Thinking About Thinking

Who Is The Best Looking U.S. President Of All Time?

Posted in Pop Culture by larrycheng on November 13, 2009

I was reminded today of the commonly held belief that since the advent of mass media – good looks is a critical advantage in winning the Presidency of the United States.  So out of sheer curiosity (a common refrain in this blog), I pulled together the images of all 42 Presidents courtesy of the White House website.  Are the Presidents of the mass media generation better looking?  Who is the best looking President of all-time?  Judge for yourself… 

1 - George Washington

2 - John Adams

3 - Thomas Jefferson

4 - James Madison

5 - James Monroe

6 - John Quincy Adams

7 - Andrew Jackson

8 - Martin Van Buren

9 - William Henry Harrison

10 - John Tyler

11 - James Polk

12 - Zachary Taylor

13 - Millard Fillmore

14 - Franklin Pierce

15 - James Buchanan

16 - Abraham Lincoln

17 - Andrew Johnson

18 - Ulysses Grant

19 - Rutherford Hayes

20 - James Garfield

21 - Chester Arthur

22 - Grover Cleveland

23 - Benjamin Harrison

24 - Grover Cleveland

25 - William McKinley

26 - Theodore Roosevelt

27 - William Taft

28 - Woodrow Wilson

29 - Warren Harding

30 - Calvin Coolidge

31 - Herbert Hoover

32 - Franklin Roosevelt

33 - Harry Truman

34 - Dwight Eisenhower

35 - John Kennedy

36 - Lyndon Johnson

37 - Richard Nixon

38 - Gerald Ford

39 - Jimmy Carter

40 - Ronald Reagen

41 - George H Bush

42 - Bill Clinton

43 - George W Bush

44 - Barack Obama

51 Responses

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  1. Sean Seton-Rogers said, on November 14, 2009 at 5:29 am

    Not sure that Nixon, LBJ, or Bush I would be considered “good looking” :)

    • Jade Michele said, on February 12, 2011 at 9:35 pm

      The best – looking President is Barack Obama.

      • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 1:51 am

        Obama is UGLY looks like his breath reeks of stank with purple lips and gums big ears yuck

      • JJ said, on March 26, 2012 at 10:12 pm

        All the presidents are ugly! Obama is the most best looking of them, accept it.

  2. Vicki J. Brown said, on November 14, 2009 at 9:35 pm

    Interesting question. IMHO, I agree that the more recent presidents — of the mass media generation — are generally more good-looking. Excluding them, I’d say Franklin Pierce, FDR and Eisenhower, in that order.

  3. larrycheng said, on November 14, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    While I’m not sure good looks is a pre-requisite to win in the mass media generation, it clearly was not a pre-requisite in the earlier days. Some of those guys look just a bit on the scary side if you ask me.

  4. Jim Cooke said, on November 15, 2009 at 9:40 am

    Franklin Pierce or Andrew Jackson — based on National Gallery portraits and not the images offered.

  5. Bob Timmermann said, on November 16, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    Franklin Pierce was nominated in part because he was good looking. Millard Fillmore and Chester Arthur were considered very good looking and well-dressed for their times. Warren Harding was also considered good looking in his day. I would assume most people alive today would pick Kennedy or Reagan.

    Kennedy had the advantage of being in office when he was younger, but I assume he would have aged poorly. Or just died young.

  6. Jim Cooke said, on November 16, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    I’m an actor of solo history — one-man shows. I “do” Calvin Coolidge and John Quincy Adams. http://www.crankyyankees.net After a Coolidge performance at the LBJ Library in Austin, TX back in the 1980s I spoke with an elderly lady who, as a girl had met Warren Harding. She said with considerable feeling, “He was the handsomest man I ever met!” Another lady recalled sitting on Calvin Coolidge’s knee and said it was very “bony.”

  7. Andrew said, on December 9, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    George Washington, of course! After all, he was British, albeit disloyally so.

  8. hammykins said, on January 4, 2010 at 10:20 pm

    Based on these pictures, I guess Ulysses Grant and Teddy Roosevelt. Taft gets honorable mention because I dig his ‘stache.

  9. rl said, on January 8, 2010 at 10:19 pm

    president obama is the best looking president a man with some color and a nice snile slim and cool all roll into a nice packagage there is no way anyone of these other pale face can come close

    • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 1:53 am

      Yuck he’s ugly you have bad taste he looks like he stanks BAD

    • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 2:06 am

      Reagan is handsome

  10. May said, on February 15, 2010 at 12:47 am

    JOHN F KENNEDY!! You don’t get better than that! I mean come on! Marilyn Monroe WANTED him!!!!

  11. David said, on March 7, 2010 at 3:05 am

    I don’t think any are good looking, but if I had to pick one, probably Franklin D. Roosevelt.

    • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 1:54 am

      He’s good looking I like Ronald Reagan he was handsome

  12. Aldo said, on May 5, 2010 at 3:51 am

    There are some pretty stupid comments here…
    -George Washington because he was “British”, Obama because “pale” men are “unattractive”. “only the guys with the mustaches”.
    Lets be honest, all but Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton were ugly, except Reagan, he was just old as fuck.

  13. Ryan in LA said, on May 13, 2010 at 12:11 am

    They’re all pretty ugly but I’d have to go with Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Pierce, JFK, George W. Bush, and Jerry Ford.

  14. ashley said, on July 3, 2010 at 4:20 pm

    I would say that all r not that attractive except bush jr., Clinton( he has so much charm), Reagan was cute in a old man way, Obama,grant nd Teddy Roosevelt( I lke his manly way). nd I don’t find Kennedy good looking at all

  15. Staceyk said, on August 10, 2010 at 10:43 am

    Come on look at James monroe, much better looking than Kennedy. Cleft chin, wavy hair, he almost looks like a male model. I would say Monroe, Pierce, Clinton and Obama

    • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 1:55 am

      Yuck Obama he has big ears

  16. Dantee said, on October 9, 2010 at 11:01 am

    Yeah i know this may sound sorta creepy but I’ve always had a crush on Teddy and that cute little string attached to his glasses lol…..weird I know…then it’d probably be JFK and then Clinton…:-) (disgusting I know)

  17. Lorna said, on November 22, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    Every last one of them look digusting. How anyone can find any of these men attractive clearly shows that you all reek with bad taste in good looking men. If I had to choose at least three that I could possibly stomach it would be Obama, Clinton, and Kennedy (and he is not even that great looking either).

    • Voldemort said, on December 13, 2010 at 4:21 pm

      Lorna, quit drinking that haterade.

      Also, Franklin Pierce is gorgeous.

  18. Jai said, on December 16, 2010 at 12:26 pm

    Oh Please! Obama hands down!!

    • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 1:58 am

      Obama is not handsome he looks like a dark version of the mad tv cartoon comics mascot

  19. IPat-Rice said, on March 17, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    I’d say Polk, then Pierce!!!

  20. c said, on May 29, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Probably Pierce, Grant, Teddy, FDR, JFK, and Clinton.

  21. zoombina said, on June 17, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    definitely franklin pierce
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Franklin_Pierce_by_GPA_Healy,_1858.jpg (better portrait?)

  22. me219 said, on July 21, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    Warren Harding’s election was an argument against suffrage–he was the first president elected with the help of the women’s vote, a huge failure, and suffrage-opponents said that women had elected him because he was so good-looking.

  23. Annie said, on August 20, 2011 at 10:46 pm

    Franklin Pierce, followed by John Tyler. I have never heard of their names before, but based on the pictures provided, those two look the best. Especially Franklin Pierce. Pierce has what I deem a perfect nose, and his features are all proportional. Great-looking man.

  24. honest person said, on September 7, 2011 at 11:27 pm

    obama is hands the best looking president ever come if you dont think so ur a hater HATERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • J said, on December 22, 2011 at 1:59 am

      I am not a hater but he is not attractive and you are probably a black person

      • Kevin Crimson said, on January 21, 2012 at 9:45 pm

        That is an incredibly racist comment and I don’t like your additude. How would you like it if someone came and ragged on all your comment. “Reagan is handsome.” With something as cruel as ‘Reagan handsome!?! What a cracker!’ What a hater.

      • CeCe.MaRCiA (@CeCeMAnderson) said, on March 4, 2012 at 1:18 am

        Commenting on every comment saying Obama is handsome? Yeah, you have no life. Sipping that haterade (stolen from someone above).
        Oh, and Reagan is not that good looking.
        I’m just saying.

  25. atheist said, on October 8, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Franklin Pierce…. he looks very charming and he was a real looker

  26. David s Taylor said, on October 12, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    John F Kennedy
    hands down

  27. P-ZO said, on November 18, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    JFK, mmm.

  28. J said, on December 22, 2011 at 2:03 am

    I like Ronald Reagan he was a movie star and Franklin D Roosevelt was handsome too.

  29. fleminp said, on January 18, 2012 at 1:47 pm

    There is no doubt that John F. Kennedy is the nicest us President ever

  30. laracranston said, on January 22, 2012 at 7:33 pm

    Theodore Roosevelt is the sexiest president to hold the office. The man was pure badass. Plus look up pictures of young Teddy and try not to swoon.

  31. Josh @ Live Well Simply said, on February 10, 2012 at 9:50 pm

    I vote for Abe Lincoln. His character almost exudes from his appearance.

  32. Kelsey said, on March 25, 2012 at 2:12 am

    Franklin Pierce. Unf.

  33. Monica said, on May 1, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    well when ronald reagan was younger, he was really good looking. JFK would definitely be on the list too. and probably young FDR.

  34. JD said, on May 7, 2012 at 5:37 pm

    I would honestly say that all of them are either “ugly”, “butt ugly” or “will do” at best (here I would put Clinton and Obama, he has a friendly and lively face, but still I wouldn’t call him handsome). The thing that I just can’t understand is the fascination with JFK and I strongly suspect that it comes from the fact that when he became the most powerful man on Earth (which women will always dig) he was still quite young.

    Other than that, I simply don’t get it, I would go as far as place him between “ugly” and “butt ugly” (granted – closer to the former). His eyes frankly looked like a crossover of a retard with and elderly man – droopy, asymetric and saggy (this might be the effect of the steroids and all the mysterious shit he was taking). I would bet a hundred bucks that if JFK was not the man we know him as, but a nameless dock worker from Brooklyn, not too many women would swoon over him.

    And yes, if you’re wondering, I don’t have a life :O

  35. fashionforteens said, on May 12, 2012 at 1:00 am

    JFK all the way!


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