The Least Experienced Presidents of The USA

Following my previous segment on the most experience people to ever be elected President of the US, I have decided to run an article on the least experienced Presidents. You will find that some Presidents were complete successes and others failed to really ever accomplish anything.

The Least Experienced Presidents

1. Zachary Taylor

Before being elected President, Taylor never held any political office. He rose to fame as a successful American General during the Mexican American War, in which he proved to be a well liked military commander. Taylor only served as President for two months, before dieing due to gastroenteritis. His short term had the daunting task of dealing with the slavery issue and was mildly successful, at the very least, of asserting the preservation of the Union at all costs. Taylor could have accomplished much more had he lived longer. All in all, the United States has seen much worse Presidents.

2. Ulysses S. Grant

Best known for his work as a General during the Civil War, Grant was elected the 18th President of the United States in 1869. Despite being elected to two terms, the Grant Presidency is renowned for its corruption. As President he supported amnesty for Confederate leaders and also decided to limit the number of troops stationed in the south to avoid further conflict. His Presidency was hit hard by the Panic of 1873, as historians feel Grant did little to stabilize the nation. His cabinet was increasingly corrupt and Grant did little to halt this. He meant well but Grant was not able to accomplish a whole lot.


3. George Washington

Washington set the precedents for the majority of all Presidential duties. Being the first President, Washington really didn't have an opportunity for experience. A member of Virginia colonial legislature, Washington led the Continental army to a victory during the Revolutionary War. As President he was flawless, calling for America to stay separate from foreign affairs and focus on what is going on at home. Perhaps his greatest feature was his humbleness, as he willingly gave up command of the country following the Revolution to the Continental Congress. He was never power hungry and refused running for a third term because he did not want to be like a King. Many scholars consider him the greatest President in American History.

4. Abraham Lincoln

Another worthy man is the "inexperienced" Senator from Illinois and no, I do not mean Barack Obama. Abraham Lincoln, like Obama, was a junior Senator from Illinois. Lincoln was elected in 1860 and reigned in the most turbulent period in American history. He was faced with a southern secession and a subsequent civil war. Poised and focused, Lincoln led the Union to victory and was able to achieve the abolition of slavery throughout the entire country. Although this was achieved, Lincoln ran for President with the intention of maintaining slavery as it was, without expanding it. Despite his success as President, Lincoln was the first President in US history to be assassinated. It has been said that Lincoln was the last casualty of the Civil War. Like Washington, Lincoln is often considered the best President in US history.

5. Dwight D. Eisenhower

The former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during WWII, Eisenhower never held political office. His popularity as a military figure led to his ascension to the nations highest office in 1953. Eisenhower pioneered the construction of highways throughout the country, supported the ruling of Brown V. Board of Education and asserted a strong foreign policy. During his Presidency, Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the Union. Eisenhower proved to be an able commander in chief and was well liked during his Presidency.



Other notables include: Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Barack Obama, Andrew Jackson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and W00drow Wilson.

How Experience Has Failed Us

I wanted to bring one of my favorite posts from my other blog over here. I will be having a followup "How inexperience has surprised us" article very soon. In the history of the our country, we have looked to the most experienced individuals to lead our country and have elected those “experienced” politicians to the nations highest office. In the current election, many argue that Barack Obama lacks the experience necessary to be successful as President of our country. Below you will find the 5 most experienced individuals ever elected to the Presidency and a brief overview of their terms in office.

Most Experienced:
James Buchanan: The 15th President of the United States, Buchanan failed to accomplish really anything during his Presidency. As states were gearing up to secede from the Union, Buchanan argued that secession was illegal but that starting a war to stop it was also illegal. His strategy (or lack thereof) helped contribute to the Civil War. During the Buchanan Presidency, the panic of 1857 caused a huge economic crisis and government revenue deficit. In short, the Buchanan Presidency was a huge failure.

Andrew Johnson- The 17th President of the United States, Johnson became President after the disastrous assasination of Abraham Lincoln. As devestating as the death of Abraham Lincoln was, the Johnson presidency was not much better. Successfully avoiding impeachment twice with the Radical Republicans in power. Johnson was initially against awarding amnesty to leading Confederate officials because he felt treason should be dealt with severely but eventually agreed to pardon all Confederates on Christmas day, 1868. Johnson was ineffective at leading the country through reconstruction and experience again failed Americans.

John Quincy Adams: Widely regarded as one of America’s finest diplomats and one of only two Presidents to later serve in Congress, the Presidency of the younger Adams did not go as smoothely as he would have liked. His elaborate domestic projects and policies were not very popular with Congress and very few were actually passed. Adams personal feud with Andrew Jackson was arguably considered the biggest highlight of his Presidency.

Lyndon B. Johnson: The 36th President of the United States, LBJ was sworn in as President under the same circumstances as Andrew Johnson following Lincoln’s assasination. The assasination of John F. Kennedy caused an uproar amongst the American public. Johnson did several great things during his Presidency including the nomination of Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court and his work in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, when the Vietnam wore broke out Americans lost trust in Johnson, who claimed he would avoid dragging the US into war during his campaign. In the election of 1968, Johnson was defeated by a large margin by Richard Nixon.

Gerald Ford: The 38th President of the United States, Ford became President following the resignation of Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. Ford was criticized severely for his pardon of Nixon, as the majority of Americans wanted Nixon to be punished for his crimes. The Ford Administration was forced to address America’s faltering economic issues, something they were never fully able to grasp. However, Ford did just about all he could do taking over the office at such a critical time.