George W. Bush seems to have developed a reputation in some circles over the years for being one of the dumbest presidents to ever hold office. Sure, some of that is earned; he wasn’t exactly the world’s best public speaker, and he did have a tendency to invent words and say things that were pretty meaningless. He has the second-lowest IQ on this list. But remember that 138.5 is still, compared with the general population, pretty high.
Ulysses S. Grant - 130
When the “least smart” president on this list still has an IQ of 130, a full 15 points above the cutoff for “average,” you begin to get an idea of just how smart we’re talking about when it comes to people who are after this coveted position.
James Monroe - 138.6
James Monroe was the last of the Founding Fathers to be elected to the presidency, and there may be a reason they went through all the others first; with an IQ of 138.6, Monroe just edges George W. Bush for the third-lowest score! That being said, a score of 138.6 doesn’t make him a slouch, either. It’s considered “very superior” intelligence, according to the Wechsler IQ classification.
