Oldest living United States president

This article lists who was oldest living U.S. President, former or current, at any given time.

The table lists the length of time the president was the oldest.

Then-current President George H. W. Bush (center) in 1991 with his living predecessors (from left to right): Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.

Herbert Hoover was the oldest living U.S. President for 31 years, making him the person who held the status for the longest time.

Lyndon Baines Johnson was the oldest living U.S. President for 27 days, making him the person who held the status for the shortest time.

Then-current President George W. Bush and then-President elect Barack Obama (3rd and 2nd from left) in January 2009 with their living predecessors (from left to right): George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

President	Lifespan (Age at death)	Period as oldest living president	Duration (full months)
George Washington	1732–1799 (67 years, 295 days)	April 30, 1789 – December 14, 1799	10 years, 7 months
John Adams	1735–1826 (90 years, 247 days)	December 14, 1799 – July 4, 1826	26 years, 6 months
James Madison	1751–1836 (85 years, 93 days)	July 4, 1826 – June 28, 1836	9 years, 11 months
Andrew Jackson	1767–1845 (78 years, 85 days)	June 28, 1836 – June 8, 1845	8 years, 11 months
John Quincy Adams	1767–1848 (80 years, 227 days)	June 8, 1845 – February 23, 1848	2 years, 7 months
Martin Van Buren	1782–1862 (79 years, 231 days)	February 23, 1848 – July 24, 1862	14 years, 5 months
James Buchanan	1791–1868 (77 years, 39 days)	July 24, 1862 – June 1, 1868	5 years, 10 months
Millard Fillmore	1800–1874 (74 years, 60 days)	June 1, 1868 – March 8, 1874	5 years, 9 months
Andrew Johnson	1808–1875 (66 years, 214 days)	March 8, 1874 – July 31, 1875	1 year, 4 months
Ulysses S. Grant	1822–1885 (63 years, 87 days)	July 31, 1875 – July 23, 1885	9 years, 11 months
Rutherford B. Hayes	1822–1893 (70 years, 105d)	July 23, 1885 – January 17, 1893	7 years, 5 months
Benjamin Harrison	1833–1901 (67 years, 205 days)	January 17, 1893 – March 13, 1901	8 years, 1 months
Grover Cleveland	1837–1908 (71 years, 98 days)	March 13, 1901 – June 24, 1908	7 years, 3 months
Theodore Roosevelt	1858–1919 (60 years, 71 days)	June 24, 1908 – March 4, 1909[1]	8 months
William Howard Taft	1857–1930 (72 years, 174 days)	March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913[1]	4 years
Woodrow Wilson	1856–1924 (67 years, 37 days)	March 4, 1913 – February 3, 1924	10 years, 11 months
William Howard Taft	1857–1930 (72 years, 174 days)	February 3, 1924 – March 8, 1930	6 years, 1 month
Calvin Coolidge	1872–1933 (60 years, 186 days)	March 8, 1930 – January 5, 1933	2 years, 9 months
Herbert Hoover	1874–1964 (90 years, 71 days)	January 5, 1933 – October 20, 1964	31 years, 9 months
Harry S. Truman	1884–1972 (88 years, 232 days)	October 20, 1964 – December 26, 1972	8 years, 2 months
Lyndon B. Johnson	1908–1973 (64 years, 148 days)	December 26, 1972 – January 22, 1973	27 days
Richard M. Nixon	1913–1994 (81 years, 103 days)	January 22, 1973 – January 20, 1981[1]	7 years, 11 months
Ronald Reagan	1911–2004 (93 years, 120 days)	January 20, 1981 – June 5, 2004	23 years, 4 months
Gerald R. Ford	1913–2006 (93 years, 165 days)	June 5, 2004 – December 26, 2006	2 years, 6 months
George H. W. Bush	1924–present (&1000000000000008700000087 years, &10000000000000165000000165 days)	December 26, 2006–present	4 years, 10 months

Including the currently oldest living President, the order of age of the remaining living Presidents is:

1. George H. W. Bush, &1000000000000008700000087 years, &10000000000000165000000165 days (born June 12, 1924(1924-06-12))
2. Jimmy Carter, &1000000000000008700000087 years, &1000000000000005400000054 days (born October 1, 1924(1924-10-01))
3. George W. Bush, &1000000000000006500000065 years, &10000000000000141000000141 days (born July 6, 1946(1946-07-06))
4. Bill Clinton, &1000000000000006500000065 years, &1000000000000009700000097 days (born August 19, 1946(1946-08-19))
5. Barack Obama, &1000000000000005000000050 years, &10000000000000112000000112 days (born August 4, 1961(1961-08-04))

Additional information

• A president can lose his status as the oldest living President either upon death or by an older person succeeding to the Presidency. The latter has happened to Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Richard Nixon upon the inauguration of Presidents Taft (1909), Wilson (1913) and Reagan (1981) respectively. Nixon was the only person who lost his status as the oldest living President not by a direct successor. Taft was the only one to regain the status as oldest living President, upon former President Wilson's death in 1924.
• The status of oldest living President was held longest by Herbert Hoover, from the death of former President Coolidge on January 5, 1933 to his own death on October 20, 1964, a span of &1000000000000003100000031 years, &10000000000000289000000289 days, and shortest by Lyndon B. Johnson, from the death of former President Truman on December 26, 1972, to his own death on January 22, 1973, a span of 27 days.
• There have been six instances when the sitting United States President was the only living President (No former presidents alive):

1. George Washington (1789–1797, as the first President)
2. John Adams (1799–1801, following Washington's death)
3. Ulysses S. Grant (1875–1877, following Andrew Johnson's death)
4. Theodore Roosevelt (1908–1909, following Grover Cleveland's death)
5. Herbert Hoover (1933, following Calvin Coolidge's death)
6. Richard Nixon (1973–1974, following Lyndon B. Johnson's death)

• The greatest number of concurrently living presidents(including the incumbent president. Note that the last president in the list is the incumbent president of that time) is six, which has happened at three periods:

1. Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln from March 4, 1861 (Lincoln's inauguration) to January 18, 1862 (Tyler's death)
2. Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton from January 20, 1993 (Clinton's inauguration) to April 22, 1994 (Nixon's death)
3. Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush from January 20, 2001 (George W. Bush's inauguration) to June 5, 2004 (Reagan's death).

• No sitting or former Presidents died during the twenty-one years from 1973–1994.
• The President with the longest lifespan was Gerald R. Ford, who lived &1000000000000009300000093 years, &10000000000000165000000165 days, followed by Ronald Reagan at &1000000000000009300000093 years, &10000000000000120000000120 days.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Ceased to be the oldest living president when an older President was inaugurated.

See also

• List of United States Presidents by age
• List of oldest surviving members of the House of Representatives
• Dean of the United States House of Representatives
• Dean of the United States Senate
• Longest living United States Senator
• Earliest serving United States Senator
• Oldest living United States governor
• Earliest serving United States governor
• List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service
• List of Presidents of the United States by age