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List of vice presidents of the United States by age

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This is a list of vice presidents of the United States by age. The first table charts the age of each vice president of the United States at the time of that person's inauguration (first inauguration if that person was elected to multiple and consecutive terms), at the time that that person left office, and at the time of that person's death. Each vice president's age at death and that person's lifespan are measured in two ways; this is to allow for the differing number of leap days occurring within each one's life. The first figure is the number of days between date of birth and date of death, allowing for leap days; in parentheses the same period given in years and days, with the years being the number of whole years that the vice president lived, and the days being the number of days after that person's last birthday. Where the vice president is still living, lifespan is calculated through December 29, 2024.

Age of vice presidents

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Bar graph depicting the age of vice presidents when assuming office

The median age upon accession to the vice presidency is around 54 years and 10 months. This is about how old John Adams and Hubert Humphrey were at the time they entered office. The youngest person to assume office was John C. Breckinridge, at the age of 36 years, 47 days. Serving only one term, he became and remains the youngest at the time of leaving office; the oldest at the time of entering office was Alben W. Barkley, at the age of 71 years, 57 days. He was also the oldest when he left office.

Born on January 16, 1821, John C. Breckinridge was younger than five of his successors, the greatest number to date: Andrew Johnson (12 years and 18 days); Hannibal Hamlin (11 years, 4 months, and 20 days); Henry Wilson (8 years and 11 months); William A. Wheeler (1 year, 6 months, and 17 days); and Thomas A. Hendricks (1 year, 4 months, and 9 days).

Born on July 8, 1908, Nelson Rockefeller was older than five of his predecessors, the greatest number to date: Lyndon B. Johnson (1 month and 19 days); Hubert Humphrey (2 years, 10 months, and 19 days); Richard Nixon (4 years, 6 months, and 1 day); Gerald Ford (5 years and 6 days); and Spiro Agnew (10 years, 4 months, and 1 day).[1]

Three vice presidents—Hannibal Hamlin, Charles G. Dawes, and Lyndon B. Johnson—were born on August 27 (in 1809, 1865, and 1908 respectively). This is the only day of the year having the birthday of multiple vice presidents.[1]

The oldest living vice president is Dick Cheney, born on January 30, 1941 (age 83 years, 334 days). The youngest living vice president is the incumbent, Kamala Harris, born on October 20, 1964 (age 60 years, 70 days). The shortest-lived vice president was Daniel D. Tompkins, who died at the age of 50 years, 355 days, only 99 days after leaving office. The longest-lived was John Nance Garner, who died on November 7, 1967, at the age of 98 years, 350 days. He is one of six U.S. vice presidents (along with Levi P. Morton, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Walter Mondale and John Adams) to have lived into their 90s.

Daniel D. Tompkins had the shortest post-vice-presidency timespan, dying just three months after leaving office. Walter Mondale had the longest post-vice-presidency timespan, dying 40 years after leaving office.

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No. Vice president Born Age at start
of vice presidency
Age at end
of vice presidency
Post-VP timespan Lifespan
Died Age
1 John Adams Oct 30, 1735 53 years, 173 days
Apr 21, 1789
61 years, 125 days
Mar 4, 1797
29 years, 122 days July 5, 1826Jul 4, 1826 90 years, 247 days
2 Thomas Jefferson Apr 13, 1743 53 years, 325 days
Mar 4, 1797
57 years, 325 days
Mar 4, 1801
25 years, 122 days Jul 4, 1826 83 years, 82 days
3 Aaron Burr Feb 6, 1756 45 years, 26 days
Mar 4, 1801
49 years, 26 days
Mar 4, 1805
31 years, 194 days Sep 14, 1836 80 years, 221 days
4 George Clinton Jul 26, 1739 65 years, 221 days
Mar 4, 1805
72 years, 269 days
Apr 20, 1812
00,0070 days[a] Apr 20, 1812 72 years, 269 days
5 Elbridge Gerry Jul 17, 1744 68 years, 230 days
Mar 4, 1813
70 years, 129 days
Nov 23, 1814
00,0030 days[a] Nov 23, 1814 70 years, 129 days
6 Daniel D. Tompkins Jun 21, 1774 42 years, 256 days
Mar 4, 1817
50 years, 256 days
Mar 4, 1825
00,09999 days Jun 11, 1825 50 years, 355 days
7 John C. Calhoun Mar 18, 1782 42 years, 351 days
Mar 4, 1825
50 years, 285 days
Dec 28, 1832[b]
17 years, 93 days Mar 31, 1850 68 years, 13 days
8 Martin Van Buren Dec 5, 1782 50 years, 89 days
Mar 4, 1833
54 years, 89 days
Mar 4, 1837
25 years, 142 days Jul 24, 1862 79 years, 231 days
9 Richard M. Johnson Oct 17, 1780 56 years, 138 days
Mar 4, 1837
60 years, 138 days
Mar 4, 1841
9 years, 260 days Nov 19, 1850 70 years, 33 days
10 John Tyler Mar 29, 1790 50 years, 340 days
Mar 4, 1841
51 years, 6 days
Apr 4, 1841[c]
20 years, 289 days Jan 18, 1862 71 years, 295 days
11 George M. Dallas Jul 10, 1792 52 years, 237 days
Mar 4, 1845
56 years, 237 days
Mar 4, 1849
15 years, 302 days Dec 31, 1864 72 years, 174 days
12 Millard Fillmore Jan 7, 1800 49 years, 56 days
Mar 4, 1849
50 years, 183 days
Jul 9, 1850[c]
23 years, 242 days Mar 8, 1874 74 years, 60 days
13 William R. King Apr 7, 1786 66 years, 331 days
Mar 4, 1853
67 years, 11 days
Apr 18, 1853
00,0040 days[a] Apr 18, 1853 67 years, 11 days
14 John C. Breckinridge Jan 16, 1821 36 years, 47 days
Mar 4, 1857
40 years, 47 days
Mar 4, 1861
14 years, 74 days May 17, 1875 54 years, 121 days
15 Hannibal Hamlin Aug 27, 1809 51 years, 189 days
Mar 4, 1861
55 years, 189 days
Mar 4, 1865
26 years, 122 days Jul 4, 1891 81 years, 311 days
16 Andrew Johnson Dec 29, 1808 56 years, 65 days
Mar 4, 1865
56 years, 107 days
Apr 15, 1865[c]
10 years, 107 days Jul 31, 1875 66 years, 214 days
17 Schuyler Colfax Mar 23, 1823 45 years, 346 days
Mar 4, 1869
49 years, 346 days
Mar 4, 1873
11 years, 315 days Jan 13, 1885 61 years, 296 days
18 Henry Wilson Feb 16, 1812 61 years, 16 days
Mar 4, 1873
63 years, 279 days
Nov 22, 1875
00,0010 days[a] Nov 22, 1875 63 years, 279 days
19 William A. Wheeler Jun 30, 1819 57 years, 247 days
Mar 4, 1877
61 years, 247 days
Mar 4, 1881
6 years, 92 days Jun 4, 1887 67 years, 339 days
20 Chester A. Arthur Oct 5, 1829 51 years, 150 days
Mar 4, 1881
51 years, 349 days
Sep 19, 1881[c]
5 years, 60 days Nov 18, 1886 57 years, 44 days
21 Thomas A. Hendricks Sep 7, 1819 65 years, 178 days
Mar 4, 1885
66 years, 75 days
Nov 25, 1885
00,0020 days[a] Nov 25, 1885 66 years, 79 days
22 Levi P. Morton May 16, 1824 64 years, 292 days
Mar 4, 1889
68 years, 292 days
Mar 4, 1893
27 years, 73 days May 16, 1920 96 years, 0 days
23 Adlai Stevenson I Oct 23, 1835 57 years, 132 days
Mar 4, 1893
61 years, 132 days
Mar 4, 1897
17 years, 102 days Jun 14, 1914 78 years, 234 days
24 Garret Hobart Jun 3, 1844 52 years, 274 days
Mar 4, 1897
55 years, 171 days
Nov 21, 1899
00,0050 days[a] Nov 21, 1899 55 years, 171 days
25 Theodore Roosevelt Oct 27, 1858 42 years, 128 days
Mar 4, 1901
42 years, 322 days
Sep 14, 1901[c]
17 years, 114 days Jan 6, 1919 60 years, 71 days
26 Charles W. Fairbanks May 11, 1852 52 years, 297 days
Mar 4, 1905
56 years, 297 days
Mar 4, 1909
9 years, 92 days Jun 4, 1918 66 years, 24 days
27 James S. Sherman Oct 24, 1855 53 years, 131 days
Mar 4, 1909
57 years, 6 days
Oct 30, 1912
00,0070 days[a] Oct 30, 1912 57 years, 6 days
28 Thomas R. Marshall Mar 14, 1854 58 years, 355 days
Mar 4, 1913
66 years, 355 days
Mar 4, 1921
4 years, 89 days Jun 1, 1925 71 years, 79 days
29 Calvin Coolidge Jul 4, 1872 48 years, 243 days
Mar 4, 1921
51 years, 29 days
Aug 2, 1923[c]
9 years, 156 days Jan 5, 1933 60 years, 185 days
30 Charles G. Dawes Aug 27, 1865 59 years, 189 days
Mar 4, 1925
63 years, 189 days
Mar 4, 1929
22 years, 50 days Apr 23, 1951 85 years, 239 days
31 Charles Curtis Jan 25, 1860 69 years, 38 days
Mar 4, 1929
73 years, 38 days
Mar 4, 1933
2 years, 341 days Feb 8, 1936 76 years, 14 days
32 John Nance Garner Nov 22, 1868 64 years, 102 days
Mar 4, 1933
72 years, 59 days
Jan 20, 1941
26 years, 291 days Nov 7, 1967 98 years, 350 days
33 Henry A. Wallace Oct 7, 1888 52 years, 105 days
Jan 20, 1941
56 years, 105 days
Jan 20, 1945
20 years, 302 days Nov 18, 1965 77 years, 42 days
34 Harry S. Truman May 8, 1884 60 years, 257 days
Jan 20, 1945
60 years, 339 days
Apr 12, 1945[c]
27 years, 258 days Dec 26, 1972 88 years, 232 days
35 Alben W. Barkley Nov 24, 1877 71 years, 57 days
Jan 20, 1949
75 years, 57 days
Jan 20, 1953
3 years, 101 days Apr 30, 1956 78 years, 158 days
36 Richard Nixon Jan 9, 1913 40 years, 11 days
Jan 20, 1953
48 years, 11 days
Jan 20, 1961
33 years, 92 days Apr 22, 1994 81 years, 103 days
37 Lyndon B. Johnson Aug 27, 1908 52 years, 146 days
Jan 20, 1961
55 years, 87 days
Nov 22, 1963[c]
9 years, 61 days Jan 22, 1973 64 years, 148 days
38 Hubert Humphrey May 27, 1911 53 years, 238 days
Jan 20, 1965
57 years, 238 days
Jan 20, 1969
8 years, 358 days Jan 13, 1978 66 years, 231 days
39 Spiro Agnew Nov 9, 1918 50 years, 72 days
Jan 20, 1969
54 years, 335 days
Oct 10, 1973[b]
22 years, 343 days Sep 17, 1996 77 years, 313 days
40 Gerald Ford Jul 14, 1913 60 years, 145 days
Dec 6, 1973[d]
61 years, 26 days
Aug 9, 1974[c]
32 years, 139 days Dec 26, 2006 93 years, 165 days
41 Nelson Rockefeller Jul 8, 1908 66 years, 164 days
Dec 19, 1974[d]
68 years, 196 days
Jan 20, 1977
2 years, 6 days Jan 26, 1979 70 years, 202 days
42 Walter Mondale Jan 5, 1928 49 years, 15 days
Jan 20, 1977
53 years, 15 days
Jan 20, 1981
40 years, 89 days Apr 19, 2021 93 years, 104 days
43 George H. W. Bush Jun 12, 1924 56 years, 222 days
Jan 20, 1981
64 years, 222 days
Jan 20, 1989
29 years, 314 days Nov 30, 2018 94 years, 171 days
44 Dan Quayle Feb 4, 1947 41 years, 351 days
Jan 20, 1989
45 years, 351 days
Jan 20, 1993
31 years, 344 days 2024-12-29(living) 77 years, 329 days
45 Al Gore Mar 31, 1948 44 years, 295 days
Jan 20, 1993
52 years, 295 days
Jan 20, 2001
23 years, 344 days 2024-12-29(living) 76 years, 273 days
46 Dick Cheney Jan 30, 1941 59 years, 356 days
Jan 20, 2001
67 years, 356 days
Jan 20, 2009
15 years, 344 days 2024-12-29(living) 83 years, 334 days
47 Joe Biden Nov 20, 1942 66 years, 61 days
Jan 20, 2009
74 years, 61 days
Jan 20, 2017
7 years, 344 days 2024-12-29(living) 82 years, 39 days
48 Mike Pence Jun 7, 1959 57 years, 227 days
Jan 20, 2017
61 years, 227 days
Jan 20, 2021
3 years, 344 days 2024-12-29(living) 65 years, 205 days
49 Kamala Harris Oct 20, 1964 56 years, 92 days
Jan 20, 2021
60 years, 70 days(incumbent) (incumbent) 2024-12-29(living) 60 years, 70 days
# Vice president Born Age at start
of vice presidency
Age at end
of vice presidency
Post-VP timespan Died Age
Lifespan

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Died in office.
  2. ^ a b Resigned from office.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Succeeded to the presidency.
  4. ^ a b Confirmed by U.S. Congress to fill an intra-term vacancy in the vice presidency.

Graphical representation

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The following chart shows vice presidents by their age (living vice presidents in green), with the years of their presidency in blue. The vertical blue line at 35 years indicates the minimum age to be vice president.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Strock, Ian Randal (2016). Ranking the Vice Presidents: True Tales and Trivia, from John Adams to Joe Biden. Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 11, 16. ISBN 978-1-63144-061-8. Retrieved January 8, 2017.