James Monroe IQ

James Monroe was born in Virginia in 1758. He left the College of William and Mary to fight in the Revolution and was badly wounded at Trenton in 1776. He studied law under Thomas Jefferson, served as senator, governor of Virginia and minister to France, where he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. As fifth president, from 1817 to 1825, he presided over the "Era of Good Feelings" and issued the Monroe Doctrine. He died on 4 July 1831.

He was never tested. Simonton's 2006 historiometric study gives him 139 in its II-C version, and the average of the four versions is about 124. That places him well below Jefferson and Madison and around the middle of all presidents.

A policy Monroe announced in December 1823, largely drafted by his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. It warned European powers not to colonise or interfere in the Americas, and promised the US would stay out of European affairs.

Simonton's estimates draw on ratings of intellectual brilliance and openness. Monroe was respected for integrity and steady judgement rather than for scholarship or original ideas, which pulls his figures down relative to Jefferson, Madison and Adams.

Monroe's strength was practical judgement and choosing able people, including John Quincy Adams. His record shows that steady decision-making and teamwork can matter more in office than raw intellectual brilliance.

What supports it

• Simonton (2006) gives Monroe 139 in version II-C.
• His diplomatic missions and presidency are well documented.
• He studied law under Jefferson after the Revolution.

What it cannot prove

• Simonton built most presidential figures statistically from expert ratings, so neighbouring presidents cannot really be told apart.
• He never completed college because of the war, which lowers education-based ratings.
• He enslaved people, a fact separate from any estimate of ability.

James Monroe's IQ is represented here by a retrospective estimate of 139, not a verified test result. James Monroe is best known for exceptional judgement. The useful question is what the surviving evidence shows, not whether a precise modern score can be recovered.

Steady, honest and diligent. A soldier-diplomat valued more for judgement than brilliance.

The dominant archetype here is The Diplomat. This archetype shapes decision patterns: what feels natural, what creates friction, and what blind spots tend to emerge.

Estimated IQ is 139. This is a rough estimate based on documented accomplishments and contemporary accounts, not a literal measurement.

Liberia's capital, Monrovia, is named after him.

James Monroe's estimate of 139 falls in the gifted IQ range. Want your own number rather than James's? Take the free IQ test or the quick IQ test. See what an IQ of 139 means, place it on the IQ chart or check how rare it is with the IQ rarity calculator.