government, which is still being used today.

5. Bill Clinton

Despite being an avid jogger, Bill Clinton has admitted to a weakness for fast food and a sweet tooth, both of which have placed strain on his arteries.

In 1997 a physical revealed that Mr Clinton had lowered his weight to 196 pounds from an unofficial high of 226 pounds in 1991. The physical reportedly measured his cholesterol level at 179, and his blood pressure at 122 over 68.

However, by his final presidential physical, Bill Clinton’s weight had risen again to 214 pounds, his cholesterol level had increased, and his blood pressure was climbing.

Many US Presidents have/had a colorful past. Many of the Top 10 presidents on the list are/were alcoholics and take/took pride in their drinking habits. This article identifies them and who they are/were.

1. Barack Obama:

A 2010 news report surfaced surrounding Barack Obama’s drinking problem. The Daily Mail reported that the doctor recommended the President stop drinking excessively and stop smoking. This recommendation came after Obama’s cholesterol levels were up to borderline high.

2. George W. Bush:

Bush was no saint in the 1960s and 70s. Bush even admitted to substance abuse under the age of 40. He described this period as nomadic and irresponsible youth. This all occurred before he made a religious conversion and was enlightened by Billy Graham.

3. Richard Nixon:

During the Watergate Scandal, which erupted in 1974, Nixon was drinking more than he ever did before. He became even more depressed as he put himself and his family through humiliation over his resignations. Many people would not hear from Nixon for years after his resignation due to shame. The drinking problem was discovered in Nixon’s biography, written by Stephen Ambrose.

4. Martin van Buren:

This Democratic President had a reputation for being a drunk by age 25. He could even drink large quantities without showing signs of intoxication. The behaviour was exhibited well into his Vice –Presidency.

5. Ulysses Grant:

This US President also had a drinking problem. The problem was more than apparent during his military service. However, the heavy drinking was said to have not affected his ability to perform duties. The cause of death (throat cancer) was probably related to alcohol consumption.

United States has attempted to elect Presidents to get the job done right. There are various Presidents throughout history who have not stood by their word and have gone against the will of the people. Their decisions and actions are insufficient and unruly. Many of them do not act fast and are also not right for the job. As such, here is the top 10  list of worst US Presidents.

1. Barack Obama:

The current President of the United States, Barack Obama is one of the worst presidents. Until this year, he has not been incisive in action. He stood by and did absolutely nothing as DP Horizon Oil Spill leaked all over the Guelph of Mexico for 3 months. 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled through the water, polluting it. When it came to rising Gas Prices, his actions were insufficient. Prices rose from $1.83/gallon in 2009 to $3.44/gallon in 2011. Lastly, Obama worsened unemployment rates since coming into power. Since coming into power, the rates have increased, and not decreased as his Presidential platform predicted. Obama’s aim to get the United States out of what he called another “Great Depression” has been deemed useless.

2. James Buchanan:

Buchanan rubbed salt on the wounds between Successional States and the Union States. He supported the Dred Scott decision, which refused to protect African Americans under the constitution, added Kansas as a slavery state and put slavery issues on a state level. In making such decisions he caused greater tensions between the North and the South. He was the first President to have left office 39 days before a Civil War ensued.

3. Bill Clinton:

Bill Clinton is an utter humiliation to the United States for two reasons. First, his foreign policies lacked decisiveness and were all over the place. He declared war on numerous countries, notably Yugoslavia, Iraq and Somalia. The intervention into Yugoslavian and Somalian civil wars lacked reason. Furthermore, the Iraqi War in December of 1998 had no clear results. Secondly, he was sleeping on the job and getting paid. When America expected him to be a leader, he was busy cheating on his wife with an intern in the Oval Office. When caught, he wagged his finger in front of the camera and stated “I want to say one thing to the American people, I’m going to say this again. I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie. Not a single time. Never. These allegations are false and I need to go back to work for the American people.” How can anyone respect a President who stood up and lied in front of the whole world and got caught?

4. Richard Nixon:

Although this President did a service to the United States by ending the 20 year Vietnam War, he still hit the books as one of the worst presidents. During the Watergate scandal, he tapped into the National Democratic Party Headquarters. 5 members from his fundraiser organization, the Committee to Re-elect the President, were arrested for trespassing and burglary. After extensive investigation 6 of Nixon’s top advisers were charged with fraud for their part in the scandal. A grand jury charged Nixon as co-conspirator. Nixon had no other choice but to resign in shame.

5. John F. Kennedy:

This President led the United States into a possible nuclear crisis right at its doorstep. The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis were an embarrassment to the United States. As a superpower, the United States should have done much more to secure the nation against any nuclear catastrophes, before threats were made. Furthermore, John F. Kennedy should have had a better campaign set up to decrease tensions between his country and the Soviet Union. The Bay of Pigs invasion only infuriated the Soviet Union and the Cubans even more.

There are various presidents in US history who were not as famous as Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Within their short and sometimes long tenure as President they left one or two important historical marks which should be noted. Here are the top 10 forgotten but yet important US presidents.

1. John Hanson:

Many believe George Washington was the first President of the United States. They are wrong in this fact as Washington was the first president of the independent country. The title belongs to John Hanson, whom many US History books forget to mention. He was elected as the first Presiding Officer to the Continental Congress during the revolutionary wars in 1781. He was also the one to order all foreign flags to be banned from US property.

2. William Henry Harrison:

He was the 9th President of the United States and the first President to die in office 32 days after his inauguration. Wearing no overcoat and no hat on a wet and cold day, Harrison spoke the longest speech in US history which was timed at 2 hours. This caused Harrison to catch pneumonia and septicaemia, which began to affect Harrison 3 weeks after. He made history with his precedent to elect the Vice-President as President when the current elected President cannot do his job. The 25th commandment was finally enacted after the Kennedy Assassination.

3. John Tyler:

Not many would know a John Tyler or would ever think he was President of the United States once. His term was short and brief as he replaced President Harrison after the latter’s death. He took office during a constitutional crisis which discussed the succession to Presidency by the Vice-President. He also was the President who annexed Texas into the United States. He however caused and stimulated the Mexican American war.

4. William Taft:

This 300lb President was the 27th to be elected. He was the fattest and tallest President to take office. He is most famous for his 16th Amendment which allowed the Congress to Levy Taxes. He was also famous for being the only handpicked President of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt appointed him Secretary of States in the hopes of making him a President one day.

5. Warren G. Harding:

This president did everything in his power to undo the dreams and peacekeeping and making work his predecessor Woodrow Wilson achieved. With disdain, he rejected the idea of League of Nations which held peace around the world for 21 years. Although quoted as being sensitive to minorities and women by Carl S. Anthony, 1998 polls rate him as the worst president. The unemployment rate staggered during his presidency.