There are very few people that get the honorable title of President of the United States. Those that do become president have most likely focused the entirety of their life on that goal. Which means they did well in school, went to college, earned degrees, had successful careers, and eventually got into politics. What most of us don’t realize is that some presidents dropped out of college and some didn’t go at all! But does a lack of “proper” education mean that someone isn’t intelligent enough to become president? You can see for yourself in this list we’ve composed of the presidents and their IQ’s!The media had an absolute field day when George W. Bush was president. Bush’s goofy personality and his tendency to make verbal slip-ups was the perfect fuel for the media. However, contrary to popular belief, President Bush is certainly not the simple-minded fool that some Americans believe him to be. You may be surprised, but Bush’s IQ is actually well about the average college graduate.
Gerald Ford was hitting the books, and tackling guys on the football field, long before he became the 38th president. Ford wasn’t only in the honor society at South High School, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he was also an All-State football player.
Herbert Hoover didn’t exactly have the best time as president. He had many ambitious programs, but unfortunately, they didn’t reach their potential during the Great Depression. Maybe if he was a bit smarter things would’ve gone differently.
Ronald Reagan served in office from 1981-1989 and was certainly a favorite of the Republicans. He wasn’t always a politician though. This highly intelligent man was a Hollywood actor before becoming president. He retired from the big screen to become one of the most unforgettable presidents in history.
George Bush, Jr. has been dubbed as one of the least intelligent presidents, however, George Bush Senior was responsible for launching successful military operations against Panama and Iraq. But thanks to the economic recession, his popularity was forever damaged.
William McKinley once attended Allegheny College, but eventually dropped out. He later went on to earn a law degree at Albany Law School. Unfortunately, McKinley never finished his term because he was assassinated after only six months as president.
James K. Polk is known as the “least known consequential president.” After just one term, President Polk presided over the Mexican War and immensely expanded the size of the United States. Polk is also responsible for giving the finance system a drastic makeover.
Grover Cleveland was not a wealthy man, and because of that couldn’t attend college. But that didn’t stop him from being successful. Cleveland became a lawyer and is now known as a president famous for his honesty and work ethic.
Richard Nixon will forever be known for his part in the Watergate Scandal. Nixon wasn’t always defending himself in court, though. He actually had a pretty impressive law degree from Duke University, which helped him out later in life. Nixon used his lawyer skills to help defend himself in court when he was impeached for obstruction of justice.
While President Eisenhower was serving his term he watched dozens of battles occur during the Civil Rights Movement. He is responsible for helping desegregate public schools and he also signed legislation to protect African-Americans’ right to vote. Eisenhower didn’t just go to battle in the Civil Rights Movement, he was also a five-star general in the Army during World War II.
President Harrison graduated from Miami University with a degree in law. Before and after his presidency, Harrison had a very successful career as an attorney. He also spoke on the behalf of the Republic of Venezuela against the United Kingdom.
The first President of the United States was George Washington. Surprisingly, he only had the education of an elementary school child, but he still became the first president of the free world.
Martin Van Buren never attended college, but he did begin reading about law at the age of 14. Just seven years later, he was entered into the bar.
Rutherford B. Hayes was a graduate of Kenyon College and was a pretty intelligent man. Unfortunately, he had problems bringing the country back together after the Civil War.
William Henry Harrison dropped out of Hampden-Sydney College. He gained his notoriety from his military career prior to becoming president. Sadly enough he died after only 32 days as president due to pneumonia.
Franklin Pierce was a graduate of Bowdoin College and had an absolutely brilliant mind. Unfortunately, regardless of his intelligence, he wasn’t capable of dealing with the issue of slavery, which led to the outbreak of the Civil War.
Millard Fillmore is another president that never attended college. Regardless of that fact, he still helped to found the University of Buffalo.
John Tyler graduated from the College of William & Mary. Before his presidency, he had a successful political career. His term as president, however, was less than impressive.
FDR was definitely one of the most influential leaders of this country. He can take the title as one of the few presidents who served 12 years! Like many other presidents, FDR went to Harvard and graduated with a history degree.
Abraham Lincoln is known as the president who helped end slavery. Unlike most leaders, Lincoln was not an Ivy League school graduate. He actually never attended college, but that didn’t stop his desire to learn. He constantly exercised his mind and at a very young age actually patented a steamboat invention.
James Madison graduated from Princeton University and has the prestigious title of “Father of the Constitution.” It’s pretty accurate to say that Madison was one of the most brilliant presidents.
As a graduate of Union College, Chester Arthur is considered one of the most intelligent presidents. Regardless of intelligence, Arthur’s term as president was pretty insignificant.
James Garfield was the salutatorian of his class at Williams College. It’s even rumored that he could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other!
Theodore Roosevelt not only graduated from Harvard University, he is also responsible for publishing 35 books.
John Adams didn’t start his political career as president. First, he was the vice president to George Washington. He was a college graduate from Harvard and had incredible negotiating skills that helped him avoid a war with France. Some people even believe that Adams had a higher IQ than Einstein himself!
President Obama will forever be known as the first African-American president. He is also one of the brightest graduates of Harvard Law School. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Columbia, he went on to graduate in the top 15% at Harvard. Infamous professor Laurence Tribe has stated Obama was one of the best students he ever had.
In 2002, President Jimmy Carter was honored with receiving a Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to human rights and civil service reform. He started his education at Georgia Tech, but completed it at the Naval Academy.
Woodrow Wilson has a Ph.D in political science and was president of Princeton University before he became president of the United States.
Before becoming the 42nd president, Bill Clinton was the governor of Arkansas. He is considered one of the smartest presidents, but that doesn’t mean he had common sense. Which he clearly proved with the Lewinsky scandal.
Kennedy is known as the youngest person ever to be elected as president, but he was one of the most intelligent. It’s crazy to think about how America would’ve turned out if he wasn’t assassinated.
Thomas Jefferson was extraordinarily intelligent. After all, he authored the Declaration of Independence and was a true leader in the country’s early development. Thomas Jefferson was unbelievably intelligent. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence and was truly a good leader in the early development of the United States.
When Trump (center) was a teenager he attended the New York Military Academy. He later went to Fordham University. He eventually transferred to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, since it was one of the few schools that offered studies in real estate.
Adams was responsible for ending the War of 1812. He aided in the negotiation of the Treaty of Ghent when he joined service under President Madison. Even though he only served as president for one term, he served in the House of Representatives for 18 years.
