An IQ of 148 is certainly noteworthy, and for the 10th President of the United States, not bad indeed. He took up the position of President after the extremely short term of Harrison, which lasted only a month before his untimely death. Tyler was known as “His Accidency”; owing to the fact that no successor had been selected when Harrison passed. Tyler, ever the opportunist, found a judge to swear him in as President. Very cheeky Mr. Tyler!
His annexation of Texas, and adjoining of Florida to the Union movement, among other moves, raised the curtain on the unrest, which was to flourish (or descend) into the Civil War. Aren’t we getting a little tired of these “intelligent” men starting wars for no reason?
27. Franklin Pierce (No. 14) - IQ 147.4
Slightly above average in IQ, this was Pierce’s only saving grace in the political line up. Penned as a politician of “limited ability” (Miller Center 2018), Pierce somehow wound up behind one of the most pivotal pieces of legislation in U.S history. His encouragement of the Kansas-Nebraska Act directly lit the path to the Civil War. His lukewarm stance on, well, everything led him further into disrepute, with his indecision creating chaos between the Southerners and the Northerners.
Despite an above average IQ, his weak political stance was exactly what the U.S did NOT need at such a crucial point in its history. Pierce by name, it was seemingly written in the stars that he would also pierce the heart of the nation he served.
28. James A. Garfield (No. 20) - IQ 152.3
Tied as the 10th smartest President, Garfield was another forcibly removed from office (hint: this was before the Secret Service were around). Sadly, Garfield did not leave much of a legacy, as he didn’t quite get the chance to implement many policies! Smart with his IQ of 152.3, sure, though not given enough time to truly show how capable he was of managing the nation.
It seems that he is best known for being in office for a total of 6 months and 15 days. I mean, not everyone can say they had the chance to be the U.S President, right?
30. John Adams (No. 2) - IQ 155
John Adams was many things, and one of the only men of his time to not be a slaveholder! Thoughtfully remembered as a remarkable political philosopher, Adams served as the second President of the United States. One of the Founding Fathers, his hand in drafting the Constitution as well as in ending the Revolutionary War were turning points in U.S history.
Whilst he had an extremely high IQ of 155, it was his son, John Quincy Adams who would go on to have the greater mind of the two. He passed away at an astonishingly old age, at 90 years of age. In those days, that was unheard of! Perhaps there’s a link to smarts and long life?
31. Millard Fillmore (No. 13) - IQ 149
We thought it was ABBA who made it cool to kiss the teacher, but not so! Fillmore, with an IQ of 149, was as much a slave to his carnal urges as any other young teenage man. Just two years her junior, Millard was so enchanted by Abigail Powers (no, that is not a made-up name!), that he asked her hand in marriage, which she accepted. However, it seems that his head was in the clouds rather than with the interests of the nation, with his term plunging the nation into the Civil War.
At the end of the day, it seems a lot of these “intelligent” men with high IQs have the same Achilles heel as any average man. Fillmore was, and still is remembered as widely unpopular, consistently ranked as one of America’s worst presidents.