How Tall Was The President?
From the Founding Fathers to the nation's modern leaders, these are all of the American presidents ranked from tallest to shortest.
Abraham Lincoln
Height: 6 ft 4 in
Abraham Lincoln served in office from 1861 to 1865. He was the 16th president and oversaw the country throughout the American Civil War. He was assassinated at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth.
Alexander Gardner, Wikimedia Commons
Lyndon B. Johnson
Height: 6 ft 3.5 in
Lyndon Baines Johnson served in office from 1963 to 1969. Previously, he was the vice president during John F. Kennedy's administration but he took over for Kennedy after he was assassinated. He was the 36th president of the United States.
Oscar White, Wikimedia Commons
Donald Trump
Height: 6 ft 3 in
Before becoming the 45th president, Donald Trump was a celebrity businessman. He was in office from 2017 to 2021, and is the only president to have been impeached twice.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Thomas Jefferson
Height: 6 ft 2.5 in
Thomas Jefferson was a Founding Father who served the country from 1801 to 1809. He was the 3rd president and the main author of the Declaration of Independence.
Rembrandt Peale, Wikimedia Commons
Bill Clinton
Height: 6 ft 2.5 in
Bill Clinton—or William Jefferson Clinton—was the 42nd president. He was in office from 1993 to 2001. However, his second term took a scandalous turn thanks to his affair with Monika Lewinsky, an intern who worked in the White House.
National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons
Chester A. Arthur
Height: 6 ft 2 in
Chester Alan Arthur assumed the presidency after President James A. Garfield was assassinated. As the 21st president, he served in office from 1881 to 1885.
Charles Milton Bell, Wikimedia Commons
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Height: 6 ft 2 in
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR, was the 32nd president who served four terms (from 1933 to 1945)—the only president to do so. He had to handle the crisis of the Great Depression throughout his first two terms, and then faced WWII during his last two terms.
Leon Perskie, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
George H. W. Bush
Height: 6 ft 2 in
George H. W. Bush was the 41st president and served in office from 1989 to 1993. Previous to this, he was the vice president under Ronald Reagan.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
George Washington
Height: 6 ft 1.5 in
George Washington was a Founding Father and the 1st president of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1797 and became known as the "Father of his Country." Before becoming president, he was the president of the Constitutional Convention, which was responsible for the Constitution of the United States.
Gilbert Stuart, Wikimedia Commons
Barack Obama
Height: 6 ft 1.5 in
As the 44th president of the US, Barack Hussein Obama II served in office from 2009 to 2017. He made history by becoming the very first Black president.
Pete Souza, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Jackson
Height: 6 ft 1 in
Before becoming the 7th president, Andrew Jackson had gained notoriety as a US Army general. He served from 1829 to 1837. Many have reprehended the way he treated Native Americans, as well as racial policies in general.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Wikimedia Commons
John F. Kennedy
Height: 6 ft 1 in
John Fitzgerald Kennedy—popularly referred to as JFK—was the 35th president, and the youngest one ever elected. His term began in 1961, but it was abruptly cut short after Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated Kennedy in 1963.
Cecil Stoughton, Wikimedia Commons
Ronald Reagan
Height: 6 ft 1 in
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989. Before turning to politics, he worked in radio and film. By the time he left the world of acting, Reagan had starred in 53 films.
James Monroe
Height: 6 ft 0 in
James Monroe was the final Founding Father to become a president. He served as the 5th president from 1817 to 1825—a term which saw the Era of Good Feelings. Monroe also introduced the Monroe Doctrine—an important policy that restricted Europe from colonizing the Americas.
Samuel Finley Breese Morse, Wikimedia Commons
John Tyler
Height: 6 ft 0 in
John Tyler served from 1841 to 1845 as the 10th president. Previously he had been the vice president, but when President William Henry Harrison passed just 31 days into his term, Tyler became the first vice president to assume the role of president.
Mathew Brady, Wikimedia Commons
James Buchanan
Height: 6 ft 0 in
As the 15th president of the United States, James Buchanan Jr. served in office from 1857 to 1861. He was deeply criticized for not taking action that could have prevented the Civil War. Many historians and academics count Buchanan as one of the nation's worst presidents.
Mathew Brady, Wikimedia Commons
James A. Garfield
Height: 6 ft 0 in
James Abram Garfield had a brief term in office. Though elected in March 1881, the 20th president became the victim of an assassination attempt in July of the same year. Though he initially survived, Garfield passed a few months later in September from sepsis.
Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, Wikimedia Commons
Warren G. Harding
Height: 6 ft 0 in
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 19th president. Though his term began in 1921, it ended in 1923 after he passed away from a heart attack. He was 57 years old. In the wake of this tragedy, scandals haunted his legacy. This included his affair with Nan Britton as well as the Teapot Dome scandal.
Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons
Gerald Ford
Height: 6 ft 0 in
Gerald Ford served as the 38th president, taking over for Richard in 1974. He was in office until 1977, but lost the next election. One of his most criticized decisions? When he pardoned Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.
David Hume Kennerly, Wikimedia Commons
Joe Biden
Height: 6 ft 0 in
Joe Biden is the current president of the United States and is currently running in the 2024 presidential election. He is the 46th president, assuming office in 2021. Before this, he was the vice president through Barack Obama's administration.
The White House, Wikimedia Commons
William Howard Taft
Height: 5 ft 11.5 in
As the 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft served in office from 1909 to 1913. He was the only person to fill the roles of both president and chief justice. He served as chief justice from 1921 to 1930.
Pach Brothers, Wikimedia Commons
Herbert Hoover
Height: 5 ft 11.5 in
Herbert Hoover was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. Before his term in office, he was a rich mining engineer. During his time in office, he had to tackle the beginning of the Great Depression.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
Richard Nixon
Height: 5 ft 11.5 in
Richard Nixon served as the 37th president from 1969 to 1974. Though he was elected for a second term, it was scandalously cut short thanks to the Watergate Scandal. Nixon has been the only US president to resign.
Department of Defense, Wikimedia Commons
George W. Bush
Height: 5 ft 11.5 in
George Walker Bush is the son of the former president, George H.W. Bush. From 2001 to 2009, he served as the 43rd president of the United States. Before his time in office, he was the governor of Texas.
Eric Draper, Wikimedia Commons
Grover Cleveland
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive presidential terms, making him the only US president to do so. His first term spanned from 1885 to 1889, while the second was from 1893 to 1897. This meant he was both the 22nd and 24th president.
National Archives at College Park, Wikimedia Commons
Woodrow Wilson
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Woodrow Wilson saw the beginning of WWI in 1917. As the 28th president, he served from 1913 to 1921.
Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Height: 5 ft 10.5 in
Before becoming the 34th president of the US, Dwight D. Eisenhower was a statesman and high-ranking military officer who served during WWII. During his time in office from 1953 to 1961, the country's economy thrived, excepting one brief recession.
White House, Wikimedia Commons
Franklin Pierce
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Franklin Pierce was the 14th president of the United States and served from 1853 to 1857. His personal life was tragic as all three of his children passed away.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Johnson
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Serving from 1865 to 1869, Andrew Johnson became the 17th president of the US after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He has since been criticized for being against federally guaranteed rights for Black citizens.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Wikimedia Commons
Theodore Roosevelt
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Sometimes called T.R. or Teddy, Theodore Roosevelt served from 1901 to 1909 as the 26th president of the US. Before assuming this position, he was the vice president under President William McKinley.
Pach Brothers, Wikimedia Commons
Calvin Coolidge
Height: 5 ft 10 in
From 1923 to 1929, Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president. Though he served for two terms, he decided against running for a third time as it would be "longer than any other man has had it—too long!"
Notman Studio, Wikimedia Commons
Jimmy Carter
Height: 5 ft 9. 5 in
James Earl Carter Jr. served from 1977 to 1981. He was the 29th president and lived to be 99 years old, making him the US president who lived the longest.
Department of Defense, Wikimedia Commons
Millard Fillmore
Height: 5 ft 9 in
From 1850 to 1853, Millard Fillmore served as the 13th president of the US. He assumed the position after the passing of President Zachary Taylor.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Wikimedia Commons
Harry S. Truman
Height: 5 ft 9 in
Harry S. Truman assumed the position of 33rd president of the US following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was in office from 1945 to 1953. Following WWII, he executed the Marshall Plan.
National Archives and Records Administration, Wikimedia Commons
Rutherford B. Hayes
Height: 5 ft 8.5 in
The 19th president of the US, Rutherford Birchard Hayes, served from 1877 to 1881. He was an abolitionist who fought in the American Civil War where he became known for his bravery.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Wikimedia Commons
William Henry Harrison
Height: 5 ft 8 in
William Henry Harrison was the 9th president of the US, serving the shortest term in the country's history—from March 4 to April 4, 1841. He was the first to die during a presidency. This caused a serious problem as succession rules weren't fully fleshed out at the time.
Albert Gallatin Hoit, Wikimedia Commons
James K. Polk
Height: 5 ft 8 in
James Knox Polk was Andrew Jackson's protégé. He became the 11th president in 1845, serving until 1849.
Brady, Mathew B, Wikimedia Commons
Zachary Taylor
Height: 5 ft 8 in
As the 12th president of the US, Zachary Taylor began his short term in 1849 and passed the next year from a stomach disease. His time as president has been described as "more a forgettable president than a failed one."
Zachary Taylor, Wikimedia Commons
Ulysses S. Grant
Height: 5 ft 8 in
Ulysses S. Grant worked to achieve better civil rights and helped establish the Justice Department. He was the 18th president and served from 1869 to 1877.
Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, Wikimedia Commons
John Quincy Adams
Height: 5 ft 7.5 in
John Quincy Adams was the 6th president, serving from 1817 to 1825. His father, John Adams, had been the nation's 2nd president. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party.
Mathew Brady, Wikimedia Commons
John Adams
Height: 5 ft 7 in
Serving from 1797 to 1801, John Adams was the 2nd president and a Founding Father. He was one of the leaders of the American Revolution, as well as the first vice president. One of his friends was also a political opponent: Thomas Jefferson.
National Gallery of Art, Wikimedia Commons
William McKinley
Height: 5 ft 7 in
William McKinley saw the end of the Spanish-American War. He was the 25th president, but he was also the final president to serve in the American Civil War. He began his term in 1897, but was assassinated in 1901.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Martin Van Buren
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Martin Van Buren was the 8th president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. He continued in politics during his later years, not only as a statesman but also as one of the leaders of the anti-slavery movement.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Wikimedia Commons
Benjamin Harrison
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Though Benjamin Harrison's time in office was pretty uneventful, many have applauded his stance on voting rights for Black Americans. Serving from 1889 to 1893, he was the 23rd president. He had two presidents in his family: His grandfather was William Henry Harrison and his great-grandfather was Benjamin Harrison V.
Joseph Gray Kitchell, Wikimedia Commons
James Madison
Height: 5 ft 4 in
James Madison may have been the shortest president, but he was also very important when it came to the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. He served from 1809 to 1817 as the 4th president, and earned the moniker "Father of the Constitution." He was also one of the Founding Fathers.
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