Monday, Feb. 18, this year, is Presidents’ Day.
Created in 1879 to celebrate George Washington’s birthday on Feb. 22, it was later moved to the third Monday in February to fall between the birthdays of Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It was eventually re-titled ‘Presidents’ Day’ within popular culture, changing it from a celebration of America’s first President to a celebration of America’s highest office and the forty-three men who have served there since 1789. The presidency is the highest office in our nation and deserves careful reflection. But the question remains – which of our presidents have been the best? That’s a difficult question, but let’s take a look at the current office holder and five of the presidents who made the office what it is today.
Current Officer Holder: Barack Obama (2009 – Present)
Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Barack Obama is a landmark president – for better or for worse, only time will tell. As the nation’s first president of African-American descent, Obama has passed a controversial Healthcare Reform package, pulled American troops out of Iraq, authorized an operation to kill Osama bin Laden, created executive orders to control guns, and continues working on plans to help the American economy (announcing Tuesday he will raise the minimum wage for all Americans to nine dollars an hour.) While Obama is a polarizing figure in modern politics, he will no doubt be remembered as a president who brought change and power to the office — for better or for worse.
Fun Fact: Barack Obama is close to his family, reading Harry Potter books to his daughter Malia whenever he’s home.
#5. Thomas Jefferson (1801 – 1809)
When ranking the presidents, I am forced to strike a delicate balance between personal and private lives — Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite, a slave owner and a racist. This is unavoidable historical fact. However, he also lead a life of extraordinary public service as the author of the Declaration of Independence, one of America’s Founding Fathers and the first Secretary of State, supervising not only the Louisiana Purchase, but the first two-term presidency after George Washington himself. I feel it is as impossible to ignore Jefferson’s disgusting racism as it is to ignore his famous record as a public servant, warranting his inclusion here. Jefferson helped evolve the office into what it is today and remains one of the most intelligent people to ever serve the nation’s highest office, even if he was blinded by conflicting feelings influenced the social constructs of the time period.
Fun Fact: Jefferson was terrified of public speaking after an incident in his youth with a girl he liked. He almost never gave speeches as a politician, mumbling incoherently or inaudibly when asked to do so, preferring to write instead of speak.
#4. Theodore Roosevelt (1901 – 1909)
A naturalist, explorer, hunter, and decorated soldier in the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt succeeded upon the death of his predecessor in 1901, aged only forty-two, becoming the architect of the modern presidency with his “bully pulpit” methods. After over thirty years of Congressional domination, Roosevelt restored the presidential office to respect and power. A media darling, he curbed the power of large corporate trusts, created the Food and Drug Administration, negotiated the Russo-Japanese War, won a Nobel Prize, forced the creation of the Panama Canal, and retired in 1908, endorsing William Howard Taft. Four years later, Roosevelt changed his mind and ran again, splitting the vote between Republicans.
Fun Fact: When Roosevelt was born, he had deathly asthma and was told to take a “stress-free job” as an adult, focusing on his naturalistic studies and on strengthening himself as a child, hoping to be more like his father.
#3. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 – 1945)
A distant relative of Theodore, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a popular governor of New York and the Democratic party’s 1920 vice presidential nominee. Diagnosed with polio late in life and unable to walk, Roosevelt overcame the odds, keeping his use of a wheelchair a secret from the public until his death. Yet overcoming this limit is exactly what helped mold Roosevelt into the ideal politician, comfortable with the common public. Roosevelt ended the Great Depression with sweeping reforms including the legendary New Deal, creating many modern-day aid programs. He died shortly into his fourth term in 1945 as World War II ended.
Fun Fact: ‘FDR’ was elected four times to the presidency — in 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944 — the only president elected more than twice, besides arguably Andrew Jackson, who won three times but served two terms, and possibly Richard Nixon, due to rumors of irregular votes in 1960.
#2. Abraham Lincoln (1861 – 1865)
Perhaps the most famous president in all of American history, Abraham Lincoln was a little-known congressman from Illinois when he was elected to the nation’s highest office in 1860. Lincoln was immediately confronted by a division in the country his predecessor, James Buchanan, did little to prevent. Lincoln was forced to suspend constitutional rights to win the Civil War, jailing spies without trial, and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on ambiguous legal terms. As the war came to an end, Lincoln passed the Thirteenth Amendment, the true end to slavery in the nation, only to be tragically assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in April 1965.
Fun Fact: Lincoln’s son Robert Todd was present at the assassinations of Presidents Garfield and McKinley and was at Ford’s Theater shortly after his father’s death. He became known to refuse presidential invitations to events in fear of causing death.
#1. George Washington (1789 – 1797)
Now, why would George Washington be the best president of all time? Very simple — when each new president comes into office, they follow the lead and advice of their predecessors. Washington had no predecessor. Not only was he the first President of the United States, but he was one of the first free Democratic leaders in the world. Washington set the precedent for the future of the Union — precedents were so entrenched with the presidency that now, it’s almost hard to grasp where they began. While Washington will always be remembered more as the humble military general who won the American Revolution than for any policy he enacted as president, it is not the number — one — that defines Washington’s presidency, but the way he created a completely new branch of government and set precedent for the forty-two men who have inhabited it since.
Fun Fact: George Washington, while a British general before the American Revolution, was considered an awful general with no future in the military and given low-profile jobs in previous wars.
