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Posted: 2015-12-31T18:32:45Z | Updated: 2015-12-31T18:32:45Z These Presidents Had The Worst Final Years In The Oval Office | HuffPost

These Presidents Had The Worst Final Years In The Oval Office

Sorry, James Buchanan.

Though we often portray a president at the end of his term as a "lame duck" with fading influence, a commander-in-chief's legacy is often solidified during those final months in office. So which Oval Office occupants have had the worst end to their residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

After Politico explored the question of which presidents had the best last year in office , HuffPost Live hosted a panel discussion to come up with our own answers. We couldn't conclude the conversation without chatting about the presidents who marred their own legacies before handing over the most powerful job in the country. 

Watch historians share their picks for the presidents with the worst final years in office above, and click here for the full HuffPost Live conversation about the end of a presidency. 

Want more HuffPost Live? Stream us anytime on Go90 , Verizon's mobile social entertainment network, and listen to our best interviews on iTunes .

Also on HuffPost:

Most Embarrassing Presidential Vacation Photos
(01 of25)
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Ok so he was Vice President at the time, but the '80s really weren't kind to anyone, including Bush and his son, Jeb (seen here in August 1983). (Photo by Cynthia Johnson/Liaison) (credit:Getty Images)
(02 of25)
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George H.W. Bush reacts to a putt missed by Jeb while on vacation in Kennebunkport, August 1989. (credit:AP )
(03 of25)
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George H.W. Bush walks the wintery streets of downtown Kennebunkport while on vacation in 1989. We know it's cold in Maine in the winter, but this hat has got to go. (credit:AP Photo)
(04 of25)
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George H.W. Bush reacts to a shot he took while on vacation in November 1992 in Boca Grande, FL. (credit:AP)
(05 of25)
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Then President-elect Bill Clinton took a run during his stay on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for Renaissance Weekend, December 31, 1992. Just no. (credit:AP Photo)
(06 of25)
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Then president-elect, Clinton played volleyball in Santa Barbara in November 1992. (PAUL RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(07 of25)
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Clinton was really into the game on Hilton Head on New Year's Eve 1993. (ROBERT GIROUX/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(08 of25)
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Why the sad face? President Clinton misses a putt on his first day of vacation in Martha's Vineyard in August 1993. (credit:AP Photo)
(09 of25)
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Mr. President--seen here in Arkansas in January 1995--just...don't. (PAUL RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(10 of25)
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See, presidents are just like us! The Clintons took the quintessential American vacation shot of the 1990s while white-water rafting on the Big Kahuna Rapids of the Wyoming's Snake River in 1996. (credit:AP Photo)
(11 of25)
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On vacation in Wyoming in August 1996. (Photo by Dirck Halstead/Liaison) (credit:Getty Images)
(12 of25)
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President Clinton scrutinizes the double scoop of blueberry ice cream he was served at Martha's Vineyard's Mad Martha's Ice Cream Shop in 1997. What is that not enough ice cream for you, Bubba? And don't get us started on Hillary's headband...we shudder at the thought of our own collection. (credit:AP Photo)
(13 of25)
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'I'm so happy to be swimming!" Clinton seems to say in this 1998 St. Thomas vacation photo. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(14 of25)
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President Clinton watches as his golf ball heads into the trees while on a Martha's Vineyard vacation in August 1999. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(15 of25)
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George W. sweats it out during a round of golf in August 2002. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(16 of25)
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Oh look, a 2003 Bush family outing around the Kennebunkport property on Segway scooters! (credit:Getty Images)
(17 of25)
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D'oh! (credit:Getty Images)
(18 of25)
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Ok, so he wasn't President yet, but this is no way to get yourself elected. Obama "rides" a wave in Hawaii in August 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
(19 of25)
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On New Year's Eve in 2009, Obama made the classic golf player gesture as he watched a golf ball after putting at Mid-Pacific County Club in Kailua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File) (credit:AP)
(20 of25)
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Obama seems to have issues eating ice cream cones.This photo was taken while the family was on a weekend vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine on July 16, 2010. (credit:AP Photo)
(21 of25)
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Is the shaved ice really that cold? Obama takes a lick while on holiday vacation in Hawaii in 2010.(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(22 of25)
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We're not really sure what this is about but we're betting he was worried about his 9th hole put in December 2010. (Photo by Cory Lum - Pool/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(23 of25)
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The President got a mouth full of little baby fingers on Christmas Day 2011 on the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (credit:AP)
(24 of25)
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The kid didn't know he's the president...(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(25 of25)
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...And another classic golfer reaction from the President while on vacation in Martha's Vineyard in August 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) (credit:AP)

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