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 January 3, 2025. 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 upon accession to the presidency is 55 years and 354 days. This falls midway between how old Grover Cleveland ( at his second inauguration) and Richard Nixon () were at the time each was sworn in as president.

The youngest person to assume the presidency was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at the age of , succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was , at his inauguration. The oldest person to assume the presidency was Joe Biden, at the age of , on Inauguration Day; he simultaneously became the oldest person ever to serve as the nation's president.

Assassinated at age , John F. Kennedy is the president with the shortest lifespan and the youngest president to depart from office. The youngest president to leave office at the conclusion of a normal transition was Theodore Roosevelt (age ). The oldest president to leave office was Ronald Reagan (age ); this distinction will eventually devolve upon Joe Biden.

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 (); Ronald Reagan (); Richard Nixon (); and Gerald Ford (). On the other extreme, Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden were each born before four of their predecessors. Reagan was born before Richard Nixon (), Gerald Ford (), John F. Kennedy (), and Jimmy Carter (). Biden was born before Donald Trump (); George W. Bush (); Bill Clinton (); and Barack Obama ().

The oldest living president is Jimmy Carter, born October 1, 1924 (age ). On March 22, 2019, he also became the nation's longest-lived president, surpassing the lifespan of George H. W. Bush, who died at the age of . Additionally, Carter has had the longest post-presidency, now lasting . The youngest living president is Barack Obama, born August 4, 1961 (age ). The shortest-lived president who died of natural causes was James K. Polk, who died of cholera at the age of —103 days after he left office.

Six presidents have lived into their 90s. 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. The six nonagenarian presidents, arranged by lifespan:

• 

  Jimmy Carter
  Born October 1, 1924
  (age )
• 

  George H. W. Bush
  June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018
  (aged )
• 

  Gerald Ford
  July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006
  (aged )
• 

  Ronald Reagan
  February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004
  (aged )
• 

  John Adams
  October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826
  (aged )
• 

  Herbert Hoover
  August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964
  (aged )

Presidential age-related data

#	President	Born	Age at start of presidency	Age at end of presidency	Post-presidency timespan	Lifespan
						Died	Age
01	George Washington	Feb 22, 1732	Apr 30, 1789	Mar 4, 1797		Dec 14, 1799
02	John Adams	Oct 30, 1735	Mar 4, 1797	Mar 4, 1801		July 5, 1826Jul 4, 1826
03	Thomas Jefferson	Apr 13, 1743	Mar 4, 1801	Mar 4, 1809		Jul 4, 1826
04	James Madison	Mar 16, 1751	Mar 4, 1809	Mar 4, 1817		Jun 28, 1836
05	James Monroe	Apr 28, 1758	Mar 4, 1817	Mar 4, 1825		Jul 4, 1831
06	John Quincy Adams	Jul 11, 1767	Mar 4, 1825	Mar 4, 1829		Feb 23, 1848
07	Andrew Jackson	Mar 15, 1767	Mar 4, 1829	Mar 4, 1837		Jun 8, 1845
08	Martin Van Buren	Dec 5, 1782	Mar 4, 1837	Mar 4, 1841		Jul 24, 1862
09	William Henry Harrison	Feb 9, 1773	Mar 4, 1841	Apr 4, 1841	00,0010 days	Apr 4, 1841
10	John Tyler	Mar 29, 1790	Apr 4, 1841	Mar 4, 1845		Jan 18, 1862
11	James K. Polk	Nov 2, 1795	Mar 4, 1845	Mar 4, 1849		Jun 15, 1849
12	Zachary Taylor	Nov 24, 1784	Mar 4, 1849	Jul 9, 1850	00,0030 days	Jul 9, 1850
13	Millard Fillmore	Jan 7, 1800	Jul 9, 1850	Mar 4, 1853		Mar 8, 1874
14	Franklin Pierce	Nov 23, 1804	Mar 4, 1853	Mar 4, 1857		Oct 8, 1869
15	James Buchanan	Apr 23, 1791	Mar 4, 1857	Mar 4, 1861		Jun 1, 1868
16	Abraham Lincoln	Feb 12, 1809	Mar 4, 1861	Apr 15, 1865	00,0060 days	Apr 15, 1865
17	Andrew Johnson	Dec 29, 1808	Apr 15, 1865	Mar 4, 1869		Jul 31, 1875
18	Ulysses S. Grant	Apr 27, 1822	Mar 4, 1869	Mar 4, 1877		Jul 23, 1885
19	Rutherford B. Hayes	Oct 4, 1822	Mar 4, 1877	Mar 4, 1881		Jan 17, 1893
20	James A. Garfield	Nov 19, 1831	Mar 4, 1881	Sep 19, 1881	00,0020 days	Sep 19, 1881
21	Chester A. Arthur	Oct 5, 1829	Sep 19, 1881	Mar 4, 1885		Nov 18, 1886
22	Grover Cleveland	Mar 18, 1837	Mar 4, 1885	Mar 4, 1889		Jun 24, 1908
23	Benjamin Harrison	Aug 20, 1833	Mar 4, 1889	Mar 4, 1893		Mar 13, 1901
24	Grover Cleveland	Mar 18, 1837	Mar 4, 1893	Mar 4, 1897		Jun 24, 1908
25	William McKinley	Jan 29, 1843	Mar 4, 1897	Sep 14, 1901	00,0070 days	Sep 14, 1901
26	Theodore Roosevelt	Oct 27, 1858	Sep 14, 1901	Mar 4, 1909		Jan 6, 1919
27	William Howard Taft	Sep 15, 1857	Mar 4, 1909	Mar 4, 1913		Mar 8, 1930
28	Woodrow Wilson	Dec 28, 1856	Mar 4, 1913	Mar 4, 1921		Feb 3, 1924
29	Warren G. Harding	Nov 2, 1865	Mar 4, 1921	Aug 2, 1923	00,0040 days	Aug 2, 1923
30	Calvin Coolidge	Jul 4, 1872	Aug 2, 1923	Mar 4, 1929		Jan 5, 1933
31	Herbert Hoover	Aug 10, 1874	Mar 4, 1929	Mar 4, 1933		Oct 20, 1964
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	Jan 30, 1882	Mar 4, 1933	Apr 12, 1945	00,0080 days	Apr 12, 1945
33	Harry S. Truman	May 8, 1884	Apr 12, 1945	Jan 20, 1953		Dec 26, 1972
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Oct 14, 1890	Jan 20, 1953	Jan 20, 1961		Mar 28, 1969
35	John F. Kennedy	May 29, 1917	Jan 20, 1961	Nov 22, 1963	00,0050 days	Nov 22, 1963
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	Aug 27, 1908	Nov 22, 1963	Jan 20, 1969		Jan 22, 1973
37	Richard Nixon	Jan 9, 1913	Jan 20, 1969	Aug 9, 1974		Apr 22, 1994
38	Gerald Ford	Jul 14, 1913	Aug 9, 1974	Jan 20, 1977		Dec 26, 2006
39	Jimmy Carter	Oct 1, 1924	Jan 20, 1977	Jan 20, 1981		2025-01-3(living)
40	Ronald Reagan	Feb 6, 1911	Jan 20, 1981	Jan 20, 1989		Jun 5, 2004
41	George H. W. Bush	Jun 12, 1924	Jan 20, 1989	Jan 20, 1993		Nov 30, 2018
42	Bill Clinton	Aug 19, 1946	Jan 20, 1993	Jan 20, 2001		2025-01-3(living)
43	George W. Bush	Jul 6, 1946	Jan 20, 2001	Jan 20, 2009		2025-01-3(living)
44	Barack Obama	Aug 4, 1961	Jan 20, 2009	Jan 20, 2017		2025-01-3(living)
45	Donald Trump	Jun 14, 1946	Jan 20, 2017	Jan 20, 2021		2025-01-3(living)
46	Joe Biden	Nov 20, 1942	Jan 20, 2021	(incumbent)	(incumbent)	2025-01-3(living)
#	President	Born	Age at start of presidency	Age at end of presidency	Post-presidency timespan	Died	Age
						Lifespan

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, with the years of their presidency in blue.

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 when he became the oldest living president, upon the death of George H. W. Bush.

President	Date range	Age at start	Age at end	Duration
George Washington	April 30, 1789* – December 14, 1799
John Adams	December 14, 1799 – July 4, 1826
James Madison	July 4, 1826 – June 28, 1836
Andrew Jackson	June 28, 1836 – June 8, 1845
John Quincy Adams	June 8, 1845 – February 23, 1848
Martin Van Buren	February 23, 1848 – July 24, 1862
James Buchanan	July 24, 1862 – June 1, 1868
Millard Fillmore	June 1, 1868 – March 8, 1874
Andrew Johnson	March 8, 1874 – July 31, 1875
Ulysses S. Grant	July 31, 1875 – July 23, 1885
Rutherford B. Hayes	July 23, 1885 – January 17, 1893
Benjamin Harrison	January 17, 1893 – March 13, 1901
Grover Cleveland	March 13, 1901 – June 24, 1908
Theodore Roosevelt	June 24, 1908 – March 4, 1909*
William Howard Taft	March 4, 1909* – March 4, 1913*
Woodrow Wilson	March 4, 1913* – February 3, 1924
William Howard Taft	February 3, 1924 – March 8, 1930
Calvin Coolidge	March 8, 1930 – January 5, 1933
Herbert Hoover	January 5, 1933 – October 20, 1964
Harry S. Truman	October 20, 1964 – December 26, 1972
Lyndon B. Johnson	December 26, 1972 – January 22, 1973
Richard Nixon	January 22, 1973 – January 20, 1981*
Ronald Reagan	January 20, 1981* – June 5, 2004
Gerald Ford	June 5, 2004 – December 26, 2006
George H. W. Bush	December 26, 2006 – November 30, 2018
Jimmy Carter	November 30, 2018 – present		(living)
President	Date range	Age at start	Age at end	Time span

Note

* 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.

References

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.