While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton once again top this year’s Gallup poll of whom Americans admire most, Billy Graham continues his record streak of appearances on the nation’s “Most Admired Man” list.
After Obama and Nelson Mandela (who ranked second), Graham tied for 3rd place alongside Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, and Pope Benedict XVI on Gallup’s 2012 list.
Gallup noted that the 94-year-old Graham “has been on the top 10 Most Admired list 56 times since 1955, more than any other man–although he has never been in first place.” Graham reached 2nd place four times, the last being in 1999. Ronald Reagan is next with 31 appearances on the top 10 list.
Per Gallup:
Gallup’s “Most Admired” question is open-ended, asking Americans to name, without prompting, the man and the woman they most admire living in any part of the world….
The open-ended nature of the question produces the names of people with high top-of-mind name identification, most often hailing from the world of government and politics; the list also includes individuals who have become famous serving humanitarian causes and others whose fame comes from the business and entertainment worlds.
