By the Maui Curmudgeon (17th in a 43-part series)

How do the U.S. Presidents stack up? I thought I’d find out by reading biographies of all 43 presidents, in the order of their administrations. Here are briefly the pros and cons of my discoveries, the interesting bits, and how I’d rank him. For comparison, I give you the 1982 Murrary-Blessing ranking, a survey of hundreds of leading historians who ranked each president by number. This survey is the gold standard of presidential rankings and is most cited when this kind of thing needs bringing up in media.

ANDREW JOHNSON: 1865-1869  ~ 17th U.S. President

From Lincoln to Johnson, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

No one could have followed the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and been declared great. The contrast was insurmountable. But that the nation ended up with such an incompetent racist as Lincoln ’s successor is a wonder. Historian Eric Foner writes, “Johnson’s personal stubbornness, racism, belief in state’s rights, and inability to gauge public opinion…destroyed his presidency.”

How did even get on the ticket?

Believe it or not, the answer to that question is somewhat obscure. However, it is generally believed that during the campaign of 1864, Lincoln wanted his very ineffectual vice-president Hannibal Hamlin replaced. At the time, Johnson stood out as a good choice.

Read the rest…