| Dr. James Giglio gives talk of “How Historians Evaluate Presidents” |
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| Written by Neil Rapp | |
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Last Tuesday night Dr. James Giglio gave a talk entitled “How Historians Evaluate Presidents” at the Havener Center. Professor Giglio is the 2008 Weiner Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S & T). He has written three books on the Presidency of John F. Kennedy and also participated in a 1995 Chicago Sun-Times poll ranking the Presidents from best to worst. Giglio began his lecture by providing a historical background for the ranking of presidential greatness. In 1948, Arthur Schlesinger conducted the first poll ranking presidents for Life magazine. 55 historians participated in the poll and were asked by Schlesinger to use their own criteria in judging presidential greatness. Schlesinger conducted another poll in 1962 involving 75 scholars. Recent polls have taken a more systematic approach to ranking the presidents such as the Chicago Sun-Times polls. In the Sun-Times polls all the presidents were ranked on a scale of one to five in categories including foreign and domestic policy and character integrity.  Although the methods for evaluating presidential greatness may change, Abraham Lincoln, F.D.R. and George Washington are consistently ranked as the three greatest presidents in American history. Giglio jokingly suggested that height is the key to presidential success. All three presidents were exceptionally tall. On the opposite side of the spectrum, men like James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant and Warren G. Harding are consistently ranked as failures in office. Dr. Giglio continued his lecture by explaining how historians evaluate presidents. Measuring the success of a president is a difficult process. Presidents can achieve success in some areas and fail in others. Lyndon Johnson continually ranks low among presidents in matters of foreign policy, but high in matters of domestic policy. Giglio cites several important questions to ask when ranking the presidents. One question is whether the president grew in office and learned from his mistakes. Giglio used John F. Kennedy as an example of a commander-in-chief who learned from previous experience. Kennedy learned valuable lessons from his failure at the Bay of Pigs and successfully applied them during the Cuban missile crisis. Another question is whether the president made any major mistakes while in office. Giglio cited James Buchanan as someone whose major blunders in office led to his presidency being declared a failure. While in office Buchanan did not take any action to prevent the Civil War and worsened the crisis by suggesting that secession was not illegal. Dr. Giglio stresses the importance the role of time plays in evaluating presidents. Popularity while in office does not ensure popularity out of office. Warren G. Harding was immensely popular during his time as president, but has consistently been ranked as a failure since Arthur Schlesinger’s first poll in 1948. New information on the lives of the presidents can change rankings as well. Although Kennedy remains very popular with the American people, Giglio explained that his ranking among historians has gone down following the publication of several books on his presidency and private life. On the other hand, Harry S. Truman’s ranking was improved by the publication of three books including the David McCullough biography of his life. When asked to comment on the current president’s legacy as a historian, Dr. Giglio stressed that more time needed to pass before historians can draw any conclusions. |
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