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3 Most Notable Republican Presidents in US History
For better or for worse, many Republican presidents in American history have stood out for their transformative leadership and enduring impact on the nation. Among these leaders, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan are often celebrated as some of the most influential and significant ever to call the White House home. Whether that would be Lincoln’s preservation of the Union, Roosevelt’s progressive reforms, or Reagan’s revitalization of the economy, their legacies continue to shape the Republican Party and the United States to this day.
However, it must also be kept in mind that the dichotomy between the political sentiments and morals that make a president “great” during their respective time in office and the same ones pushing them out of favor with the passage of time is a testament that the only constant in history is change.
Presidential Polls in History
Delegates on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, photo by John T. Bledsoe, 1976. Source: Library of Congress
When it comes to rating American presidents, there is likely no better blueprint than the Schlesinger father and son duo, who conducted the first-of-its-kind influential poll among historians to rank US presidents based on their performance and impact. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr., an influential American historian and Harvard University professor, conducted the first survey in 1948, and his son, Arthur Jr., a prominent historian in his own right, conducted his in 1962.
Both Schlesinger’s collected opinions of top historians and scholars on all presidents using specific criteria, including leadership, accomplishments and crisis management, political skill, character and integrity, and foreign policy. Since then, the Siena College Research Institute has continued the blueprint of periodically ranking US presidents with their latest comprehensive poll in 2022. The three presidents featured on this list were selected according to the rankings, though also to provide a more complete overview of the ups and downs of the Republican Party.
The modern Republican Party, at least how we think of it today, emerged in the middle of the 19th century as a coalition of individuals opposed to the expansion of slavery into the western territories gained from the Mexican-American War. Created on July 6, 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin, the political party was a direct response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act that opened the door to a possible expansion of the institution to the north of the previously decided cut-off marker set decades before with the Missouri Compromise. Abraham Lincoln, the first-ever Republican president in 1860, not only symbolized the party’s opposition to slavery and its commitment to preserving the Union during the American Civil War but also served as a model for all of the party’s future leaders—an undisputed champion of the people, and a pillar of American presidential history.
1. The Republican Party Founder: Abraham Lincoln
President Abraham Lincoln photographed by Alexander Gardner; November 8, 1963. Source: Mead Art Museum, Amherst, MA
Abraham Lincoln continues to rank atop all past and present presidential surveys as not just the most revered Republican but one of the greatest presidents in American history. Taking the helm at a time when sectionalist feelings and disagreements about slavery saw the United States break into two opposing factions, Lincoln is best known for his steadfast determination to preserve the Union, which he saw as a single, indivisible entity.
Through his rise from the backwoods of Illinois to the White House, Abraham was always known for his uncanny ability to build coalitions and manage big personalities. Once in office, he promptly unified differing interests by including rivals, critics, and supporters in his cabinet of advisors. Known to demonstrate kindness and understanding even to those who opposed him or had done him wrong, the sixteenth president’s legacy as a symbol of liberty, unity, and equality continues to inspire Americans.
Even through the nation’s most difficult times, coupled with losing his son and intense criticism from political allies and enemies, Lincoln continued to exuberate calmness. A master orator and communicator, the president’s speeches, such as the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address, are still considered masterpieces of American political rhetoric on unity, healing, and justice.
Just as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address redefined the war as a struggle not just for the Union but also for the principle of human equality, a commitment to the ideals outlined in the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln also made the first significant step of having the nation live up to its promise that “all men are created equal.”
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring all enslaved persons in the Confederate states to be set free. Not long after, he pushed through Congress the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery throughout the United States.
2. Theodore Roosevelt: President at the Height of Republican Popularity
President Theodore Roosevelt, photo by Pach Brothers. Source: Library of Congress
Much like Washington, Jackson, and a few more before him and after, it was war—the Spanish-American War in 1898, in this case—that thrust Theodore Roosevelt into the national scene. The war hero who led the Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry regiment, rode his new-found fame to the position of governor of New York and then, in 1900, the vice presidency alongside Republican President William McKinley. When the latter was assassinated in September 1901, Roosevelt became the 26th president of the United States. He was 42 and the youngest in American history to hold the office.
Known for his charisma, energetic and robust personality, and being a vigorous outdoorsman, Roosevelt embodied the spirit of American individualism and resilience. A visionary leader who believed in progress and innovation, Roosevelt earned the nickname “Trust Buster” for his efforts to break up monopolies and regulate large corporations.
After enforcing the Sherman Antitrust Act to dissolve powerful corporate trusts, the president moved on toward regulating industries with too much control over the American economy, such as railroads. Roosevelt was also the champion of consumer protection legislation, pushing through Congress the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, which established standards for food and drug safety and cleanliness in the meatpacking industry.
A pioneer of environmental conservation, Roosevelt also established the United States Forest Service and helped create five national parks, eighteen national monuments, and 150 national forests, protecting approximately 230 million acres of public land for future generations.
On the international stage, Roosevelt extended the Monroe Doctrine, which asserted the US’s right to intervene in Latin America, played a key role in constructing the Panama Canal, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for mediating the Russo-Japanese War.
3. Into the Modern Era: Ronald Reagan Defines Neo-Conservatism
President Ronald Reagan at the Reagan-Bush Rally in Hammonton, New Jersey, September 19, 1984. Source: National Archives
Still touted by many modern Republicans as the epitome of contemporary conservatism, Ronald Reagan’s presidency was celebrated, even at its height in the 1980s, for its transformative leadership style and significant impact on American politics at home and abroad. Reagan’s road toward becoming the 40th American president, serving between 1981 and 1989, was unique.
An erstwhile movie actor and Democrat, Ronald solidified his conservative image in the mid-1950s as a spokesperson for General Electric, delivering televised speeches promoting free enterprise and limited government. Capitalizing on national dissatisfaction with social unrest and rising taxes during the 1960s and 1970s, Reagan became the governor of California and a prominent figure in the Republican Party.
Campaigning on a platform of economic recovery, a strong national defense, and a return to traditional values, Ronald won a landslide victory over the incumbent President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Once in office, Reagan implemented substantial tax breaks, deregulated industries, and tightened monetary policy to reduce inflation. Under the new president’s leadership, the US experienced sustained economic growth, marked by a rise in the GDP and a substantial decrease in unemployment.
Like some great Republican leaders before him, Reagan was known for his exceptional communication skills, earning him the nickname “The Great Communicator,” a keen ability to connect with the American public.
At a great cost of deficit spending—which his detractors were quick to point out—President Reagan significantly increased military expenditures, modernizing the US military and reinforcing the US’s position as a global superpower. Remembered for revitalizing the conservative movement in the US, Reagan appointed conservative judges to the federal judiciary, including Supreme Court justices like Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the court. Marking a shift in American politics, Regan’s Presidency continues to impact his party’s identity.
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