Though the last few U.S. presidents have skewed older, older chiefs of state are hardly a novelty.
The median age for U.S. presidents at inauguration is 55 years old, but several recent presidents have taken office at a much higher age. Serving two consecutive terms also means presidents can age significantly during their tenure in the White House, which extends until their successor’s inauguration.
Here are the oldest U.S. presidents as of their last day of their presidency:
Age: 66 years, 10 months
The nation’s fifth president, President James Monroe took office on March 4, 1817. At 58, Monroe entered office just a few years above the presidential median age, but after two terms from 1817 to 1825, he left the White House much older– and grayer – than he’d entered it.
Amid a host of actions over the course of his terms – including the ill-fated Missouri Compromise – perhaps the best known is the penning of the Monroe Doctrine, a policy which declared the United States’ intention to push back against European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere.
Age: 68 years, 1 month
President William Henry Harrson was sworn into office on March 4, 1841, amid freezing conditions. Despite the cold, he went on to deliver the longest inaugural address to date.
However, just a month after the inauguration, Harrison developed and quickly succumbed to pneumonia, dying on April 4. He has the dubious distinction of being the first president to die in office, as well as the shortest-serving.
Age: 68 years, 7 months
Before taking the presidential oath, former President George H.W. Bush held a variety of political offices – from member of Congress and director of the CIA to vice president.
From 1989 to 1993, Bush led the country through the tail end of the Cold War and saw the fall of the Berlin Wall. Along with the Adamses – John and John Quincy – George H.W. and his son, George W., are one of only two father-son duos in presidential history.
Age: 68 years, 8 months
Following the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April of 1945, Harry Truman, his vice president, ascended to the highest office in the country and went on to serve another term before leaving the White House in 1953.
A flurry of action characterized the Truman presidency. He sanctioned the use of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And with his eponymous Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan – named for his secretary of state – President Truman helped rebuild Western Europe after World War II and set the stage for U.S. interventions abroad that later came to characterize the Cold War.
Age: 69 years, 10 months
Like many of his predecessors, James Buchanan was no stranger to public office before his presidential stint. He’d served as a diplomat to Russia, a senator for three terms, and later, as secretary of state under President James K. Polk.
However, unlike his predecessors – and successors, for that matter – Buchanan was the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor. His niece, Harriet Rebecca Lane Johnston, acted as first lady during his tenure from 1857 to 1861.
Age: 69 years, 11 months
On March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson became the country’s seventh president, later winning reelection and serving from 1829 to 1837.
Prior to leading the country as president, Jackson famously led the nation to victory against the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, earning him the nickname "Old Hickory." Later, as both a major general and president, Jackson led the way in the Indian removal campaign, and was behind the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which gave rise to the Trail of Tears.
Age: 70 years, 3 months
After a successful military career, Dwight D. Eisenhower took office on Jan. 20, 1953, becoming the nation’s 34th president.
His presidency, spanning two terms from 1953 to 1961, coincided with a handful of civil rights advancements, including the Civil Rights Act of 1957 – the first civil rights legislation passed since the Reconstruction era – and the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which began the process of desegregation in schools. Eisenhower’s administration is also credited with the creation of the country’s interstate highway system.
Age: 74 years, 7 months
From the reshaping of the Supreme Court to the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020, the impact of former President Donald Trump’s single-term tenure continues to reverberate throughout the nation’s political landscape.
After losing the 2020 election, Trump has his eyes set on 2024. Should he win the 2024 presidential election, he’ll be 78 at inauguration and 82 at the end of his second term, at which point he would be the oldest-ever U.S. president.
Age: 77 years, 11 months
Ronald Reagan originated the celebrity-to-president pipeline. From the late ‘30s to the ‘60s, Reagan graced the silver screen in more than 50 films. However, following his position as president of the Screen Actors Guild, he became increasingly politically oriented.
In 1966, he won California’s gubernatorial election and was reelected in 1970. A decade later on the national stage, Reagan defeated incumbent President Jimmy Carter and served two terms, from 1981 to 1989.
Current age: 81 years, 2 months
Age at end of term: 82 years, 2 months
President Joe Biden is the oldest U.S. president to date.
The question of age has loomed heavily for Biden and remains a major point of contention in his 2024 presidential run.
Biden will be 81 when voters cast their ballots in November, but by the next Inauguration Day in January 2025, he’ll be 82 years old. Should he win the 2024 presidential election, he would be 86 by the end of a second term, nearly a decade older than the second-oldest president ever, Ronald Reagan.
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