Most qualified presidential candidate?

[Hamster]

Who is the most "qualified" candidate to run for President of the USA? Define that word as you wish, I'm interested in your first impressions.

[H. Ross Peron]

Grover Cleveland in 1892

[Mechaman]

James Buchanan

[Lincoln Republican]

Like him or not, Nixon was very well qualified for the office, more so than most any other candidate.

Unfortunately, he let his insecurities and his dark side take control.

A candidate never elected to the Presidency who was very well qualified was Hubert Humphrey.

[Orser67]

1758: Born
1774: Becomes plantation owner
1775-1776: Revolutionary War officer, served under Washington (and wounded in battle)
1780-1783: Studied law under Thomas Jefferson, becoming a lawyer afterwards
1782: Elected to Virginia House of Burgesses
1783-1785: Served in Congress (under Articles of Confederation)
1788: Played a part in ratifying the Constitution
1790-1794: US Senator from Virginia, serving as a D-R party leader
1794-1796: Served as Minister to France
1799-1802: Served as Governor of Virginia
1803: Helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase
1803-1808: Served as Minister to the United Kingdom
1811: Served second term as Governor of Virginia
1811-1817: Served as Secretary of State
1814-1815: Also served as Secretary of War
1816: Elected President

James Monroe has a pretty impressive resume.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

James Madison. "Father of the Constitution". Wrote the Bill of Rights. Supervised Louisiana Purchase as Secretary of State.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Buchanan was pretty damn qualified.

[Mechaman]

Buchanan was pretty damn qualified.

Yes, and Abe Lincoln was a country lawyer who served a few years in the state legislature and only two years in the US Congress.

Which I guess is my way of saying that "experience" doesn't seem to matter spit.

[Mister Mets]

Our three most qualified Presidents came in consecutive order.

As author of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin’s successor as Ambassador to France, Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State and Vice-President, Thomas Jefferson is the most qualified man to ever hold the office of President. And he made sure that his good friends James Madison and James Monroe had impressive resumes when it was their turn to seek the office.

Madison was was a founding member of Congress, and Secretary of State under Jefferson. During that period, he was partly responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. And he also played a significant role in the Constitutional Convention. And how exactly do you rank “Wrote the bill of rights” as a qualification for the White House?

Monroe was a Governor of Virginia, Senator, Secretary of State, acting Secretary of War during the close of the War of 1812, ambassador and Revolutionary War hero.

Outside of that trio the most qualified was probably James Polk, as a former Speaker of the House and Governor of Tennessee. So he had more legislative experience than any President aside from LBJ, but he also had executive experience.

In terms of losing candidates, Henry Clay had an impressive record in 1832 and 1844 as Senator, Speaker of the House and Secretary of State.

[Mordecai]

Also, Lyndon B. Johnson and George H. W. Bush.