Who is the Most Important President?: Greatest President

» Mugwump53 - Greatest President

You are correct. This is an often-asked but always interesting question. I always divide it into two sub-questions.

Among the obvious answers, (Washington, Lincoln, Wilson, FDR), the answer is usually Washington or Lincoln.

For many years, whenever "experts" rated the presidents, it was always Washington, then Lincoln. Around the time of the Vietnam crisis, as the war powers came to the fore, Lincoln became first on most lists because of his use and definition of war powers.

I will agree with you that it was Washginton. My reason is more mundane than yours, but to me vital. Washington was extremely aware that he was setting precedents by virtually every action he took. His understanding of that importance made him carefully consider everything, no matter how trivial it may have seemed at the time. Consequently, he set excellent precedents on everything from the power of the federal government to enforce laws (the Whiskey Rebellion) to the social and moral ranks of the President (his famous social controversy with Hancock). He established the precedents on communicating with Congress, the public, the cabinet system and two term tradition. There is a much longer list of precedents of varying degrees of importance, but it is in their entirety that he did the greatest service for the new nation.

I take nothing from Lincoln or FDR, but Washington got us started and set our foreign policy for over a century and a half.

The other question often asked is the best president other than the four or five obvious greats. But that is another question.

John S. Cooper
Editor, President & First Ladies

-- posted by Mugwump53