As we learned of President Jimmy Carter’s passing, it is a good time to revisit where the Georgian ranks among the United States Presidents in terms of the best. Over the years, the actions of the former President have raised his profile. But perhaps looking at his life of service after leaving the Oval Office, as well as considering his term in office, he might still rise higher among presidential historians.

U.S. News and World Report gathered the best rankings of presidents from historians and other presidents. “In compiling its 10 Worst Presidents rankings, U.S. News averaged presidential rankings from three separate sources: Siena College's 2022 Presidential Expert Poll, C-SPAN's 2021 Presidential Historians Survey and the Presidential Greatness Survey conducted by professors at the University of Houston and Coastal Carolina University in 2024.”

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is @JohnTures2.