Top 10 Oldest US Presidents

Having highlighted the youngest presidents in the United States, you’re probably wondering who the Oldest US Presidents are. In this article, however, RNN will give details on the top 10 oldest elected US presidents from Joe Biden to John Adams.

Here’s a quick dash into it.

10. John Adams

Age at Inauguration- 61 years, 125 days

John Adams was the second President of the United States and he served from 1797 to 1801. The diplomat and statesman was elected as vice president twice, serving from 1789 to 1797. He was instrumental in negotiating a peace treaty with Great Britain and securing important governmental loans.

Adams is known for many things including being the first vice president America ever had, and the first United States Minister to Great Britain and the Netherlands. As President of the United States, he was preceded by George Washington and succeeded by Thomas Jefferson.

Adams, however, died on the 4th of July, 1826 at the age of 90.

9. Andrew Jackson

Age at Inauguration- 61 years, 354 days

Andrew Jackson served as America’s 7th president from 1827 – 1837. He served two terms in office and was popularly known for advancing the “rights of the common man”. Although he was loved for it, he was equally criticized for having radical policies that led him to support unaccepted actions like the forced removal of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands.

Prior to his election into office on March 4, 1829, Jackson served America in various capacities like the United States Senator from Tennessee, 1st Federal Military Commissioner of Florida, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee’s at-large district, and Justice of the Tennessee Supreme court.

As president, he was preceded by John Quincy Adams and succeeded by Martin Van Buren.

8. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Age at Inauguration- 62 years, 98 days

Next on our list of Oldest US Presidents at inauguration is America’s 34th president who served between 1953 to 1961. Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II. He went on to achieve the five-star rank of General of the Army.

During his tenure as president, he was loved by many who trusted his leadership capabilities and wanted him to run a second time. His health issues were, however, a concern as a heart attack was part of it. Before he decided to run a second time in the 1956 election though, it seemed as though voters had their fingers ready to vote. Eisenhower won the elections with Richard Nixon as his vice.

His presidential tenure was preceded by Harry S. Truman and succeeded by John F. Kennedy.

7. Zachary Taylor

Age at Inauguration- 64 years, 100 days

Zachary Taylor was nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready” by men who knew him during his service in the military. Taylor was always ready to get his boots dirty with his men as a military commander. He served as the 12th President of the United States from 1949 until his death a year after in 1850.

Before his time in the presidency, Taylor rose to the rank of a Major General and was highly respected as a national hero for his victories in the Mexican-American war. He was elected into office on March 4, 1849, after running apolitically. On July 9, 1850, Taylor died of an illness diagnosed as cholera morbus, after consuming copious amounts of cherries and iced milk.

Zachary Taylor was preceded by James K. Polk and succeeded by Millard Fillmore.

6. George H.W Bush

At 64 years and 222 days, George Bush takes his place as the 6th on the list of “oldest presidents in the United States”.

George Herbert Walker Bush served as the 41st President of the United States between 1989 and 1993. He previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the States from 1981 to 1989.

After a failed presidential bid, Bush was chosen as the running mate for Ronald Reagan and he served with him for two terms successfully before becoming president-elect while still on seat as Vice President. During his presidency, he ordered an invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, destroy the terrorist group al-Qaeda, and capture Osama bin Laden. He equally signed the controversial Patriot Act to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists.

George Bush was preceded by Ronald Reagan and succeeded by Bill Clinton.

5. James Buchanan

Age at Inauguration- 65 years, 315 days

James Buchanan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. Prior to his presidential tenure, he served as secretary of state between 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvania in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He advocated for states’ rights, especially in the area of slavery. He also minimized the role of the federal government preceding the Civil War.

Buchanan was however regarded by historians as one of the worst Presidents America has ever witnessed, especially because of his inability to stop the impending civil war. A few months after he left the presidential seat, America was at war and by then, Lincoln was already president.

James Buchanan was preceded by Franklin Pierce and succeeded by Abraham Lincoln as president.

4. William Henry Harrison

Inaugurated at the age of 68, William Henry Harrison remains one of the Oldest Presidents in American History. He was America’s 9th President and he served from March 4, 1841, to April 4, 1841.

Harrison is the president with the shortest tenure in the history of America, no thanks to a death owing to Pneumonia. He was also the first president to die in office and the oldest elected president in his time.

Henry was preceded by Martin Van Buren and succeeded by John Tyler.

3. Ronald Reagan

Age at Inauguration- 69 years, 348 days

From a Hollywood actor to the President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan is one of the oldest presidents in American history. He served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

He was also a member of the Republican Party from 1962 and previously served as the 33rd governor of California between 1967 and 1975. Reagan was not just a Hollywood actor. He was equally a union leader.

After his first tenure, however, Reagan was questioned over whether or not he was physically and mentally fit to go for a second term. He however countered such statements, claiming that he would not make age an issue. After his time in the presidency, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and there are still questions as to whether or not he suffered from the disease while still in office.

Ronald Reagan was preceded by Jimmy Carter and succeeded by George H. W. Bush.

2. Donald J. Trump

Age at Inauguration- 70 years, 220 days

Former US President, Donald Trump is the second oldest President in the United States to be inaugurated into office. Although he served only one term in office, Trump was famous for many things asides being the President of the States.

He served as the 45th president of the US from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021. His election as president shocked many who thought it was impossible to become America’s president without Government or Military experience.

Trump was known for openly criticizing the news media, elected officials in his own administration, and foreign leaders whom he perceived were adversaries. His provocative tweets throughout his tenure in office led to his permanent ban from Twitter. Trump was also known for these two infamous deeds.

•  The first president to ever be impeached twice.
• The first chief executive in more than 150 years to refuse to attend his successor’s inauguration.

Despite his notorious acts, Trump is appreciated for good deeds such as the normalization of the Middle East and the Criminal-Justice reform.

Donald Trump was preceded by Barack Obama and succeeded by Joe Biden.

1. Joe Biden

Joe Biden is the oldest man to be elected as President of the United States of America. He was 78 years and 61 days old when he was elected as President on January 20, 2021. With Donald Trump as Biden’s direct predecessor and second oldest president in the US, America seems to be going into a reign of older leaders.

Biden was Vice President of the United States of America from January 20, 2009, to January 20, 2017, under the Barrack Obama administration. He is therefore the 46th and current president of the United States.

Top 10 Oldest US Presidents (Summary)

Here’s a table summarizing the top 10 Oldest elected US presidents.