3. Warren Harding
SRI Ranking: 41
Brookings Ranking: 42
We are continuing our list of least successful presidents of all time with Warren Harding, who was a very popular president during his tenure at the White House. Appointments of Andrew Mellon, Herbert Hoover, and Charles Evans Hughes ensured that he had highly competent aides during his presidency. Unfortunately, he also had Albert Fall and Harry Daugherty, forming what was later called Ohio Gang. The scandals surrounding Harding didn’t surface until after his death in office in 1923, ensuring high praises by the mourning nation. Once they did (financial, political and extramarital), his place as one of the worst presidents in history was cemented.
