The Most Inept Presidents in U.S. History

Becoming the president of the United States is a big deal. Presidents are selected by the populace with the hope that they will provide the best representation. We often look for individuals who demonstrate excellent leadership skills, a strong vision for the country, effective communication skills, and one of character and integrity. Regrettably, not everyone selected to serve in this capacity is cut out for it. Here are five of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States. These presidents were surely not missed when they left the White House.\r \r 1. Andrew Johnson\r \r Andrew Johnson, who was the seventeenth president, was the most-maligned president in American history. Johnson is viewed as a major failure in achieving peace, his egregious incompetence in federal government and his astounding miscalculation of the level of public support for his initiatives. He is perceived as having been an inflexible, autocratic leader who was incapable of making compromises or accepting a political reality that was at odds with his own beliefs. He was opposed to Reconstruction policies, such as the fourteenth amendment.\r \r 2. Warren G. Harding\r \r Warren Harding served as president from 1921-1923 and most historians consider him one of the worst presidents. He was neither a deep, critical thinker nor a decisive leader. Some argue whether he was a leader at all. For the most part, Harding saw the role of President as a ceremonial one. He didn’t seem to have a clear vision for the country and had a poor sense of priorities. Perhaps the most enduring memory of his presidency is the laundry list of scandals and corruption. From all indications, he seemed to lack a moral compass and he certainly did not run a tight ship.\r \r 3. John Tyler\r \r The significance of selecting a vice president who is truly qualified for the presidency was made clear for the first time by William Henry Harrison's passing. When John Tyler took office, many Americans believed he lacked the political nous and temperament to be president. Tyler was known for being extremely stubborn and refused to make political compromises with Congress. It was expected that Tyler would make good on his predecessor’s promises but he didn’t and this brought him much political grief.\r \r 4. Herbert Hoover\r \r Herbert Hoover was the thirty-first US President and served from 1929-1933. Being a technocrat and manager prior to taking up office, one would have thought that Hoover would have been a successful president. Well, don’t give him too much credit.  He was seen as a poor communicator who sparked trade conflicts and made the Depression worse. There’s no doubt that Hoover failed to meet the biggest challenge of his time.  Some economic historians believe that his signing of a substantial tariff increase in 1929 caused the Great Depression. To everyone, he was a mean-spirited and uncaring leader.\r \r 5. Franklin Pierce\r \r Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth President of the United States, served one term from 1853-1857. According to presidential historians who consider him as an ineffective president, his failure to stop the nation’s inter-sectional conflict exacerbated the march towards civil war. He nullified the 1850 Missouri Compromise Act which definitely caused him to lose significant popularity points. He was on the wrong side of history. His many failures while in office caused his fellow Democrats to lose faith in him and turn their backs on him. Although he wanted to serve a second term, they refused him another nomination. This was the first in US presidential history.