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 up to April 10, 2024.
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, 71 days). The youngest living vice president is the incumbent, Kamala Harris, born on October 20, 1964 (age 59 years, 173 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.
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 | Jul 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysApr 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysNov 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 | 99 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 [lower-alpha 2] | 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysApr 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysNov 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysNov 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysNov 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 | [lower-alpha 1] | 0 daysOct 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 [lower-alpha 3] | 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 [lower-alpha 2] | 22 years, 343 days | Sep 17, 1996 | 77 years, 313 days |
40 | Gerald Ford | Jul 14, 1913 | 60 years, 145 days Dec 6, 1973 [lower-alpha 4] | 61 years, 26 days Aug 9, 1974 [lower-alpha 3] | 32 years, 139 days | Dec 26, 2006 | 93 years, 165 days |
41 | Nelson Rockefeller | Jul 8, 1908 | 66 years, 164 days Dec 19, 1974 [lower-alpha 4] | 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, 81 days | (living) | 77 years, 66 days |
45 | Al Gore | Mar 31, 1948 | 44 years, 295 days Jan 20, 1993 | 52 years, 295 days Jan 20, 2001 | 23 years, 81 days | (living) | 76 years, 10 days |
46 | Dick Cheney | Jan 30, 1941 | 59 years, 356 days Jan 20, 2001 | 67 years, 356 days Jan 20, 2009 | 15 years, 81 days | (living) | 83 years, 71 days |
47 | Joe Biden | Nov 20, 1942 | 66 years, 61 days Jan 20, 2009 | 74 years, 61 days Jan 20, 2017 | 7 years, 81 days | (living) | 81 years, 142 days |
48 | Mike Pence | Jun 7, 1959 | 57 years, 227 days Jan 20, 2017 | 61 years, 227 days Jan 20, 2021 | 3 years, 81 days | (living) | 64 years, 308 days |
49 | Kamala Harris | Oct 20, 1964 | 56 years, 92 days Jan 20, 2021 | (incumbent) | (incumbent) | (living) | 59 years, 173 days |
# | Vice president | Born | Age at start of vice presidency | Age at end of vice presidency | Post-VP timespan | Died | Age |
Lifespan |
Hannibal Hamlin was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican vice president.
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice president is also an officer in the legislative branch, as the president of the Senate. In this capacity, the vice president is empowered to preside over the United States Senate, but may not vote except to cast a tie-breaking vote. The vice president is indirectly elected together with the president to a four-year term of office by the people of the United States through the Electoral College. Since the passage of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, the vice president may also be appointed by the president to fill a vacancy, via majority confirmation by both the Senate and the House.
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976, he was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 1984 presidential election, but lost to incumbent Ronald Reagan in an Electoral College and popular vote landslide.
Daniel D. Tompkins was an American politician. He was the fourth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825.
In United States politics, balancing the ticket is a practice where a political candidate chooses a running mate, usually from the same party, with the goal of bringing more widespread appeal to the campaign. The term is most prominently used to describe the selection of the U.S. vice presidential nominee.
Joan Mondale was the second lady of the United States from 1977 until 1981 as the wife of Walter Mondale, the 42nd vice president of the United States. She was an artist and author and served on the boards of several organizations. For her promotion of the arts, she was affectionately dubbed Joan of Art.
The first inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as the 16th president of the United States was held on Monday, March 4, 1861, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 19th inauguration and marked the commencement of the first, and eventually only full term of Abraham Lincoln as president and the only term of Hannibal Hamlin as vice president. The presidential oath of office was administered to Lincoln by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. John C. Breckinridge became the first outgoing vice president to administer the vice-presidential oath of office to his successor.
The inauguration of William Henry Harrison as the ninth president of the United States was held on Thursday, March 4, 1841, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 14th inauguration and marked the commencement of the only four-year term of both William Henry Harrison as president and John Tyler as vice president. The presidential oath of office was administered to Harrison by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Harrison died 31 days into his term, the first U.S. president to die in office and has the shortest presidential term in American history. Tyler then succeeded to the presidency, creating a precedent which would be followed seven more times before it was officially regulated through the Twenty-fifth Amendment in 1967.
The United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection is a series of 46 busts in the United States Capitol, each one bearing the likenesses of a vice president of the United States. Each sculpture, from John Adams to Dick Cheney, honors the role of the vice president as both a member of the executive branch and as president of the Senate.
The Vice President's Room is the vice president's office in the United States Capitol, added during the 1850s expansion.