Which Presidents were the most pro-market? I think I heard Warren Harding suggested by some, but he was for the Federal Reserve. Was Jefferson in the top five? Was Cleveland?
I think Andrew Jackson can be considered one of the most “pro-market” presidents, although I’m not sure that term was recognized at the time. He reduced the federal debt to its lowest point since 1791 and he did not renew the charter for the national bank. On the other hand, he was an extreme hawk, although I’m not sure how much he increased any military budget by.
My favorite presidents are the following: van Buren, Cleveland, Jefferson, Harding, Coolidge, and Jackson (kind of).
Jackson and Jefferson weren’t really free market presidents. Jefferson mainly lives off of his rhetoric, but he instead enacted a draconian tariff and let the Bank of the United States expand in size. Jackson wanted the Bank dead for reasons that involved his personal fights with Biddle. He also expanded executive power greatly, which would give the impetus for later presidential acts.
Good free market presidents were Van Buren, Hayes, Cleveland, Harding, Tyler, Arthur, Grant, Coolidge, and Taylor.
There’s Andrew Jackson, who vetoed the 2nd US central bank renewal law. Andrew Jackson fully paid off the national debt.
There’s James Garfield, who was murdered.
In recent times, JFK was the most free market oriented president. He was murdered.
All the good presidents get assassinated. There was a failed assassination attempt of Andrew Jackson.
I don’t see how Kennedy was a free market president. If he didn’t die he probably would have enacted the social policies that Johnson signed in.
“Don’t ask what your country can do for you, but ask, what can you do for your country.” What would be the correct interpretation of that phrase? In particular, what is meant by “country”? Is the government, or is the fellow citizens?
Don’t forget the Tariff of 1832.
EDIT: Jackson probably would have supported lowering the tariff further, if he thought it politically feasible.