Historical estimate

Jefferson vs Lincoln vs Kennedy: three Simonton 2C numbers

Jefferson 160, Lincoln 150, Kennedy 160 (159.8). Same table, same caveats, three integers.

QuestionHow do Jefferson, Lincoln, and JFK compare on published IQ estimates?
01

Three integers from one column

Jefferson 160, Lincoln 150, Kennedy 160. Kennedy’s unpublished-in-the-headline decimal is 159.8.

Thomas JeffersonAbraham LincolnJohn F. Kennedy
02

Same method, still not a test

All three numbers come from the same historiometric pipeline. That makes them more comparable to each other than to a viral internet score—and still not WAIS results.

Thomas JeffersonAbraham LincolnJohn F. Kennedy
What the evidence supports

On Simonton 2006 II-C, Jefferson is 160, Lincoln is 150, and Kennedy is 159.8 (displayed 160). The gap is a model difference, not a documented test difference.

Primary trail

Sources used in this investigation

peer-reviewed researchPresidential IQ, Openness, Intellectual Brilliance, and Leadership: Estimates and Correlations for 42 U.S. Chief ExecutivesPolitical Psychology (Wiley) · 2006