Presidents of the United States by height
The average American male (2005 data) is 5 ft 9.2 in (1.76 m), with a slightly rising trend reflective of the rise in height of the general U.S. population. Incidentally, however, some of the tallest U.S. Presidents were of the young republic.
The tallest former First Lady was Eleanor Roosevelt, who was 5' 11" (1.80 m), the same height as Michelle Obama, the current First Lady.
| Rank | President | U.S. Customary Units |
Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abraham Lincoln | 6 ft 4 in | 1.93 m |
| 2 | Lyndon B. Johnson | 6 ft 3? in | 1.92 m |
| 3 | Bill Clinton Thomas Jefferson |
6 ft 2? in | 1.89 m |
| 5 | Chester A. Arthur George H. W. Bush Franklin D. Roosevelt George Washington |
6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m |
| 9 | Barack Obama | 6 ft 1? in | 1.87 m |
| 10 | Andrew Jackson Ronald Reagan |
6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m |
| 12 | James Buchanan Gerald Ford James Garfield Warren Harding John F. Kennedy James Monroe William Howard Taft John Tyler |
6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m |
| 20 | Richard Nixon | 5 ft 11? in | 1.82 m |
| 21 | George W. Bush Grover Cleveland Herbert Hoover Woodrow Wilson |
5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m |
| 25 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 5 ft 10? in | 1.79 m |
| 26 | Calvin Coolidge Andrew Johnson Franklin Pierce Theodore Roosevelt |
5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m |
| 30 | Jimmy Carter Millard Fillmore Harry S. Truman |
5 ft 9 in | 1.75 m |
| 33 | Rutherford B. Hayes |
5 ft 8? in | 1.74 m |
| 34 | William Henry Harrison James Polk Zachary Taylor Ulysses S. Grant |
5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m |
| 38 | John Adams John Quincy Adams William McKinley |
5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m |
| 41 | Benjamin Harrison Martin Van Buren |
5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m |
| 43 | James Madison | 5 ft 4 in | 1.63 m |
Comparative table of heights of United States presidential candidates
| Year | Winner | Height (Imperial ) |
Height (Metric ) |
Runner-up (by electoral vote count) |
Height (Imperial ) |
Height (Metric ) |
Difference (Imperial ) |
Difference (Metric ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Barack Obama | 6 ft 1? in | 1.87 m | John McCain | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 7? in | 0.19 m |
| 2004 | George W. Bush | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | John Kerry | 6 ft 4 in | 1.93 m | 5 in | 0.13 m |
| 2000 | George W. Bush | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | Al Gore * | 6 ft ? in | 1.84 m | 1? in | 0.04 m |
| 1996 | Bill Clinton | 6 ft 2? in | 1.89 m | Bob Dole | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | 1? in | 0.06 m |
| 1992 | Bill Clinton | 6 ft 2? in | 1.89 m | George H.W. Bush | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | ? in | 0.01 m |
| 1988 | George H.W. Bush | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | Michael Dukakis | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 8 in | 0.20 m |
| 1984 | Ronald Reagan | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | Walter Mondale | 5 ft 10? in | 1.80 m | 2? in | 0.05 m |
| 1980 | Ronald Reagan | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | Jimmy Carter | 5 ft 9 in | 1.75 m | 4 in | 0.10 m |
| 1976 | Jimmy Carter | 5 ft 9 in | 1.75 m | Gerald Ford | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | 4 in | 0.10 m |
| 1972 | Richard Nixon | 5 ft 11? in | 1.82 m | George McGovern | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | 1? in | 0.03 m |
| 1968 | Richard Nixon | 5 ft 11? in | 1.82 m | Hubert Humphrey | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | ? in | 0.02 m |
| 1964 | Lyndon Johnson | 6 ft 3? in | 1.92 m | Barry Goldwater | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | 3? in | 0.09 m |
| 1960 | John F. Kennedy | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | Richard Nixon | 5 ft 11? in | 1.82 m | 1 in | 0.01 m |
| 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 5 ft 10? in | 1.79 m | Adlai Stevenson | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | ? in | 0.01 m |
| 1952 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | 5 ft 10? in | 1.79 m | Adlai Stevenson | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | ? in | 0.01 m |
| 1948 | Harry S. Truman | 5 ft 9 in | 1.75 m | Thomas Dewey | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | 1 in | 0.02 m |
| 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | Thomas Dewey | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | 6 in | 0.15 m |
| 1940 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | Wendell Willkie | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | 1 in | 0.03 m |
| 1936 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | Alfred Landon | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | 6 in | 0.15 m |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | Herbert Hoover | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | 3 in | 0.08 m |
| 1928 | Herbert Hoover | 5 ft 11? in | 1.82 m | Al Smith | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 5? in | 0.13 m |
| 1924 | Calvin Coolidge | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | John W. Davis | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | 2 in | 0.05 m |
| 1920 | Warren G. Harding | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | James M. Cox | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 6 in | 0.15 m |
| 1916 | Woodrow Wilson | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | Charles Evans Hughes | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | 0 in | 0 m |
| 1912 | Woodrow Wilson | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | Theodore Roosevelt | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | 1 in | 0.01 m |
| 1908 | William Howard Taft | 5 ft 11? in | 1.82 m | William Jennings Bryan | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | ? in | 0.01 m |
| 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | Alton B. Parker | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | 2 in | 0.05 m |
| 1900 | William McKinley | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | William Jennings Bryan | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | 5 in | 0.13 m |
| 1896 | William McKinley | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | William Jennings Bryan | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | 5 in | 0.13 m |
| 1892 | Grover Cleveland | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | Benjamin Harrison | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 5 in | 0.12 m |
| 1888 | Benjamin Harrison | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | Grover Cleveland * | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | 5 in | 0.12 m |
| 1884 | Grover Cleveland | 5 ft 11 in | 1.80 m | James G. Blaine | ||||
| 1880 | James A. Garfield | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | Winfield Hancock | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | 2 in | 0.05 m |
| 1876 | Rutherford B. Hayes | 5 ft 8 in | 1.72 m | Samuel Tilden * | ||||
| 1872 | Ulysses S. Grant | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | Horace Greeley | ||||
| 1868 | Ulysses S. Grant | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | Horatio Seymour | ||||
| 1864 | Abraham Lincoln | 6 ft 4 in | 1.93 m | George McClellan | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 10 in | 0.25 m |
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | 6 ft 4 in | 1.93 m | John C. Breckenridge | ||||
| 1856 | James Buchanan | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | John C. Fr?mont | ||||
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | Winfield Scott | 6 ft 5 in | 1.96 m | 7 in | 0.18 m |
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | Lewis Cass | ||||
| 1844 | James K. Polk | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | Henry Clay | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | 5 in | 0.13 m |
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | Martin Van Buren | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 2 in | 0.05 m |
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | William Henry Harrison | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m | 2 in | 0.05 m |
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | Henry Clay | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | 0 in | 0 m |
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | John Quincy Adams | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | 6 in | 0.15 m |
| 1824 | John Quincy Adams | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | Andrew Jackson * | 6 ft 1 in | 1.85 m | 6 in | 0.15 m |
| 1820 | James Monroe | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | John Quincy Adams | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | 5 in | 0.13 m |
| 1816 | James Monroe | 6 ft 0 in | 1.83 m | Rufus King | 5 ft 10 in | 1.78 m | 2 in | 0.05 m |
| 1812 | James Madison | 5 ft 4 in | 1.63 m | De Witt Clinton | 6 ft 3 in | 1.91 m | 11 in | 0.28 m |
| 1808 | James Madison | 5 ft 4 in | 1.63 m | Charles C. Pinckney | ||||
| 1804 | Thomas Jefferson | 6 ft 2? in | 1.89 m | Charles C. Pinckney | ||||
| 1800 | Thomas Jefferson | 6 ft 2? in | 1.89 m | Aaron Burr | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m | 8? in | 0.21 m |
| 1796 | John Adams | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | Thomas Jefferson | 6 ft 2? in | 1.89 m | 7? in | 0.19 m |
| 1792 | George Washington | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | John Adams | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | 7 in | 0.18 m |
| 1789 | George Washington | 6 ft 2 in | 1.88 m | John Adams | 5 ft 7 in | 1.70 m | 7 in | 0.18 m |
* Note: Won popular vote, but not election.