Is it even possible to measure how bad a president has been? We can. In the USA, presidential rankings are viral. Presidents are ranked according to how well or badly they governed and what qualities they had.
For this Top 11 list of the worst presidents, the latest study by the Siena College Research Institute was taken as a starting point. Over 200 scholars and researchers examined all the presidents of the United States for this study.
To rank them, they assessed 6 personal attributes, such as integrity and intelligence and 5 skills, such as the ability to compromise, oratory etc. Additionally, they also analyzed the strength and weaknesses of the U.S. presidents in 8 policy areas, such as economic policy and foreign policy. Using this data, they finally produced a scientifically based ranking of presidents for the top 11 worst presidents in the US.
31st President of the United States
Party: Republican
Term of office: March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
First Lady: His wife, Lou Henry
Children: 2 sons
Best quote: If a man has not made a million dollars by the time he is forty, then he is not worth much.
What went so bad during his term?
The stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent severe economic crisis (Great Depression) took place during his term of office. A lot of Americans fell into misery or even suffered from hunger. He did not find any solutions, nor did he believe that politics should not interfere in the economy.
He was unable even to develop a nutrition program to at least cushion the worst consequences of the crisis. Moreover, he was considered a cool technocrat who could not find the right words for the farmers and workers in this dire situation.
The Siena Study experts also rated Herbert Hoover poorly in many fields, putting him in 8th place among the worst US presidents.