Classifying Presidential Greatness is a process that is largely based on personal opinion and judgment. With any classification system, whether based on subjective or objective criteria, judgment and opinion are needed to determine which factors best serve as indicators or measurements of magnitude. While opinion is an important part of the decision-making process, a factual framework is also intrinsic to the process of ranking presidential greatness. This framework serves as the basis upon which comparisons are made and may include factors such as those relating to historical events, presidential outcomes, presidential performance, personal characteristics, etc. The central focus of the document is to discuss presidential greatness. I will begin by examining the American public's general conception of presidential greatness and their apparent opinions on the subject. In the second half of the discussion, I will examine how scholars have attempted to define the greatness and rank of presidents; I will also include my analysis and critique of their arguments. The next goal of this article is to present my definition of presidential greatness and the categorization and classification processes I have devised. I will conclude by introducing the president who by my definition qualifies as the greatest president. Polling data seems to suggest that presidential greatness is short-sighted in the general public's assessment. When asked to identify who they considered the greatest president, more than 53 percent voted for a president whose term occurred after the second half of the 20th century. Of the 17 presidents who received votes, 11 served after 1950 and only four served before 1900. At the top of the list was Ron... center of paper... "Discovering Lyndon's Greatness Johnson." . "The New York Times. 05 December 1999. Web. 30 April 2011. .Newport, Frank. "Americans say Reagan is the greatest president of the United States." publishes on government, politics, economics, management. February 18, 2011. Web. April 27, 2011. .Pfiffner, James P. ""Ranking of Presidents: Continuity and Volatility." White House Studies 3.1 (2003): 27-42. Gunston.gmu.edu. Network. April 29, 2011. .Schlesinger, Jr, Arthur M. “Evaluating Presidents: From Washington to Clinton.” Political Science Quarterly 112.2 (1997): 179-90. JSTOR. Network. April 28. 2011. .