George Washington IQ
US Founding Father & President · 1732–1799
Quick Answer
George Washington's IQ is estimated at 120 to 140. Cox's 1926 study gave him a corrected 140, lower than Jefferson and Franklin.
Cox's corrected estimate for Washington was 140, lower than for Jefferson or Franklin. His strengths were judgement, restraint and leadership.
- Estimated IQ
- 120+
- Range
- 120–140
- Known for
- Continental Army, first US president
- Basis
- Cox 1926 historiometric estimate
Evidence status: Low confidence. Washington died in 1799. No test exists; the figure below is from a 1926 study of biographies. Historical achievement cannot be converted into a precise modern test result. This page separates documented evidence from interpretation.
What was George Washington's IQ?
Washington never took an IQ test. Catharine Cox's 1926 study gave him a corrected estimate of 140. Adjusted for the Flynn effect that falls to about 120, so LifeScore uses a range of 120 to 140, while noting that Cox found military fame barely tracked her ratings.
Was Washington smarter than Jefferson?
On Cox's 1926 figures, no: she rated Jefferson and Franklin at 160 and Washington at 140. But those numbers measure early academic signs. Washington's strengths were judgement, self-command and holding a fragile army and country together, which the Cox method was not built to capture.
Where does the 140 figure come from?
The 140 is Catharine Cox's corrected estimate from her 1926 study of 301 eminent people born between 1450 and 1850. She rated each person from biographical records of what they could do as a child and young adult, then corrected for gaps in the record.
Cox's numbers sit on an old ratio-IQ scale. One secondary tabulation subtracts about 22 points for the Flynn effect, which puts George Washington near 120.
LifeScore lists 120+, and the working range of 120 to 140 spans both figures. None of them is a test result.
How smart was George Washington?
Surveyor at 17
With little formal schooling he became an official county surveyor in Virginia.
Holding the army together
He kept the Continental Army in the field for eight years against a stronger enemy.
Trenton and Yorktown
His surprise crossing of the Delaware in 1776 and the siege of Yorktown in 1781 turned the war.
Giving up power
He resigned his command in 1783 and left the presidency after two terms, setting a lasting precedent.
How Washington thought
Washington was cautious in speech and deliberate in decisions. He gathered advice from sharper minds, including Hamilton and Jefferson, then weighed it. His greatest skill was knowing when not to act.
Evidence behind the George Washington IQ estimate
The estimate is a structured interpretation of the record, not a recovered test score. These are the strongest signals and the reasons for caution.
Evidence considered
- Cox's 1926 study gave Washington a corrected estimate of 140, about 120 after a Flynn-effect adjustment.
- With little formal schooling he qualified as a surveyor at 17.
- He held the Continental Army together for eight years and then gave up power twice, in 1783 and 1797.
What the estimate cannot prove
- Cox found that military eminence did not track childhood IQ ratings, so his number may mislead.
- Records of his childhood are thin.
- Cox's scale runs higher than modern deviation IQ.
Washington vs Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln
How George Washington's estimate compares with related figures. Every number here is an estimate, and the basis differs from person to person.
| Figure | Estimate | Range |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington | 120+ | 120–140 |
| Thomas Jefferson | 150+ | 140–160 |
| Benjamin Franklin | 150+ | 140–160 |
| Abraham Lincoln | 140+ | 130–150 |
Take the Washington IQ test
George Washington's estimate is 120+. Our Einstein IQ test is a short visual reasoning challenge. See which side of that number you land on.
Take the Washington IQ testGeorge Washington's IQ is represented here by a retrospective estimate of 120+, not a verified test result. George Washington is best known for exceptional judgement. The useful question is what the surviving evidence shows, not whether a precise modern score can be recovered.
Psychological Profile
Disciplined, reserved and self-controlled. Led by judgement and example more than brilliance.
The dominant archetype here is The Ruler. This archetype shapes decision patterns: what feels natural, what creates friction, and what blind spots tend to emerge.
Estimated IQ is 120+. This is a rough estimate based on documented accomplishments and contemporary accounts, not a literal measurement.
Key Behavioral Traits
As a teenager he copied out 110 "Rules of Civility" for conduct.
He had no college education, unlike most of the other founders.
Cox's 140 is lower than her figures for Jefferson and Franklin.
One thing most people do not know
Washington's famous false teeth were not wood. They were made from materials including ivory and human teeth.
Sources for this estimate
Follow the evidence yourself. These sources document the achievements and context used here; none is presented as a standardized IQ report.
- George WashingtonGeorge Washington's Mount Vernon
Biographical material covering his surveying, military and presidential career.
- The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses (Cox, 1926)Stanford University Press, via Internet Archive
The original historiometric study. Cox rated 301 eminent people born 1450 to 1850 from records of their childhood and youth.
- Cox's IQ estimates of 301 eminent geniusesIQ Comparison Site
Secondary tabulation of Cox's corrected estimates, with a version adjusted by about 22 points for the Flynn effect.
What do these scores mean?
See what an IQ of 120, 140 means in percentiles, then browse every famous estimate in one table.
Think like Washington?
George Washington's estimate: 120+ (range 120 to 140). See where your own score falls.
Related famous IQs
- Thomas Jefferson IQ150+
- Benjamin Franklin IQ150+
- Abraham Lincoln IQ140+
- Napoleon Bonaparte IQ145
- Cleopatra IQ140
- Winston Churchill IQ135
- Genghis Khan IQ130+
- Joan of Arc IQ120+
Same Archetype: The Ruler
Explore psychological profiles of contemporary figures analyzed with similar methods.
Browse All ProfilesSigns of High IQ
Traits often discussed alongside high measured IQ:
George Washington: People Also Ask
Was George Washington a genius?+
George's record supports exceptional achievement, but "genius" is not established by an unverified IQ number. Their The Ruler archetype, combined with Judgement and Self-Control, is a more useful interpretation of their output.
What personality type was George Washington?+
George fits the The Ruler archetype. Key traits include Judgement, Self-Control, and Endurance. This profile helps explain both their strengths and their documented failure modes.
What can we learn from George Washington?+
George's profile teaches that extreme strengths create extreme trade-offs. Their Judgement and Self-Control enabled success but also created recurring friction.
References & Sources
Cox, C. M. (1926). The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses. Stanford University Press.
Simonton, D. K. (2009). Genius 101. Springer Publishing Company.
Cattell, R. B. (1971). Abilities: Their Structure, Growth, and Action. Houghton Mifflin.