Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as a picture of former President George H.W. Bush appears on a screen following a moment of silence on December 3, 2018 in New York City.

The late George H.W. Bush — remembered as much for his stumbles on the economy as his foreign policy achievements — ironically ranks as the third-best GOP president ever for the stock market as measured by the nearly century-old S&P.

During the Texas Republican's one term in the White House from January 1989 to January 1993, the gained 52 percent, trailing only GOP predecessors Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. (President Donald Trump ranks as No. 6 out of the nine Republican leaders since the S&P's inception. The index has gained about 22 percent since Trump's January 2017 inauguration.)

As for No. 1 on the Republican side, Ike's two terms in office led to a 130 percent advance by the S&P, which went from 90 stocks to 500 in the middle of his 1953-1961 presidency. Meanwhile, Reagan's eight years in office from 1981 to 1989 produced a 114 percent increase in the S&P 500.