Jimmy Carter.
1. Provided incentives for Camp David accords, ending Arab-Israeli wars.
2. Ended wage and price controls.
3. Appointed Volcker as Fed chairman.
Carter didn't end wage and price controls. The last wage and price controls were lifted by President Nixon in 1974. Carter did resist calls from some liberals like Ted Kennedy to reimpose them, but even during the very high inflation of the late 1970s, there was little sentiment in favor of them given their miserable failure earlier in the decade.
The Camp David accords were a major accomplishment for Carter, but they didn't end Arab-Israeli wars.
Looking at the whole record, I think Carter is eminently deserving of his low ranking among presidents.
I think the most underrated president in recent history is Gerald Ford. One thing many people don't realize is that the Helsinki Accords on European Security, for which Ford was severely criticized by conservatives, turned out to be the seed that contained the destruction of the Soviet empire in Europe.
Ford was only president for 2-1/2 years, but he made long strides toward normalizing conditions in a badly shaken country, moves which paid large dividends later.
