List of the 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. Where the president is still living, their lifespan is calculated up to December 19, 2022. 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 the oldest living.
Age of presidents
The median age at inauguration of incoming U.S. presidents is 55 years.[1][2] The specific years and days median is 55 years and 355 days, which falls midway between how old Grover Cleveland was in 1893 and Richard Nixon was in 1969.
The youngest person to assume the presidency was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at the age of 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley.[1] The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43.[3] The oldest person to assume the presidency was Joe Biden, who took the presidential oath of office two months after turning 78.[1][4]
Assassinated at age 46, John F. Kennedy was the youngest president at the end of his tenure, and his lifespan was the shortest of any president.[3][5] At age 50, Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person to become a former president.[6] The oldest president at the end of his tenure was Ronald Reagan at 77; this distinction will eventually devolve upon Joe Biden, who was older when he took office than Reagan was when he left office.[2][4]Upon turning age 80, Joe Biden is now America’s first octogenarian president.[7]
The president born after the greatest number of his successors is John F. Kennedy. He was born after four of his successors: Lyndon B. Johnson (8 years, 9 months, and 2 days); Ronald Reagan (6 years, 3 months, and 23 days); Richard Nixon (4 years, 4 months, and 16 days); and Gerald Ford (3 years, 10 months, and 15 days). On the other extreme, Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden were each born before four of their predecessors. Reagan was born before Richard Nixon (1 year, 11 months, and 7 days), Gerald Ford (2 years, 5 months, and 8 days), John F. Kennedy (6 years, 3 months, and 23 days), and Jimmy Carter (13 years, 7 months, and 25 days). Biden was born before Donald Trump (3 years, 6 months, and 25 days); George W. Bush (3 years, 7 months, and 16 days); Bill Clinton (3 years, 8 months, and 30 days); and Barack Obama (18 years, 8 months, and 15 days).[7]
Jimmy Carter‘s retirement, currently 43 years, is the longest in American presidential history. Additionally, at age 100, Carter is the oldest of the six living U.S. presidents,[2] the nation’s longest-lived former president,[8] and the first-ever president to be a centenarian.[9] James K. Polk had the shortest retirement of any president, dying barely three months after leaving office at age 53 (the youngest president to die of natural causes).[8] Jimmy Carter’s retirement, now 42 years, is the longest in American presidential history. At age 100, Jimmy Carter is also the oldest living president[2] as well as the nation’s longest-lived president.[9] The youngest living president is Barack Obama, age 62. Altogether, six U.S. presidents have lived into their 90s.[10] The first to do so, John Adams, was the longest-lived president for nearly two centuries, from 1803 until Ronald Reagan surpassed his lifespan, in October 12, 2001.[11][12][13] The five nonagenarian presidents, and first centenarian arranged by lifespan are:
No. | President | Born | Age at start of presidency |
Age at end of presidency |
Post-presidency timespan |
Lifespan | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Died | Age | ||||||
1 | George Washington | Feb 22, 1732[a] | 57 years, 67 days Apr 30, 1789 |
65 years, 10 days Mar 4, 1797 |
2 years, 285 days | Dec 14, 1799 | 67 years, 295 days |
2 | John Adams | Oct 30, 1735[a] | 61 years, 125 days Mar 4, 1797 |
65 years, 125 days Mar 4, 1801 |
25 years, 122 days | Jul 4, 1826 | 90 years, 247 days |
3 | Thomas Jefferson | Apr 13, 1743[a] | 57 years, 325 days Mar 4, 1801 |
65 years, 325 days Mar 4, 1809 |
17 years, 122 days | Jul 4, 1826 | 83 years, 82 days |
4 | James Madison | Mar 16, 1751[a] | 57 years, 353 days Mar 4, 1809 |
65 years, 353 days Mar 4, 1817 |
19 years, 116 days | Jun 28, 1836 | 85 years, 104 days |
5 | James Monroe | Apr 28, 1758 | 58 years, 310 days Mar 4, 1817 |
66 years, 310 days Mar 4, 1825 |
6 years, 122 days | Jul 4, 1831 | 73 years, 67 days |
6 | John Quincy Adams | Jul 11, 1767 | 57 years, 236 days Mar 4, 1825 |
61 years, 236 days Mar 4, 1829 |
18 years, 356 days | Feb 23, 1848 | 80 years, 227 days |
7 | Andrew Jackson | Mar 15, 1767 | 61 years, 354 days Mar 4, 1829 |
69 years, 354 days Mar 4, 1837 |
8 years, 96 days | Jun 8, 1845 | 78 years, 85 days |
8 | Martin Van Buren | Dec 5, 1782 | 54 years, 89 days Mar 4, 1837 |
58 years, 89 days Mar 4, 1841 |
21 years, 142 days | Jul 24, 1862 | 79 years, 231 days |
9 | William Henry Harrison | Feb 9, 1773 | 68 years, 23 days Mar 4, 1841 |
68 years, 54 days Apr 4, 1841 |
0 days[b] | Apr 4, 1841 | 68 years, 54 days |
10 | John Tyler | Mar 29, 1790 | 51 years, 6 days Apr 4, 1841 |
54 years, 340 days Mar 4, 1845 |
16 years, 320 days | Jan 18, 1862 | 71 years, 295 days |
11 | James K. Polk | Nov 2, 1795 | 49 years, 122 days Mar 4, 1845 |
53 years, 122 days Mar 4, 1849 |
103 days | Jun 15, 1849 | 53 years, 225 days |
12 | Zachary Taylor | Nov 24, 1784 | 64 years, 100 days Mar 4, 1849 |
65 years, 227 days Jul 9, 1850 |
0 days[b] | Jul 9, 1850 | 65 years, 227 days |
13 | Millard Fillmore | Jan 7, 1800 | 50 years, 183 days Jul 9, 1850 |
53 years, 56 days Mar 4, 1853 |
21 years, 4 days | Mar 8, 1874 | 74 years, 60 days |
14 | Franklin Pierce | Nov 23, 1804 | 48 years, 101 days Mar 4, 1853 |
52 years, 101 days Mar 4, 1857 |
12 years, 218 days | Oct 8, 1869 | 64 years, 319 days |
15 | James Buchanan | Apr 23, 1791 | 65 years, 315 days Mar 4, 1857 |
69 years, 315 days Mar 4, 1861 |
7 years, 89 days | Jun 1, 1868 | 77 years, 39 days |
16 | Abraham Lincoln | Feb 12, 1809 | 52 years, 20 days Mar 4, 1861 |
56 years, 62 days Apr 15, 1865 |
0 days[b] | Apr 15, 1865 | 56 years, 62 days |
17 | Andrew Johnson | Dec 29, 1808 | 56 years, 107 days Apr 15, 1865 |
60 years, 65 days Mar 4, 1869 |
6 years, 149 days | Jul 31, 1875 | 66 years, 214 days |
18 | Ulysses S. Grant | Apr 27, 1822 | 46 years, 311 days Mar 4, 1869 |
54 years, 311 days Mar 4, 1877 |
8 years, 141 days | Jul 23, 1885 | 63 years, 87 days |
19 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Oct 4, 1822 | 54 years, 151 days Mar 4, 1877 |
58 years, 151 days Mar 4, 1881 |
11 years, 319 days | Jan 17, 1893 | 70 years, 105 days |
20 | James A. Garfield | Nov 19, 1831 | 49 years, 105 days Mar 4, 1881 |
49 years, 304 days Sep 19, 1881 |
0 days[b] | Sep 19, 1881 | 49 years, 304 days |
21 | Chester A. Arthur | Oct 5, 1829 | 51 years, 349 days Sep 19, 1881 |
55 years, 150 days Mar 4, 1885 |
1 year, 259 days | Nov 18, 1886 | 57 years, 44 days |
22 | Grover Cleveland | Mar 18, 1837 | 47 years, 351 days Mar 4, 1885 |
51 years, 351 days Mar 4, 1889 |
4 years, 0 days[c] | Jun 24, 1908 | 71 years, 98 days |
23 | Benjamin Harrison | Aug 20, 1833 | 55 years, 196 days Mar 4, 1889 |
59 years, 196 days Mar 4, 1893 |
8 years, 9 days | Mar 13, 1901 | 67 years, 205 days |
24 | Grover Cleveland | Mar 18, 1837 | 55 years, 351 days Mar 4, 1893 |
59 years, 351 days Mar 4, 1897 |
11 years, 112 days[d] | Jun 24, 1908 | 71 years, 98 days |
25 | William McKinley | Jan 29, 1843 | 54 years, 34 days Mar 4, 1897 |
58 years, 228 days Sep 14, 1901 |
0 days[b] | Sep 14, 1901 | 58 years, 228 days |
26 | Theodore Roosevelt | Oct 27, 1858 | 42 years, 322 days Sep 14, 1901 |
50 years, 128 days Mar 4, 1909 |
9 years, 308 days | Jan 6, 1919 | 60 years, 71 days |
27 | William Howard Taft | Sep 15, 1857 | 51 years, 170 days Mar 4, 1909 |
55 years, 170 days Mar 4, 1913 |
17 years, 4 days | Mar 8, 1930 | 72 years, 174 days |
28 | Woodrow Wilson | Dec 28, 1856 | 56 years, 66 days Mar 4, 1913 |
64 years, 66 days Mar 4, 1921 |
2 years, 336 days | Feb 3, 1924 | 67 years, 37 days |
29 | Warren G. Harding | Nov 2, 1865 | 55 years, 122 days Mar 4, 1921 |
57 years, 273 days Aug 2, 1923 |
0 days[b] | Aug 2, 1923 | 57 years, 273 days |
30 | Calvin Coolidge | Jul 4, 1872 | 51 years, 29 days Aug 2, 1923 |
56 years, 243 days Mar 4, 1929 |
3 years, 307 days | Jan 5, 1933 | 60 years, 185 days |
31 | Herbert Hoover | Aug 10, 1874 | 54 years, 206 days Mar 4, 1929 |
58 years, 206 days Mar 4, 1933 |
31 years, 230 days | Oct 20, 1964 | 90 years, 71 days |
32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Jan 30, 1882 | 51 years, 33 days Mar 4, 1933 |
63 years, 72 days Apr 12, 1945 |
0 days[b] | Apr 12, 1945 | 63 years, 72 days |
33 | Harry S. Truman | May 8, 1884 | 60 years, 339 days Apr 12, 1945 |
68 years, 257 days Jan 20, 1953 |
19 years, 341 days | Dec 26, 1972 | 88 years, 232 days |
34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Oct 14, 1890 | 62 years, 98 days Jan 20, 1953 |
70 years, 98 days Jan 20, 1961 |
8 years, 67 days | Mar 28, 1969 | 78 years, 165 days |
35 | John F. Kennedy | May 29, 1917 | 43 years, 236 days Jan 20, 1961 |
46 years, 177 days Nov 22, 1963 |
0 days[b] | Nov 22, 1963 | 46 years, 177 days |
36 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Aug 27, 1908 | 55 years, 87 days Nov 22, 1963 |
60 years, 146 days Jan 20, 1969 |
4 years, 2 days | Jan 22, 1973 | 64 years, 148 days |
37 | Richard Nixon | Jan 9, 1913 | 56 years, 11 days Jan 20, 1969 |
61 years, 212 days Aug 9, 1974[e] |
19 years, 256 days | Apr 22, 1994 | 81 years, 103 days |
38 | Gerald Ford | Jul 14, 1913 | 61 years, 26 days Aug 9, 1974 |
63 years, 190 days Jan 20, 1977 |
29 years, 340 days | Dec 26, 2006 | 93 years, 165 days |
39 | Jimmy Carter | Oct 1, 1924 | 52 years, 111 days Jan 20, 1977 |
56 years, 111 days Jan 20, 1981 |
41 years, 333 days | (living) | 100 years, 3 days |
40 | Ronald Reagan | Feb 6, 1911 | 69 years, 349 days Jan 20, 1981 |
77 years, 349 days Jan 20, 1989 |
15 years, 137 days | Jun 5, 2004 | 93 years, 120 days |
41 | George H. W. Bush | Jun 12, 1924 | 64 years, 222 days Jan 20, 1989 |
68 years, 222 days Jan 20, 1993 |
25 years, 314 days | Nov 30, 2018 | 94 years, 171 days |
42 | Bill Clinton | Aug 19, 1946 | 46 years, 154 days Jan 20, 1993 |
54 years, 154 days Jan 20, 2001 |
21 years, 333 days | (living) | 77 years, 64 days |
43 | George W. Bush | Jul 6, 1946 | 54 years, 198 days Jan 20, 2001 |
62 years, 198 days Jan 20, 2009 |
13 years, 333 days | (living) | 77 years, 108 days |
44 | Barack Obama | Aug 4, 1961 | 47 years, 169 days Jan 20, 2009 |
55 years, 169 days Jan 20, 2017 |
5 years, 333 days | (living) | 62 years, 79 days |
45 | Donald Trump | Jun 14, 1946 | 70 years, 220 days Jan 20, 2017 |
74 years, 220 days Jan 20, 2021 |
1 year, 333 days | (living) | 78 years, 114 days |
46 | Joe Biden | Nov 20, 1942 | 78 years, 61 days Jan 20, 2021 |
(incumbent) | (incumbent) | (living) | 81 years, 321 days |
# | President | Born | Age at start of presidency |
Age at end of presidency |
Post-presidency timespan |
Died | Age |
Lifespan |
Notes
- Birthdate as changed to New Style.
- Died in office
- Cleveland was president for two non-consecutive terms; this is his first post-presidential retirement, between his terms (1889–1893).
- Cleveland was president for two non-consecutive terms; this is his post-presidential retirement, after his second term (1897–1908).
- Resigned from office.
Oldest living
Of the 45 people who have served as president, 25 have become the oldest such individual of their time, with one, William Howard Taft, doing so twice. Herbert Hoover held the distinction for the longest period of any, from the death of Calvin Coolidge in January 1933 until his own death 31 years later. Lyndon B. Johnson held it for the shortest, from the death of Harry S. Truman in December 1972 until his own death only 27 days later. Theodore Roosevelt, at age 49, is the youngest individual to become the oldest living president; Jimmy Carter became the oldest to acquire the distinction at age 94. Nine of these individuals have also had the distinction of being the oldest living U.S. vice president: John Adams, Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush.
On three occasions the oldest living president lost the distinction not by his death, but by the inauguration of a president who was older: Theodore Roosevelt (born 1858) to William Howard Taft (born 1857) in 1909; Taft to Woodrow Wilson (born 1856) in 1913; and Richard Nixon (born 1913) to Ronald Reagan (born 1911) in 1981. Among them, Taft eventually regained the status, as he outlived Wilson.
Eleven presidents have held the distinction while in office. In the cases of George Washington, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Ronald Reagan, this occurred upon their inauguration as they were older than their living predecessors (or, in Washington’s case, had no predecessors). 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. By contrast, the president who acquired the distinction furthest from his time in office was Jimmy Carter, who had been retired for 37 years, 314 days when he became the oldest living president, upon the death of George H. W. Bush.
President | Date range | Age at start | Age at end / current age | Duration |
---|---|---|---|---|
George Washington | April 30, 1789* – December 14, 1799 | 57 years, 67 days | 67 years, 295 days | 10 years, 228 days |
John Adams | December 14, 1799 – July 4, 1826 | 64 years, 45 days | 90 years, 247 days | 26 years, 202 days |
James Madison | July 4, 1826 – June 28, 1836 | 75 years, 110 days | 85 years, 104 days | 9 years, 360 days |
Andrew Jackson | June 28, 1836 – June 8, 1845 | 69 years, 105 days | 78 years, 85 days | 8 years, 345 days |
John Quincy Adams | June 8, 1845 – February 23, 1848 | 77 years, 332 days | 80 years, 227 days | 2 years, 260 days |
Martin Van Buren | February 23, 1848 – July 24, 1862 | 65 years, 80 days | 79 years, 231 days | 14 years, 151 days |
James Buchanan | July 24, 1862 – June 1, 1868 | 71 years, 92 days | 77 years, 39 days | 5 years, 313 days |
Millard Fillmore | June 1, 1868 – March 8, 1874 | 68 years, 146 days | 74 years, 60 days | 5 years, 280 days |
Andrew Johnson | March 8, 1874 – July 31, 1875 | 65 years, 69 days | 66 years, 214 days | 1 year, 145 days |
Ulysses S. Grant | July 31, 1875 – July 23, 1885 | 53 years, 95 days | 63 years, 87 days | 9 years, 357 days |
Rutherford B. Hayes | July 23, 1885 – January 17, 1893 | 62 years, 292 days | 70 years, 105 days | 7 years, 178 days |
Benjamin Harrison | January 17, 1893 – March 13, 1901 | 59 years, 150 days | 67 years, 205 days | 8 years, 55 days |
Grover Cleveland | March 13, 1901 – June 24, 1908 | 63 years, 360 days | 71 years, 98 days | 7 years, 103 days |
Theodore Roosevelt | June 24, 1908 – March 4, 1909* | 49 years, 241 days | 50 years, 128 days | 253 days |
William Howard Taft | March 4, 1909* – March 4, 1913* | 51 years, 170 days | 55 years, 170 days | 4 years, 0 days |
Woodrow Wilson | March 4, 1913* – February 3, 1924 | 56 years, 66 days | 67 years, 37 days | 10 years, 336 days |
William Howard Taft | February 3, 1924 – March 8, 1930 | 66 years, 141 days | 72 years, 174 days | 6 years, 33 days |
Calvin Coolidge | March 8, 1930 – January 5, 1933 | 57 years, 247 days | 60 years, 185 days | 2 years, 303 days |
Herbert Hoover | January 5, 1933 – October 20, 1964 | 58 years, 148 days | 90 years, 71 days | 31 years, 289 days |
Harry S. Truman | October 20, 1964 – December 26, 1972 | 80 years, 165 days | 88 years, 232 days | 8 years, 67 days |
Lyndon B. Johnson | December 26, 1972 – January 22, 1973 | 64 years, 121 days | 64 years, 148 days | 27 days |
Richard Nixon | January 22, 1973 – January 20, 1981* | 60 years, 13 days | 68 years, 11 days | 7 years, 364 days |
Ronald Reagan | January 20, 1981* – June 5, 2004 | 69 years, 349 days | 93 years, 120 days | 23 years, 137 days |
Gerald Ford | June 5, 2004 – December 26, 2006 | 90 years, 327 days | 93 years, 165 days | 2 years, 204 days |
George H. W. Bush | December 26, 2006 – November 30, 2018 | 82 years, 197 days | 94 years, 171 days | 11 years, 339 days |
Jimmy Carter | November 30, 2018 – present | 94 years, 60 days | 99 years, 226 days (living) | (living) |
President | Date range | Age at start | Age at end / Current age | Duration |
* Green text and an asterisk mark the inauguration date of a president older than any living ex-president. Other dates are the deaths of the then-oldest president. |
Graphical representation
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the presidents of the United States. They are listed in order of office, with Grover Cleveland listed in the order of his first presidency.
The following chart shows presidents by their age (living presidents in green), with the years of their presidency in blue.
References
- McCarthy, Niall (November 9, 2020). “Biden Set To Become The Oldest President In U.S. History”. Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- Diaz, Johnny (January 18, 2021) [Updated January 20, 2021]. “Biden Is the Oldest President to Take the Oath”. The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- “John F. Kennedy”. whitehousehistory.org. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- Merrill, Dave; Caronello, Sophie (January 19, 2021). “Biden to Become Oldest President Ever at Inauguration”. Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- Merelli, Annalisa (January 20, 2021). “What happens if Joe Biden dies in office?”. Quartz. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- Shank, Richard (January 10, 2019). “Theodore Roosevelt remains a giant among presidents”. The Hutchinson News. Hutchinson, Kansas. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- “Joe Biden is old. But how old compared to other leaders?”. Tampa Bay Times. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- “James Polk”. biography.com. A&E Television Networks. October 24, 2019 [April 2, 2014]. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- Raymond, Jonathan (January 20, 2021). “Jimmy Carter, unable to make inauguration, saluted by President Biden in remarks”. WXIA-TV. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- Feinman, Ronald L. (November 6, 2015). “Presidents and Vice Presidents Who Lived Into Their 90s in American History”. The Progressive Professor. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- “Reagan longest-living former president”. Deseret News. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- “Ronald Reagan Post-Presidency Chronology”. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- “REAGAN ONE FOR THE AGES”. New York Post. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
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.