List of Presidents of the United States by age
This is a list of presidents of the United States by age. The first table charts the age of each United States president at the time of presidential inauguration (first inauguration if elected to multiple and consecutive terms), upon leaving office, and at the time of death. Each president's lifespan (age at death) is measured in two ways, to allow for the differing number of leap days that each experienced. The first figure is the number of days between the president's date of birth and date of death, allowing for leap days; in parentheses, the same period is given in years and days, with the years being the number of whole years that the president lived, and the days being the number of days since the last birthday. Where the president is still living, their lifespan is calculated up to August 14, 2017. The second table includes those presidents who had the distinction among their peers of being the oldest living president, and charts both when they became and ceased to be oldest living.
Overview
The median age at accession to the presidency is roughly 55 years and 6 months, which is about how old Benjamin Harrison was at the time of his inauguration. The youngest person to assume the office was Theodore Roosevelt, who became president following William McKinley's assassination, at the age of 42 years, 322 days. The youngest person elected president was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated into office at the age of 43 years, 236 days. Assassinated three years into his term, he became the youngest at the time of leaving office (46 years, 177 days); the youngest person at the time of leaving office after serving a full four-year term was Theodore Roosevelt (50 years, 128 days). The oldest person at the time of entering office was Donald Trump, at the age of 70 years, 220 days; Ronald Reagan was the oldest person in office, at the age of 77 years, 349 days when his presidency ended in January 1989.
The oldest living president is George H. W. Bush, born June 12, 1924 (age 93 years, 63 days). The second oldest living president, Jimmy Carter, has the distinction of having the longest post-presidency in U.S. history, currently at 36 years, 206 days. The youngest living president is Barack Obama, born August 4, 1961 (age 56 years, 10 days).
The longest-lived president was Gerald Ford, who died at the age of 93 years, 165 days. He surpassed Ronald Reagan for this distinction on November 11, 2006, 45 days prior to his death. (Reagan had surpassed the longevity of the nation's second president, John Adams, on October 12, 2001.) The shortest-lived president to have died by natural causes (excluding John Kennedy and James A. Garfield—who, like Kennedy, was assassinated) was James K. Polk, who died at the age of 53 years, 225 days; only 103 days after leaving office.
Since 1797, when George Washington's service as president ended, there have been five periods in American history where the only living president was the incumbent president.
- John Adams, December 14, 1799 to March 4, 1801, between the death of George Washington, and the first inauguration of Thomas Jefferson
- Ulysses S. Grant, July 31, 1875 to March 4, 1877, between the death of Andrew Johnson and the inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes
- Theodore Roosevelt, June 24, 1908 to March 4, 1909, between the death of Grover Cleveland and the inauguration of William Howard Taft
- Herbert Hoover, January 5, 1933 to March 4, 1933, between the death of Calvin Coolidge and the first inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Richard Nixon, January 22, 1973 to August 9, 1974, between the death of Lyndon B. Johnson and the inauguration of Gerald Ford.
The greatest number of presidents—former presidents plus the incumbent—alive at any given time is six, which has happened four times.
- Including: Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln; between March 4, 1861 (Abraham Lincoln's first inauguration) and January 18, 1862 (John Tyler's death)
- Including: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton; between January 20, 1993 (Bill Clinton's first inauguration) and April 22, 1994 (Richard Nixon's death)
- Including: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush; between January 20, 2001 (George W. Bush's first inauguration) and June 5, 2004 (Ronald Reagan's death)
- Including: Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump; began on January 20, 2017 (Donald Trump's inauguration) and is ongoing.
Six U.S. presidents have lived into their 90s. They are (in order of birth):
|
List of presidents by age
# | President | Birth date | Presidency start date |
Age at start date |
Presidency end date |
Age at end date |
Post-presidency timespan |
Death date | Lifespan |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington, GeorgeGeorge Washington | Feb 22, 1732[lower-alpha 1] | Apr 30, 1789 | 57 years, 67 days | Mar 4, 1797 | 65 years, 10 days | 1,015 days (2 years, 285 days) |
Dec 14, 1799 | 67 years, 295 days (24,767 days) |
2 | John Adams | Oct 30, 1735[lower-alpha 1] | Mar 4, 1797 | 61 years, 125 days | Mar 4, 1801 | 65 years, 125 days | 9,253 days (25 years, 122 days) |
Jul 4, 1826 | 90 years, 247 days (33,119 days) |
3 | Jefferson, ThomasThomas Jefferson | Apr 13, 1743[lower-alpha 1] | Mar 4, 1801 | 57 years, 325 days | Mar 4, 1809 | 65 years, 325 days | 6,331 days (17 years, 122 days) |
Jul 4, 1826 | 83 years, 82 days (30,397 days) |
4 | Madison, JamesJames Madison | Mar 16, 1751[lower-alpha 1] | Mar 4, 1809 | 57 years, 353 days | Mar 4, 1817 | 65 years, 353 days | 7,056 days (19 years, 116 days) |
Jun 28, 1836 | 85 years, 104 days (31,150 days) |
5 | Monroe, JamesJames Monroe | Apr 28, 1758 | Mar 4, 1817 | 58 years, 310 days | Mar 4, 1825 | 66 years, 310 days | 2,313 days (6 years, 122 days) |
Jul 4, 1831 | 73 years, 67 days (26,729 days) |
6 | John Q. Adams | Jul 11, 1767 | Mar 4, 1825 | 57 years, 236 days | Mar 4, 1829 | 61 years, 236 days | 6,930 days (18 years, 356 days) |
Feb 23, 1848 | 80 years, 227 days (29,446 days) |
7 | Jackson, AndrewAndrew Jackson | Mar 15, 1767 | Mar 4, 1829 | 61 years, 354 days | Mar 4, 1837 | 69 years, 354 days | 3,018 days (8 years, 96 days) |
Jun 8, 1845 | 78 years, 85 days (28,574 days) |
8 | Van Buren, MartinMartin Van Buren | Dec 5, 1782 | Mar 4, 1837 | 54 years, 89 days | Mar 4, 1841 | 58 years, 89 days | 7,812 days (21 years, 142 days) |
Jul 24, 1862 | 79 years, 231 days (29,085 days) |
9 | Harrison, William H.William H. Harrison | Feb 9, 1773 | Mar 4, 1841 | 68 years, 23 days | Apr 4, 1841[lower-alpha 2] | 68 years, 54 days | 0 days | Apr 4, 1841 | 68 years, 54 days (24,890 days) |
10 | Tyler, JohnJohn Tyler | Mar 29, 1790 | Apr 4, 1841 | 51 years, 6 days | Mar 4, 1845 | 54 years, 340 days | 6,164 days (16 years, 320 days) |
Jan 18, 1862 | 71 years, 295 days (26,227 days) |
11 | Polk, James K.James K. Polk | Nov 2, 1795 | Mar 4, 1845 | 49 years, 122 days | Mar 4, 1849 | 53 years, 122 days | 103 days | Jun 15, 1849 | 53 years, 225 days (19,583 days) |
12 | Taylor, ZacharyZachary Taylor | Nov 24, 1784 | Mar 4, 1849 | 64 years, 100 days | Jul 9, 1850[lower-alpha 2] | 65 years, 227 days | 0 days | Jul 9, 1850 | 65 years, 227 days (23,967 days) |
13 | Fillmore, MillardMillard Fillmore | Jan 7, 1800 | Jul 9, 1850 | 50 years, 183 days | Mar 4, 1853 | 53 years, 56 days | 7,674 days (21 years, 4 days) |
Mar 8, 1874 | 74 years, 60 days (27,088 days) |
14 | Pierce, FranklinFranklin Pierce | Nov 23, 1804 | Mar 4, 1853 | 48 years, 101 days | Mar 4, 1857 | 52 years, 101 days | 4,601 days (12 years, 218 days) |
Oct 8, 1869 | 64 years, 319 days (23,695 days) |
15 | Buchanan, JamesJames Buchanan | Apr 23, 1791 | Mar 4, 1857 | 65 years, 315 days | Mar 4, 1861 | 69 years, 315 days | 2,646 days (7 years, 89 days) |
Jun 1, 1868 | 77 years, 39 days (28,163 days) |
16 | Lincoln, AbrahamAbraham Lincoln | Feb 12, 1809 | Mar 4, 1861 | 52 years, 20 days | Apr 15, 1865[lower-alpha 2] | 56 years, 62 days | 0 days | Apr 15, 1865 | 56 years, 62 days (20,516 days) |
17 | Johnson, AndrewAndrew Johnson | Dec 29, 1808 | Apr 15, 1865 | 56 years, 107 days | Mar 4, 1869 | 60 years, 65 days | 2,340 days (6 years, 149 days) |
Jul 31, 1875 | 66 years, 214 days (24,320 days) |
18 | Grant, Ulysses S.Ulysses S. Grant | Apr 27, 1822 | Mar 4, 1869 | 46 years, 311 days | Mar 4, 1877 | 54 years, 311 days | 3,063 days (8 years, 141 days) |
Jul 23, 1885 | 63 years, 87 days (23,098 days) |
19 | Hayes, Rutherford B.Rutherford B. Hayes | Oct 4, 1822 | Mar 4, 1877 | 54 years, 151 days | Mar 4, 1881 | 58 years, 151 days | 4,337 days (11 years, 319 days) |
Jan 17, 1893 | 70 years, 105 days (25,673 days) |
20 | Garfield, James A.James A. Garfield | Nov 19, 1831 | Mar 4, 1881 | 49 years, 105 days | Sep 19, 1881[lower-alpha 2] | 49 years, 304 days | 0 days | Sep 19, 1881 | 49 years, 304 days (18,202 days) |
21 | Arthur, Chester A.Chester A. Arthur | Oct 5, 1829 | Sep 19, 1881 | 51 years, 349 days | Mar 4, 1885 | 55 years, 150 days | 624 days (1 year, 259 days) |
Nov 18, 1886 | 57 years, 44 days (20,863 days) |
22 | Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland | Mar 18, 1837 | Mar 4, 1885 | 47 years, 351 days | Mar 4, 1889 | 51 years, 351 days | [lower-alpha 3] (15 years, 112 days) |
5,590 daysJun 24, 1908 | 71 years, 98 days (26,030 days) |
23 | Harrison, BenjaminBenjamin Harrison | Aug 20, 1833 | Mar 4, 1889 | 55 years, 196 days | Mar 4, 1893 | 59 years, 196 days | 2,930 days (8 years, 9 days) |
Mar 13, 1901 | 67 years, 205 days (24,676 days) |
24 | Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland | Mar 18, 1837 | Mar 4, 1893 | 55 years, 351 days | Mar 4, 1897 | 59 years, 351 days | [lower-alpha 3] (15 years, 112 days) |
5,590 daysJun 24, 1908 | 71 years, 98 days (26,030 days) |
25 | McKinley, WilliamWilliam McKinley | Jan 29, 1843 | Mar 4, 1897 | 54 years, 34 days | Sep 14, 1901[lower-alpha 2] | 58 years, 228 days | 0 days | Sep 14, 1901 | 58 years, 228 days (21,412 days) |
26 | Roosevelt, TheodoreTheodore Roosevelt | Oct 27, 1858 | Sep 14, 1901 | 42 years, 322 days | Mar 4, 1909 | 50 years, 128 days | 3,595 days (9 years, 308 days) |
Jan 6, 1919 | 60 years, 71 days (21,985 days) |
27 | Taft, William H.William H. Taft | Sep 15, 1857 | Mar 4, 1909 | 51 years, 170 days | Mar 4, 1913 | 55 years, 170 days | 6,213 days (17 years, 4 days) |
Mar 8, 1930 | 72 years, 174 days (26,471 days) |
28 | Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson | Dec 28, 1856 | Mar 4, 1913 | 56 years, 66 days | Mar 4, 1921 | 64 years, 66 days | 1,066 days (2 years, 336 days) |
Feb 3, 1924 | 67 years, 37 days (24,507 days) |
29 | Harding, Warren G.Warren G. Harding | Nov 2, 1865 | Mar 4, 1921 | 55 years, 122 days | Aug 2, 1923[lower-alpha 2] | 57 years, 273 days | 0 days | Aug 2, 1923 | 57 years, 273 days (21,091 days) |
30 | Coolidge, CalvinCalvin Coolidge | Jul 4, 1872 | Aug 2, 1923 | 51 years, 29 days | Mar 4, 1929 | 56 years, 243 days | 1,403 days (3 years, 307 days) |
Jan 5, 1933 | 60 years, 185 days (22,099 days) |
31 | Hoover, HerbertHerbert Hoover | Aug 10, 1874 | Mar 4, 1929 | 54 years, 206 days | Mar 4, 1933 | 58 years, 206 days | 11,553 days (31 years, 230 days) |
Oct 20, 1964 | 90 years, 71 days (32,943 days) |
32 | Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt | Jan 30, 1882 | Mar 4, 1933 | 51 years, 33 days | Apr 12, 1945[lower-alpha 2] | 63 years, 72 days | 0 days | Apr 12, 1945 | 63 years, 72 days (23,082 days) |
33 | Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman | May 8, 1884 | Apr 12, 1945 | 60 years, 339 days | Jan 20, 1953 | 68 years, 257 days | 7,280 days (19 years, 341 days) |
Dec 26, 1972 | 88 years, 232 days (32,373 days) |
34 | Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower | Oct 14, 1890 | Jan 20, 1953 | 62 years, 98 days | Jan 20, 1961 | 70 years, 98 days | 2,989 days (8 years, 67 days) |
Mar 28, 1969 | 78 years, 165 days (28,654 days) |
35 | Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy | May 29, 1917 | Jan 20, 1961 | 43 years, 236 days | Nov 22, 1963[lower-alpha 2] | 46 years, 177 days | 0 days | Nov 22, 1963 | 46 years, 177 days (16,978 days) |
36 | Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson | Aug 27, 1908 | Nov 22, 1963 | 55 years, 87 days | Jan 20, 1969 | 60 years, 146 days | 1,463 days (4 years, 2 days) |
Jan 22, 1973 | 64 years, 148 days (23,524 days) |
37 | Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon | Jan 9, 1913 | Jan 20, 1969 | 56 years, 11 days | Aug 9, 1974[lower-alpha 4] | 61 years, 212 days | 7,196 days (19 years, 256 days) |
Apr 22, 1994 | 81 years, 103 days (29,688 days) |
38 | Ford, GeraldGerald Ford | Jul 14, 1913 | Aug 9, 1974 | 61 years, 26 days | Jan 20, 1977 | 63 years, 190 days | 10,932 days (29 years, 340 days) |
Dec 26, 2006 | 93 years, 165 days (34,133 days) |
39 | Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter | Oct 1, 1924 | Jan 20, 1977 | 52 years, 111 days | Jan 20, 1981 | 56 years, 111 days | 13,355 days[lower-alpha 5] (36 years, 206 days) |
92 years, 317 days (33,920 days) | |
40 | Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan | Feb 6, 1911 | Jan 20, 1981 | 69 years, 349 days | Jan 20, 1989 | 77 years, 349 days | 5,615 days (15 years, 137 days) |
Jun 5, 2004 | 93 years, 120 days (34,088 days) |
41 | Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush | Jun 12, 1924 | Jan 20, 1989 | 64 years, 222 days | Jan 20, 1993 | 68 years, 222 days | 8,972 days[lower-alpha 5] (24 years, 206 days) |
93 years, 63 days (34,031 days) | |
42 | Clinton, BillBill Clinton | Aug 19, 1946 | Jan 20, 1993 | 46 years, 154 days | Jan 20, 2001 | 54 years, 154 days | 6,050 days[lower-alpha 5] (16 years, 206 days) |
70 years, 360 days (25,928 days) | |
43 | Bush, George W.George W. Bush | Jul 6, 1946 | Jan 20, 2001 | 54 years, 198 days | Jan 20, 2009 | 62 years, 198 days | 3,128 days[lower-alpha 5] (8 years, 206 days) |
71 years, 39 days (25,972 days) | |
44 | Obama, BarackBarack Obama | Aug 4, 1961 | Jan 20, 2009 | 47 years, 169 days | Jan 20, 2017 | 55 years, 169 days | 206 days[lower-alpha 5] | 56 years, 10 days (20,464 days) | |
45 | Trump, DonaldDonald Trump | Jun 14, 1946 | Jan 20, 2017 | 70 years, 220 days | 71 years, 61 days (25,994 days) | ||||
# | President | Birth date | Presidency start date |
Age at start date |
Presidency end date |
Age at end date |
Post-presidency timespan |
Death date | Lifespan |
Notes
Timeline of oldest living presidents
Of the 44 persons who have served as president, 24 have become the oldest such individual of their time. Herbert Hoover became the oldest living president (while still president himself) when Calvin Coolidge died in January 1933, and retained this distinction until his death 31 years later. Lyndon B. Johnson became the oldest living president upon the death of Harry S. Truman in December 1972 but held this distinction for only 27 days.
On three occasions the oldest living president lost this distinction not by his death, but by the election of a president who was older. Theodore Roosevelt (born 1858) lost this distinction when William Taft (born 1857) was inaugurated, then four years later Taft lost it when Woodrow Wilson (born 1856) was inaugurated. More recently, Richard Nixon (born 1913) ceased being the oldest living president when Ronald Reagan (born 1911) was inaugurated. Furthermore, although Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest ever to become both the oldest living president (at age 50) and a former president (at age 51), he was the only living president or former president by the end of his term. Consequently, Taft was the oldest living president twice: first during his presidency (having succeeded the younger Roosevelt), and a second time after Wilson (his successor as president but an older man) died. Gerald Ford was the oldest individual to acquire this distinction at the age of 90.
On seven occasions, the oldest living president has acquired this distinction during his term in office. In the cases of John Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, this happened at the same time as their becoming the only living president; in the cases of Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Harrison, the only other living president at the time was a younger predecessor (John Quincy Adams and Grover Cleveland respectively).
President | Became oldest living president | Ceased to be oldest living president | Age at start date |
Age at end date |
Duration (years, days) |
Duration (days) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington, GeorgeGeorge Washington | April 30, 1789 | December 14, 1799 | 57 years, 67 days | 67 years, 295 days | 10 years, 228 days | 3,880 days |
Adams, JohnJohn Adams | December 14, 1799 | July 4, 1826 | 64 years, 45 days | 90 years, 247 days | 26 years, 202 days | 9,698 days |
Madison, JamesJames Madison | July 4, 1826 | June 28, 1836 | 75 years, 110 days | 85 years, 104 days | 9 years, 360 days | 3,647 days |
Jackson, AndrewAndrew Jackson | June 28, 1836 | June 8, 1845 | 69 years, 105 days | 78 years, 85 days | 8 years, 345 days | 3,267 days |
Adams, John QuincyJohn Quincy Adams | June 8, 1845 | February 23, 1848 | 77 years, 332 days | 80 years, 227 days | 2 years, 260 days | 990 days |
Van Buren, MartinMartin Van Buren | February 23, 1848 | July 24, 1862 | 65 years, 80 days | 79 years, 231 days | 14 years, 151 days | 5,265 days |
Buchanan, JamesJames Buchanan | July 24, 1862 | June 1, 1868 | 71 years, 92 days | 77 years, 39 days | 5 years, 313 days | 2,139 days |
Fillmore, MillardMillard Fillmore | June 1, 1868 | March 8, 1874 | 68 years, 146 days | 74 years, 60 days | 5 years, 280 days | 2,106 days |
Johnson, AndrewAndrew Johnson | March 8, 1874 | July 31, 1875 | 65 years, 69 days | 66 years, 214 days | 1 year, 145 days | 510 days |
Grant, Ulysses S.Ulysses S. Grant | July 31, 1875 | July 23, 1885 | 53 years, 95 days | 63 years, 87 days | 9 years, 357 days | 3,645 days |
Hayes, Rutherford B.Rutherford B. Hayes | July 23, 1885 | January 17, 1893 | 62 years, 292 days | 70 years, 105 days | 7 years, 178 days | 2,735 days |
Harrison, BenjaminBenjamin Harrison | January 17, 1893 | March 13, 1901 | 59 years, 150 days | 67 years, 205 days | 8 years, 55 days | 2,976 days |
Cleveland, GroverGrover Cleveland | March 13, 1901 | June 24, 1908 | 63 years, 360 days | 71 years, 98 days | 7 years, 103 days | 2,660 days |
Roosevelt, TheodoreTheodore Roosevelt | June 24, 1908 | March 4, 1909 | 49 years, 241 days | 50 years, 128 days | 253 days | 253 days |
Taft, William HowardWilliam Howard Taft | March 4, 1909 | March 4, 1913 | 51 years, 170 days | 55 years, 170 days | 4 years, 0 days | 1,461 days |
Wilson, WoodrowWoodrow Wilson | March 4, 1913 | February 3, 1924 | 56 years, 66 days | 67 years, 37 days | 10 years, 336 days | 3,988 days |
Taft, William HowardWilliam Howard Taft | February 3, 1924 | March 8, 1930 | 66 years, 141 days | 72 years, 174 days | 6 years, 33 days | 2,225 days |
Coolidge, CalvinCalvin Coolidge | March 8, 1930 | January 5, 1933 | 57 years, 247 days | 60 years, 185 days | 2 years, 303 days | 1,034 days |
Hoover, HerbertHerbert Hoover | January 5, 1933 | October 20, 1964 | 58 years, 148 days | 90 years, 71 days | 31 years, 289 days | 11,611 days |
Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman | October 20, 1964 | December 26, 1972 | 80 years, 165 days | 88 years, 232 days | 8 years, 67 days | 2,989 days |
Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson | December 26, 1972 | January 22, 1973 | 64 years, 121 days | 64 years, 148 days | 27 days | 27 days |
Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon | January 22, 1973 | January 20, 1981 | 60 years, 13 days | 68 years, 11 days | 7 years, 364 days | 2,920 days |
Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan | January 20, 1981 | June 5, 2004 | 69 years, 349 days | 93 years, 120 days | 23 years, 137 days | 8,537 days |
Ford, GeraldGerald Ford | June 5, 2004 | December 26, 2006 | 90 years, 327 days | 93 years, 165 days | 2 years, 204 days | 934 days |
Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush | December 26, 2006 | Current | 82 years, 197 days | Current | 10 years, 231 days | 3,884 days |
President | Became oldest living president | Ceased to be oldest living president | Age at start date |
Age at end date |
Duration (years, days) |
Duration (days) |
Sources
- Frank Freidel and Hugh S. Sidey, "The Presidents of the United States". The White House.
- Robert S. Summers, "POTUS: Presidents of the United States". Internet Public Library.