Billy Graham makes it to Gallup's 10 'most admired' men in the world for the 60th time

Kaye Garcia Monday, January 02, 2017

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (L) meets with Reverend Billy Graham and his son Franklin at his home in Montreat, North Carolina October 11, 2012. | Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Evangelical leader Billy Graham has been named as one of Gallup's 10 most admired men in the world for the 60th time.

Gallup's annual list, which was released at the end of 2016, puts Graham at no. 5, after processing responses from 1,000 Americans who were asked the following questions: "What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice?" The poll was conducted between Dec. 7 to 11.

Since 1955, Graham has been appearing on the top 10 list every year, except in 1962 and 1976, when the said question was not asked. Gallup started conducting the survey in 1946.

In the 2016 survey, former Democratic presidential aspirant Sen. Bernie Sanders, Pope Francis, President-elect Donald Trump, and President Barack Obama placed ahead of Graham, from fourth place to first. Other personalities who made it to the top 10 include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Dalai Lama, former president Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was the only new entrant among the names mentioned.

Meanwhile, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton topped the list of Most Admired Women for the 15th consecutive year, with First Lady Michelle Obama in second place. Completing the top 10 are, from third to 10th, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, talk-show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, England's Queen Elizabeth, teenage human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, former state secretary Condoleezza Rice, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin.

The 98-year-old evangelist, who founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in 1950, has been one of the most prominent faith leaders in the world, having preached the Gospel to hundreds of millions of people through various media, including television, film, and the Internet.

Graham has been dubbed "pastor to the presidents," having met with every U.S. president after World War II, starting with Harry Truman, who was in office from 1945 to 1953.

He has also written 33 Christian books. His most recent one is titled "Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond," which was published in 2015.