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This is a list of the oldest living prime ministers of the United Kingdom since its Creation in 1721.
Not all prime ministers live to become the oldest of their time. Of the 49 deceased prime ministers, 30 eventually became the oldest of their lifetime, while 19 did not (including 4 of the 7 prime ministers who died in office, Earl of Wilmington, Henry Pelham, and Viscount Palmerston being the only exceptions). Henry Addington became the oldest living prime minister when Duke of Grafton died in 1811 and remained so until his death in 1844, for a record of almost 33 years. Edward Heath became the oldest living prime minister after the death of James Callaghan, but he survived Callaghan by only 113 days. On two occasions the oldest living prime minister lost this distinction not by his death, but due to the appointment of a prime minister who was older. Robert Walpole lost this distinction when Earl of Wilmington was appointed, then a year later when Wilmington died in office Walpole regained it until his own death in 1745 for a total period of 22 years, and 207 days. Earl of Rosebery lost it when Henry Campbell-Bannerman was appointed, but regained it when Campbell-Bannerman died. Consequently, Rosebery too was the oldest living prime minister twice: first from 1903 to 1905 (after the death of Lord Salisbury), and a second time after Campbell-Bannerman's death in 1908 until his own death in 1929 for a total period of 23 years, and 134 days. Edward Heath was the oldest to acquire this distinction at age 89. Anthony Eden, who was 79 years and 216 days old when he died, was the oldest prime minister to die without also being the oldest prime minister. Harold Wilson who died on 24 May 1995 at 79 years and 74 days old, is the most recent prime minister to die without ever acquiring this distinction.
| Prime minister | Time as oldest living | Age | Duration (years, days) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Became oldest | Ceased to be oldest | Start | End | ||
| Robert Walpole | 3 April 1721 | 11 February 1742 | 44 years, 220 days | 65 years, 169 days | 20 years, 314 days |
| Earl of Wilmington | 11 February 1742 | 2 July 1743 | 69 | 70 | 1 year, 141 days |
| Robert Walpole | 2 July 1743 | 18 March 1745 | 66 years, 310 days | 68 years, 204 days | 1 year, 259 days |
| Henry Pelham | 18 March 1745 | 6 March 1754 | 50 years, 174 days | 59 years, 162 days | 8 years, 353 days |
| Duke of Newcastle | 16 March 1754 | 17 November 1768 | 60 years, 238 days | 75 years, 119 days | 14 years, 246 days |
| Earl of Chatham | 17 November 1768 | 11 May 1778 | 60 years, 2 days | 69 years, 177 days | 9 years, 175 days |
| Earl of Bute | 11 May 1778 | 10 March 1792 | 64 years, 351 days | 78 years, 290 days | 13 years, 304 days |
| Lord North | 10 March 1792 | 5 August 1792 | 59 years, 332 days | 60 years, 114 days | 148 days |
| Duke of Grafton | 5 August 1792 | 14 March 1811 | 56 years, 312 days | 75 years, 167 days | 18 years, 221 days |
| Henry Addington | 14 March 1811 | 15 February 1844 | 53 years, 288 days | 86 years, 261 days | 32 years, 338 days |
| Earl Grey | 15 February 1844 | 17 July 1845 | 79 years, 339 days | 81 years, 126 days | 1 year, 152 days |
| Duke of Wellington | 17 July 1845 | 14 September 1852 | 76 years, 77 days | 83 years, 136 days | 7 years, 59 days |
| Viscount Goderich | 14 September 1852 | 28 January 1859 | 69 years, 318 days | 76 years, 88 days | 6 years, 136 days |
| Earl of Aberdeen | 28 January 1859 | 14 December 1860 | 75 years, 0 days | 76 years, 321 days | 1 year, 321 days |
| Viscount Palmerston | 14 December 1860 | 18 October 1865 | 76 years, 55 days | 80 years, 363 days | 4 years, 308 days |
| Lord John Russell | 18 October 1865 | 28 May 1878 | 73 years, 61 days | 85 years, 283 days | 12 years, 222 days |
| Benjamin Disraeli | 28 May 1878 | 19 April 1881 | 73 years, 158 days | 76 years, 119 days | 2 years, 326 days |
| William Ewart Gladstone | 19 April 1881 | 19 May 1898 | 71 years, 111 days | 88 years, 141 days | 17 years, 30 days |
| Marquess of Salisbury | 19 May 1898 | 22 August 1903 | 68 years, 105 days | 73 years, 200 days | 5 years, 95 days |
| Earl of Rosebery | 22 August 1903 | 5 December 1905 | 56 years, 107 days | 58 years, 212 days | 2 years, 105 days |
| Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 5 December 1905 | 22 April 1908 | 69 years, 89 days | 71 years, 228 days | 2 years, 139 days |
| Earl of Rosebery | 22 April 1908 | 21 May 1929 | 60 years, 351 days | 82 years, 14 days | 21 years, 29 days |
| Arthur Balfour | 21 May 1929 | 19 March 1930 | 80 years, 300 days | 81 years, 237 days | 302 days |
| David Lloyd George | 19 March 1930 | 26 March 1945 | 67 years, 61 days | 82 years, 68 days | 15 years, 7 days |
| Stanley Baldwin | 26 March 1945 | 14 December 1947 | 77 years, 235 days | 80 years, 133 days | 2 years, 263 days |
| Winston Churchill | 14 December 1947 | 24 January 1965 | 73 years, 14 days | 90 years, 55 days | 17 years, 41 days |
| Clement Attlee | 24 January 1965 | 8 October 1967 | 82 years, 21 days | 84 years, 278 days | 2 years, 257 days |
| Harold Macmillan | 8 October 1967 | 29 December 1986 | 73 years, 240 days | 92 years, 322 days | 19 years, 82 days |
| Alec Douglas-Home | 29 December 1986 | 9 October 1995 | 83 years, 180 days | 92 years, 99 days | 8 years, 284 days |
| James Callaghan | 9 October 1995 | 26 March 2005 | 83 years, 196 days | 92 years, 364 days | 9 years, 168 days |
| Edward Heath | 26 March 2005 | 17 July 2005 | 88 years, 260 days | 89 years, 8 days | 113 days |
| Margaret Thatcher | 17 July 2005 | 8 April 2013 | 79 years, 277 days | 87 years, 177 days | 7 years, 265 days |
| John Major | 8 April 2013 | Current oldest living PM | 70 years, 10 days | Current oldest living PM | 7 years, 80 days |
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was a British statesman and Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also served as Secretary of State for War twice, in the Cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery. He was the first First Lord of the Treasury to be officially called "Prime Minister", the term only coming into official usage five days after he took office. He also remains the only person to date to hold the positions of Prime Minister and Father of the House at the same time.
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1st Earl of Midlothian, was a British Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from March 1894 to June 1895. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl of Rosebery, in 1868 he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.
Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, was a British Whig statesman who served continuously in government from 1715 until his death. He sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1698 and 1728, and was then raised to the peerage and sat in the House of Lords. He served as the Prime Minister from 1742 until his death in 1743. He is considered to have been Britain's second Prime Minister, after Sir Robert Walpole, but worked closely with the Secretary of State, Lord Carteret, in order to secure the support of the various factions making up the Government.
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