List of presidents of the United States by age
In this list of presidents of the United States by age, the first table charts the age of each president of the United States 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 and post-presidency timespan are calculated up to May 8, 2023.
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 104.5 days, which falls midway between how old Warren G. Harding was in 1921 and Lyndon B. Johnson was in 1963.
The youngest person to become U.S. president was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at age 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley.[1] The youngest at the time of their election to the office was John F. Kennedy, at age 43.[3] The oldest person elected president was Joe Biden, the nation's current president, at age 77. Biden celebrated a birthday between Election Day and Inauguration Day so he was 78 when sworn into office.[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 fall upon Joe Biden,[2][4] who is currently 80.
James K. Polk had the shortest retirement of any president, dying 3 months after leaving office at age 53 (the youngest president to die of natural causes).[7] Jimmy Carter's retirement, now 42 years, is the longest in American presidential history. At age 98, 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 61.
| 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 | 42 years, 108 days | (living) | 98 years, 219 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 | 22 years, 108 days | (living) | 76 years, 262 days |
| 43 | George W. Bush | Jul 6, 1946 | 54 years, 198 days Jan 20, 2001 | 62 years, 198 days Jan 20, 2009 | 14 years, 108 days | (living) | 76 years, 306 days |
| 44 | Barack Obama | Aug 4, 1961 | 47 years, 169 days Jan 20, 2009 | 55 years, 169 days Jan 20, 2017 | 6 years, 108 days | (living) | 61 years, 277 days |
| 45 | Donald Trump | Jun 14, 1946 | 70 years, 220 days Jan 20, 2017 | 74 years, 220 days Jan 20, 2021 | 2 years, 108 days | (living) | 76 years, 328 days |
| 46 | Joe Biden | Nov 20, 1942 | 78 years, 61 days Jan 20, 2021 | (incumbent) | (incumbent) | (living) | 80 years, 169 days |
| # | President | Born | Age at start of presidency | Age at end of presidency | Post-presidency timespan | Died | Age |
| Lifespan | |||||||
Notes
- ^ a b c d Birthdate as changed to New Style.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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.
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. The vertical blue line at 35 years indicates the minimum age to be president.
References
- ^ a b c McCarthy, Niall (November 9, 2020). "Biden Set To Become The Oldest President In U.S. History". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c Diaz, Johnny (January 18, 2021) [Updated January 20, 2021]. "Biden Is the Oldest President to Take the Oath". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "John F. Kennedy". whitehousehistory.org. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ a b Merrill, Dave; Caronello, Sophie (January 19, 2021). "Biden to Become Oldest President Ever at Inauguration". Bloomberg News. 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. 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.
- ^ "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.
Sources
- Frank Freidel and Hugh S. Sidey, "The Presidents of the United States". The White House.
- Robert S. Summers, . Internet Public Library.