# Bill Clinton and Presidential Pardons
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 20, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037 "2001-01-20T17:37:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@IBBen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBBen)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/1 "2001-01-20T17:37:19Z")
Throughout the last several weeks, Bill Clinton has been sympathizing with criminals and handing out hundreds of pardons. I understand that he feels a certain kinship with these hardened criminals so Bill’s actions make sense but I am still left wondering: Which U.S. President handed out the most pardons?
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2001, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/2 "2001-01-20T18:22:45Z")
This is a WAG, but I would bet that Andrew Johnson gave out the most pardons, although they weren’t all for criminal offenses. After the Civil War ended, he had people line up at the White House to personally ask him for pardons, which he gave out rather freely.
This was one of the numerous missteps Johnson took that led to his impeachment. The Radical Republicans wanted most of the Confederacy to suffer more.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2001, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/3 "2001-07-04T03:04:59Z")
I almost hate to dredge it up after all this time, but I stumbled upon the answer to this question today. [ul]1. FDR 3,687
2. Wilson 2,480
3. Truman 2,044
. . .
16. Andrew Johnson 654
. . .
20. Bill Clinton 456
. . .
39. George Washington 16
40. William Henry Harrison 0
41. James Garfield 0
[http://www.fujisan.demon.co.uk/USPresidents/plist5a.htm](http://www.fujisan.demon.co.uk/USPresidents/plist5a.htm) [/ul]
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### Author:  [@IBBen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBBen)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/4 "2001-07-04T03:22:04Z")
Go FDR!
[acronym] Freedom, dollars reign? [/acronym]
Thanks for the update Bibliophage 🙂
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### Author:  [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2001, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/5 "2001-07-04T10:08:48Z")
In all fairness to FDR, Wilson, and Truman, many of those pardons/commutations were for military servicemembers convicted of crimes during wartime. The military has always used capital punishment for a far broader range of crimes than civil authorities have. Additionally, courts-martial tend to hand down stiffer sentences during war than in peacetime for the same crime.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2001, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/6 "2001-07-04T10:26:20Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by bibliophage \*
> 40. William Henry Harrison 0
I should freaking hope so.
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### Author:  [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2001, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/7 "2001-07-04T10:37:27Z")
Good one KTK; I can’t believe I missed the signifigance of that when I saw the list.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2001, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-clinton-and-presidential-pardons/51037/8 "2001-07-05T03:50:48Z")
Well, Harrison survived his inaugaural by about a month, so he could have squeezed in one or two, I suppose.