Who are the tallest and shortest US presidents in history? Here are the names of the American presidents and their heights.
- In January 2018, the “girther movement” erupted on Twitter.
- The conspiracy theory claims that Donald Trump’s height and weight are not what he or his doctors say they are.
- According to his full health report, Trump is six feet, two-and-a-half inches. That makes him one of the tallest presidents.
- And at 239 pounds with a BMI of 29.9, Trump sits just below the obesity level. His doctor recommended he workout more.
- The tallest American president was Abraham Lincoln, at six feet, four inches.
- James Madison, the country’s fourth president, was the shortest at five feet, four inches.
- In honor of Presidents’ Day, this animation shows all of the presidents in order of height, from tallest to shortest.
When it comes to getting elected president of the United States, height is a bigger factor than you may think. The average height of the men who held the nation’s highest office is 5 feet 10 inches—roughly an inch taller than the average American male. That number seems to suggest the country’s voters prefer a slightly taller-than-average president, but there have been plenty of outliers over the decades.
According to Business Insider, America’s tallest president has held that title for more than 150 years. Abraham Lincoln stood 6 feet and 4 inches tall, and that was before he donned his iconic 7-to-8-inch top hat. His stature was especially impressive during the Civil War when the average height of the soldiers was around 5.64 inches.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is James Madison. The fourth president measured a full foot shorter than Lincoln at 5 feet 4 inches. He was also the only president that (to our knowledge) was shorter than his first lady. Dolly Madison stood three inches over her husband at 5 feet 7 inches.
You can view the lists of the shortest and tallest presidents below.
America’s 10 Tallest Presidents
- Abraham Lincoln
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Thomas Jefferson
- Donald Trump
- George Washington
- Chester A. Arthur
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- George H.W. Bush
- Bill Clinton
- Andrew Jackson
America’s 10 Shortest Presidents
- James Madison
- Benjamin Harrison
- Martin Van Buren
- William McKinley
- John Adams
- John Quincy Adams
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Zachary Taylor
- James K. Polk
- William Henry Harrison
All of the US presidents ranked from tallest to shortest in one animation
The 10 Worst Presidents in American History, According to Historians
Few presidents sworn into the White House have risen to the level of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Today, many of the men who have held the nation’s highest office are better remembered for their catastrophic failures than their successes. To see which of them left negative impressions on history, check out the list of the worst U.S. presidents ever below.
Each year, C-SPAN connects with experts from diverse demographics and ideological backgrounds to conduct a survey on the performance of past presidents. In 2021, the 142 presidential historians and professional observers of the presidency that were surveyed named James Buchanan as the worst president of the 44 they reviewed. He served from 1857 to 1861, and during that single term, he managed to further stoke tensions between the North and South by pushing the pro-slavery Dred Scott decision through the Supreme court. The Civil War started shortly after he left office.
Ranked No. 2 is Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln’s successor, and the first president to be impeached. Franklin Pierce was named the third-worst president to serve the United States. One of the most forgotten presidents in history, his pro-slavery politics are also blamed for setting up the country for the Civil War.
You can view the full ranking of the 10 worst presidents of all time below. For a refresher on U.S. history, here are facts about all 46 American presidents.
- James Buchanan
- Andrew Johnson
- Franklin Pierce
- Donald J. Trump
- William Henry Harrison
- John Tyler
- Millard Fillmore
- Warren G. Harding
- Herbert Hoover
- Zachary Taylor
