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. Where the president is still living, their lifespan is calculated up to February 10, 2021. 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 president
Age of presidents when assuming office approximately follows a bell curve

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 104.5 days, which falls midway between how old Lyndon B. Johnson was in 1963 and Warren G. Harding was in 1921.

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, Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest to become 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 is older now than Reagan was when he left office.[2][4]

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).

James K. Polk had the shortest retirement of any president, dying barely three months after leaving office.[7] Jimmy Carter's retirement, now 40 years, is the longest in American presidential history. At age 96, Jimmy Carter is also the oldest living president[2] as well as the nation's longest-lived president.[8] The youngest living president is Barack Obama, age 59. Altogether, six U.S. presidents have lived into their 90s.[9] 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 2001.[10][11] The six nonagenarian presidents, arranged by lifespan are:

# President Born Age at
start of presidency		 Age at
end of presidency		 Post-presidency
timespan		 Lifespan
DiedAge
01 George Washington Feb 22, 1732[lower-alpha 1] 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
02 John Adams Oct 30, 1735[lower-alpha 1] 61 years, 125 days
Mar 4, 1797		 65 years, 125 days
Mar 4, 1801		 25 years, 122 days July 5, 1826Jul 4, 1826 90 years, 247 days
03 Thomas Jefferson Apr 13, 1743[lower-alpha 1] 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
04 James Madison Mar 16, 1751[lower-alpha 1] 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
05 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
06 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
07 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
08 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
09 William Henry Harrison Feb 9, 1773 68 years, 23 days
Mar 4, 1841		 68 years, 54 days
Apr 4, 1841		 00,0010 days[lower-alpha 2] 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		 00,0030 days[lower-alpha 2] 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		 00,0060 days[lower-alpha 2] 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		 00,0020 days[lower-alpha 2] 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[lower-alpha 3] 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[lower-alpha 4] 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		 00,0070 days[lower-alpha 2] 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		 00,0040 days[lower-alpha 2] 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		 00,0080 days[lower-alpha 2] 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		 00,0050 days[lower-alpha 2] 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[lower-alpha 5]		 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		 40 years, 21 days 2021-02-10(living) 96 years, 132 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		 20 years, 21 days 2021-02-10(living) 74 years, 175 days
43 George W. Bush Jul 6, 1946 54 years, 198 days
Jan 20, 2001		 62 years, 198 days
Jan 20, 2009		 12 years, 21 days 2021-02-10(living) 74 years, 219 days
44 Barack Obama Aug 4, 1961 47 years, 169 days
Jan 20, 2009		 55 years, 169 days
Jan 20, 2017		 4 years, 21 days 2021-02-10(living) 59 years, 190 days
45 Donald Trump Jun 14, 1946 70 years, 220 days
Jan 20, 2017		 74 years, 220 days
Jan 20, 2021		 21 days 2021-02-10(living) 74 years, 241 days
46 Joe Biden Nov 20, 1942 78 years, 61 days
Jan 20, 2021		 78 years, 82 days(incumbent) (incumbent) 2021-02-10(living) 78 years, 82 days
# President Born Age at
start of presidency		 Age at
end of presidency		 Post-presidency
timespan		 DiedAge
Lifespan

Notes
  1. Birthdate as changed to New Style.
  2. Died in office.
  3. Cleveland was president for 2 nonconsecutive terms; this is his first post presidential retirement between his terms (1889–1893).
  4. Cleveland was president for 2 nonconsecutive terms; this is his post presidency retirement counting only from after his second term (1897–1908).
  5. Resigned from office.

Oldest living
See also: Living presidents of the United States

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 (though Taft later regained the honor, as he outlived Wilson); and Richard Nixon (born 1913) to Ronald Reagan (born 1911) in 1981.

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.

List of US Presidents who held the title of oldest living president

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 96 years, 132 days (living) 2 years, 72 days
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.

Joe BidenDonald TrumpBarack ObamaGeorge W. BushBill ClintonGeorge H. W. BushRonald ReaganJimmy CarterGerald FordRichard NixonLyndon B. JohnsonJohn F. KennedyDwight D. EisenhowerHarry S. TrumanFranklin D. RooseveltHerbert HooverCalvin CoolidgeWarren G. HardingWoodrow WilsonWilliam Howard TaftTheodore RooseveltWilliam McKinleyBenjamin HarrisonGrover ClevelandChester A. ArthurJames A. GarfieldRutherford B. HayesUlysses S. GrantAndrew JohnsonAbraham LincolnJames BuchananFranklin PierceMillard FillmoreZachary TaylorJames K. PolkJohn TylerWilliam Henry HarrisonMartin Van BurenAndrew JacksonJohn Quincy AdamsJames MonroeJames MadisonThomas JeffersonJohn AdamsGeorge Washington

The following chart shows presidents by their age (living presidents in green), with the years of their presidency in blue.

References

  1. McCarthy, Niall (November 9, 2020). "Biden Set To Become The Oldest President In U.S. History". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. "John F. Kennedy". whitehousehistory.org. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  4. Merrill, Dave; Caronello, Sophie (January 19, 2021). "Biden to Become Oldest President Ever at Inauguration". bloomberg.com. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  5. Merelli, Annalisa (January 20, 2021). "What happens if Joe Biden dies in office?". qz.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. Shank, Richard (January 10, 2019). "Theodore Roosevelt remains a giant among presidents". The Hutchinson News. Hutchinson, Kansas. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  7. "James Polk". biography.com. A&E Television Networks. October 24, 2019 [April 2, 2014]. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. Raymond, Jonathan (January 20, 2021). "Jimmy Carter, unable to make inauguration, saluted by President Biden in remarks". 11alive.com. Atlanta, Georgia: WXIA-TV. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  9. 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.
  10. "Reagan longest-living former president". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. October 12, 2001. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  11. "Ronald Reagan Post-Presidency Chronology". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 13, 2018.

Sources

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