List of presidents of the United States by age

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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 25, 2021.

Age of presidents[]

Age of presidents when assuming office

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]

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]

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 40 years, is the longest in American presidential history. At age 97, 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 60. 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, on October 11, 2001.[11][12][13] The six nonagenarian presidents, arranged by lifespan, are:

Presidential age-related data[]

No. President Born Age at
start of presidency 		Age at
end of presidency 		Post-presidency
timespan 		Lifespan
Died Age
01 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
02 John Adams Oct 30, 1735[a] 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[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
04 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
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[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 		00,0030 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 		00,0060 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 		00,0020 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 		00,0070 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 		00,0040 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 		00,0080 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 		00,0050 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 		40 years, 339 days 2021-12-25(living) 97 years, 85 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, 339 days 2021-12-25(living) 75 years, 128 days
43 George W. Bush Jul 6, 1946 54 years, 198 days
Jan 20, 2001 		62 years, 198 days
Jan 20, 2009 		12 years, 339 days 2021-12-25(living) 75 years, 172 days
44 Barack Obama Aug 4, 1961 47 years, 169 days
Jan 20, 2009 		55 years, 169 days
Jan 20, 2017 		4 years, 339 days 2021-12-25(living) 60 years, 143 days
45 Donald Trump Jun 14, 1946 70 years, 220 days
Jan 20, 2017 		74 years, 220 days
Jan 20, 2021 		339 days 2021-12-25(living) 75 years, 194 days
46 Joe Biden Nov 20, 1942 78 years, 61 days
Jan 20, 2021 		79 years, 35 days(incumbent) (incumbent) 2021-12-25(living) 79 years, 35 days
# President Born Age at
start of presidency 		Age at
end of presidency 		Post-presidency
timespan 		Died Age
Lifespan

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c d Birthdate as changed to New Style.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Died in office
  3. ^ Cleveland was president for two non-consecutive terms; this is his first post-presidential retirement, between his terms (1889–1893).
  4. ^ Cleveland was president for two non-consecutive terms; this is his post-presidential retirement, after his second term (1897–1908).
  5. ^ 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.

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. ^ a b c McCarthy, Niall (November 9, 2020). "Biden Set To Become The Oldest President In U.S. History". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. ^ 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. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "John F. Kennedy". whitehousehistory.org. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Shank, Richard (January 10, 2019). "Theodore Roosevelt remains a giant among presidents". The Hutchinson News. Hutchinson, Kansas. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "James Polk". biography.com. A&E Television Networks. October 24, 2019 [April 2, 2014]. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Reagan longest-living former president". Deseret News. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  12. ^ "Ronald Reagan Post-Presidency Chronology". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  13. ^ "Reagan One For the Ages". New York Post. October 12, 2001. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.

Sources[]

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