1. Abraham Lincoln
SRI Ranking: 1
Brookings Institution Ranking: 3
Abolishing the slavery will get you high on these lists, apparently. Lincoln led the nation through its most trying times, preventing it from dissolvent and preserving the unity. For his role in abolition and Civil War, he was killed by an actor and a Confederate spy John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln is actually tied with FDR for the top spot on our list of 15 most successful presidents of all time, but we decided to add bonus points for having his face carved into the mountain. Not many people managed that.
