President-elect Joe Biden turns 78
Already the oldest man elected president, Democrat Joe Biden turns 78 on Friday.
When Biden takes the presidential oath on Jan. 20, 2021, he will be older than Ronald Reagan was when he finished his second term in office.
The man whom Biden has apparently ousted from the Oval Office, Donald Trump, previously held the record for the oldest elected president. Trump was 70 years, 220 days old when he was inaugurated, almost four years ago.
The average age of presidents upon inauguration is 55, according to the White House. Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest when he took office after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 at age 42. John F. Kennedy is still the youngest U.S. president elected at 43.
Before Trump, Reagan held the record when he was sworn in at 69.
Biden’s apparent victory over Trump in this year’s election cycle is full of other historic firsts:
- Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, is the first woman and person of color to be elected vice president.
- The Biden-Harris ticket became the fourth campaign to oust a sitting president who was running for reelection.
- Biden became the first candidate to defeat a sitting president who was running for reelection after impeachment.
- The Biden-Harris ticket also became the first campaign to oust a sitting U.S. president, who was seeking reelection, in the 21st century. The last administration to be ousted after only one term was when Bill Clinton and Al Gore defeated President George H.W. Bush and VP Dan Quayle in 1992.
The oldest living president is Georgia’s Jimmy Carter, born Oct. 1, 1924. On March 22, 2019, he also became the nation’s longest-lived president, surpassing the lifespan of George H.W. Bush, who died at 94 years, 171 days.
Carter has had the longest post-presidency, now lasting almost 40 years. The youngest living president is Barack Obama, 59.
A December 2019 report from Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, declared he is “a healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”
About the Author
Tim Darnell is an Atlanta native and veteran of several local, national, and international news, business and sports publications.
