Who's your favorite forgotten President?

[CubsFan1982]

I couldn't sleep, so I decided to bore you with another inane poll. Inspired by an episode of the Simpsons wherein Bart's school pageant is a tribute to forgotten Commanders-in-Chief, I will ask you:

Who's your favorite (not the BEST, or most underrated) forgotten President? Cookies to all that respond!*







John Quincy Adams, 6th President, 1825-9


Martin Van Buren, 8th President, 1837-41


William Henry Harrison, 9th President, 1841


John Tyler, 10th President, 1841-5


Millard Fillmore, 13th President, 1850-3


Franklin Pierce, 14th President, 1853-7


James Buchanan, 15th President, 1857-61


Chester A. Arthur, 21st President, 1881-5


Benjamin Harrison, 23d President, 1889-93


William Howard Taft, 27th President, 1909-13



* = no actual cookies will be given out :P

[enigmatic]

1. Gotta go w/ Millard Fillmore

In the line of Forgotten Presidents, he may be the most worthy of being forgotten..

[Mojambo]

2. William Henry Harrison

Just cause he was kinda a dumb son of a gun.

"Hmmm, I'll give the longest inaugural speech in history, in a snowstorm, without a jacket or hat!"

Not a bright fella.

[ghostsofgiants]

3. We are the mediocre presidents!

You won't find our faces on dollars or on cents!
There's Taylor, there's Tyler, there's Fillmore and there's Hayes.
There's William Henry Harrison, "I died in thirty days!"
We... are... the... adequate, forgettable, occasionally regrettable
Caretaker presidents of the U-S-A!

[tjwmason]

4. I'm not so sure that John Quincy Adams is forgotten

Until a certin thing arrived at the White House in 2001 he was one of the only pair of identically named presidents (hence the 'Quincy') which is a wee bit of a claim to fame. I was about to add that even I'd heard of him, but I've heard of some of the others as well so I'm just an American politcs semi-nerd.

My vote goes for Franklin Pierce - because he looks pretty dishy in that picture.

[CubsFan1982]

24. Adams is somewhat better known than the others listed.

Probably because of that fact and the fact that he's one of two Presidents Anthony Hopkins has played in a movie.

[Hatalles]

5. Benjamin Harrison...

... because he just looks *sho-kute!*

That's what we need... another President with a beard. It's been far too long. I don't trust any of these clean-shaven bastards.

[tjwmason]

7. He looks rather like the last Tsar, and King George V

I think that you need a president with manic mutton-chops like Martin van Buren.

[radfringe]

6. ummm....don't know

I forgot... :)

actually it's a toss up between Harding and Coolidge

[BlueIris]

8. Chester A. Arthur--like your Navy? Thank President Arthur.

The U.S. Navy was on the brink of extinction before Arthur demanded its rehabilitation. Thanks, Chet!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. OTHER... I find it easy to forget we have a President

right now.

[bertha katzenengel]

10. Wm Henry Harrison -- *'s spiritual predecessor. Gave a 2-hour

inaugural speech in terrible weather, died a month later of the resultant pneumonia. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[CubsFan1982]

19. William Henry Harrison: Idiot of Tippecanoe

Not only was it long, it was boring as hell, too, and had almost nothing to do with the United States in 1841. He talked mostly about Rome. :shrug:

[no_hypocrisy]

11. John Kerry.

*Sigh!*

[BlueIris]

13. Oy. I forgot about that. I'm sorry, JK.

That was my bad.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. My vote goes with Chet

Arthur was known as a corrupt New York politician who was given the VP post to appease Tammany Hall. However, when he took over, he shed his corruption and actually passed Civil Service reform.

There's a story that one of his old cronies from the NY Port Authority went to see him to ask for favors, and Arthur replied:

"Tell that fellow that Chet Arthur of the Port Authority isn't here. And Chester Arther, President, doesn't dispense favors."

[BlueIris]

14. Nice!

Good story.

[baldguy]

15. I can tell you who I'd like to forget....

[baldguy]

16. You forgot Grover Cleveland.

[CubsFan1982]

25. He's the only Gilded Age President worth even mentioning.

The rest were either corrupt nobodies or incompetent nobodies.

[CubsFan1982]

17. late morning kick

:kick:

[Reverend_Smitty]

18. Chester Arthur

those mutton chops fuckin' rawk! and Filmore through Buchanan were the worst they made bad decisions that led us to the civil war like it was their jobs.

[terrya]

20. Millard Fillmore...only because of the "Millard" part.

:-)

[dben88]

21. James Garfield

hey, he hung on for three months after getting shot. tough guy.

[CornField]

23. My favorite as well -- he helped me ace my polisci final

Test question: "What was President Garfield's greatest contribution to our nation?"

My answer: "His ultimate demise."

Score: A+

(Of course, this was also the class with the professor who made a point of telling us about his work in the donut factory as a teen. "Do you know what young boys do to donuts? We glaze them.")

[underpants]

22. Two:Gore and Kerry

Sorry but it needed to be said.