The Brightest U.S. Presidents Ranked by IQ Score


Is it possible to rank someone’s intelligence level accurately? And the million-dollar question is that- is it necessary to exhibit an above-average level of intelligence to become the nation’s leader?  There indeed is a formula to check the intelligence quotient of every individual, including national leaders. We don’t mind having the world’s smartest person as our leader, but we cannot expect them to have extremely high IQ levels, can we?

The country has had some brilliant presidents so far, many of whom have made remarkable strides towards making America the best in the world in every respect, or did they? To find it out, Dean Simonton, a University of California at Davis psychologist and researcher quantified the intelligence quotient (IQ) of all US presidents to date. And the results are somewhat shocking. Let’s have a look at the varying IQ levels of US presidents thus far.


Ulysses S. Grant – IQ Score: 120

Although according to some critics, Ulysses Grant-18th U.S. president, who held the office from 1869 to 1877, was an average IQ level president among the other US presidents Known for his courageous military expeditions during American Civil War, he led the Union Army’s Vicksburg campaign to victory and recaptured the Mississippi River.

Later on, he was given the command of all US armies. As a US president, his prime focus was to abolish the distinction between South and North. He joined hands with Radical Republicans, worked for improved public credits, and strengthened the US Navy up to the level of the Spanish Navy. Despite being a military man, his reconciliatory approach to foreign policy was phenomenal in resolving international conflicts. Regardless of his gallantry and hard work, corruption allegations followed by the great depression of the late 1880s put a big question mark on his effective performance as an American president.

End of content

No more pages to load