Regardless of what you think of their politics, their policies, or their personalities, one thing is certain: You don’t become the President of the United States if you’re a total dummy. Sure, some of them may show questionable judgment or do things that make you wonder — the sheer number of presidents who have fallen down the stairs at some point during their run is staggering — but generally speaking, you need to be pretty smart in most respects if you’re going to be the most powerful person in the free world. President IQs from Washington to Bush were calculated in scientific studies done by Catherine Cox and Dean Keith Simonton, in 1926 and 2006 (respectively), and some of them are shockingly high. To put these IQs into perspective, keep in mind that the average IQ for someone who is considered to be of normal intelligence (according to Verywell Mind) is between 85 and 115.
When the “least smart” president on this list still has an IQ of 130, a full 15 points above the cutoff for “average,” you begin to get an idea of just how smart we’re talking about when it comes to people who are after this coveted position.
George W. Bush seems to have developed a reputation in some circles over the years for being one of the dumbest presidents to ever hold office. Sure, some of that is earned; he wasn’t exactly the world’s best public speaker, and he did have a tendency to invent words and say things that were pretty meaningless. He has the second-lowest IQ on this list. But remember that 138.5 is still, compared with the general population, pretty high.
James Monroe was the last of the Founding Fathers to be elected to the presidency, and there may be a reason they went through all the others first; with an IQ of 138.6, Monroe just edges George W. Bush for the third-lowest score! That being said, a score of 138.6 doesn’t make him a slouch, either. It’s considered “very superior” intelligence, according to the Wechsler IQ classification.
Andrew Johnson ascended to the presidency after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, but was subsequently the first President of the United States to be impeached after his plans to restore the seceded states to the Union — without granting protection to former slaves — came under fire in Congress. The country certainly did move on to elect smarter men; his IQ was only 138.9.
William Howard Taft – 139.5
Though William Howard Taft, with an IQ of 139.5, appears pretty low on the list, he remains the only person to have presided over both the executive and judicial branches of government. After holding the presidency from 1909-13, Taft later became the 10th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1921-30).
Joining the ranks of our 139-ers is James Buchanan, who was president during the lead-up to the Civil War. Perhaps if someone with a higher IQ had been in office, the country wouldn’t have reached its boiling point. Luckily, he was succeeded by a much smarter man.
This celebrated war hero was nicknamed “old rough and ready” for his acts during the Mexican-American War, but apparently abilities in battle don’t necessarily correlate with intelligence. Zachary Taylor’s IQ of 139.8 is on the lower end of those who’ve held the presidency.
Harry S. Truman, president for both the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, was known for his aggressive personality, perhaps because he couldn’t really be known for his outstanding intelligence — he had an IQ of 139.8, falling in the lower 25 percent of presidents.
Warren G. Harding – 139.9
Warren Harding’s presidency was cut short when a fatal heart attack claimed him during his third year in office. He died as one of the most popular presidents in history, but several scandals (Teapot Dome) followed on the heels of his death and damaged his reputation. He’s now considered one of the worst — and least intelligent — men to have held the office. His IQ is estimated at around 139.9, which is on the lower end of presidential IQs.
As one of our Founding Fathers and an absolute visionary, you might think that George Washington was some kind of genius. To a certain extent, you’d be right: With an IQ of 140, he’s way smarter than the average person now, so in 1776 he probably didn’t even compare. Still, he’s not near the top of the list of presidents.
Gerald Ford is another former president who, over the years, seems to have developed a reputation for being a bit on the dull side. His IQ of 140.4 puts him on the lower end of the presidential spectrum, although it is worth noting that he does score (just barely) higher than a quarter of all the other presidents on record.
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