For longer than usual this time around, Americans have been involved in the quadrennial search for the person best qualified to be President of the United States. As candidates' backgrounds are scrutinized, there are widely differing views on the extent to which experience should be weighed in making that choice.
The Great Ones
Although even the most admired Presidents have their critics, there is broad consensus on a top rank of Chief Executives. The reputations of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt have withstood the test of time and, despite misgivings about some of their policies and acts, they occupy an especially high place in national esteem.
Washington's qualifications were his leadership of the Revolutionary army and his well-regarded presiding over the Constitutional Convention. They translated into a successful beginning of republican government, including a coordination of new departments, peaceful diplomacy, and a facing down of a threatened domestic insurrection, the Whisky Rebellion.
Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, governed the state of Virginia, and served as Secretary of State and Vice President. His accomplishments included exploration and promotion of western development, including the Louisiana Purchase, which, ironically, violated his principles of limited government and strict construction of the Constitution.
Lincoln's national public service consisted of a single term as a U.S. Representative, although he had several terms as a state legislator. His determination to try for the highest office led him to study, speak, and write on national issues, and it was his speeches during and after his unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senator from Illinois in 1858 that drew attention to his character and views.
T.R. gained executive experience as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Police Commissioner in New York City and Governor of the state. His brief battlefield exploits in the Spanish American War made him a national figure. Teddy Roosevelt went on to be a trust buster, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and a force for progressive politics.
His distant cousin Franklin also served a stint as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and as Governor of New York. His performance in the latter position in dealing with the beginning of the Great Depression convinced many that he would be suited to take on the economic emergency at a higher level. FDR did not conquer the Depression, but he is credited with vigorous measures that both eased it and safeguarded against future large-scale downturns. He also successfully led an international alliance to victory in World War II.
The Underperformers
John Adams assisted in the formulation of the Declaration of Independence. He was a driving force in the Continental Congress and performed sensitive diplomatic assignments for the new nation. He served eight years as Vice President under Washington. Yet once elected in his own right, he was involved in partisan bickering, overreached with a civil-liberties infringing Alien and Sedition Act, and was defeated after one term. His equally brilliant son, John Quincy Adams, capped a fine diplomatic career as Secretary of State and also served one lustreless term as President.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment in relation to qualifications was James Buchanan, who served two decades as Representative and then Senator and was also Secretary of State before his election to the Presidency in 1856. He was utterly unable to deal with the growing sectional crisis that culminated in secession before he handed over the office to Lincoln. Similarly, Herbert Hoover was a successful engineer, won universal plaudits for handling post-World War I food relief, and had eight years as Secretary of Commerce before assuming the Presidency just in time to confront the Depression. He failed conspicuously to meet that challenge.
After the assassination of Lincoln and the contentious beginning to Reconstruction, hopes were high that U.S. Grant would emulate Washington's successful transition from winning general to capable President. Those hopes were dashed by one of the most corrupt Administrations in American history. Warren Harding, usually rated as the other contender for "most corrupt Administration," had a single U.S. Senate term as his only national political experience.
ConclusionsThe juxtaposition of Lincoln and Buchanan tells it all. While experience relevant to current issues has obvious value, voters must look well beyond the number of years of office-holding. They need to look for understanding of issues, ideas for dealing with them, and ability to build and direct teams that can work constructively.
