Which President Was Older When They Took Office?

The only Federalist President, John Adams was 61 years old when he was sworn into office on March 4, 1797.

William Henry Harrison had just turned 68 at the start of his presidency, making him the fourth-oldest U.S. President — and older than Grover Cleveland at the start of his two terms.

At age 54, Herbert Hoover was three years older when he took office than his successor Franklin D. Roosevelt was at the start of his own first term.

While they were both 49 when they were sworn in, James K. Polk was older by 17 days at the time of his inauguration in March 1845.

Andrew Jackson was older than the similarly named Andrew Johnson at the start of their respective presidencies — the former was 11 days shy of turning 62 when he was inaugurated in 1829, while Johnson took office at 56.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was 62 when he took office, while Truman was 60.

William McKinley was 54 when he took office, making him eight years older than Bill Clinton at the start of their respective presidencies.

The 15th President, James Buchanan, was 65 years old when he took office; James Monroe was seven years younger at 58.

George H.W. Bush, who took office in 1989, was 10 years older at the start of his presidency than his son George W. Bush was at the start of his first term.

At age 56, Richard Nixon was older than his predecessor LBJ when he took office in 1969 — but by less than one year.

Ronald Reagan was 69 at the time of his inauguration, making him the third-oldest President as of January 2024.

James Madison was 28 days older than his predecessor, Thomas Jefferson, when he took office in 1809.

Despite his youthful spirit, Abraham Lincoln was 52 when he took office, making him six years older than his eventual successor, Ulysses S. Grant, was at the start of his own presidency.

When he first assumed the presidency in 1933 at age 51, Franklin D. Roosevelt was nearly 10 years older than his fifth cousin Theodore had been at the time of his inauguration.

Bill Clinton was 46 years old when he took office. By contrast, JFK was only 43.