Today’s blog post examines the phenomenon of elderly world leaders. Countries often elect presidents and prime ministers who are well into their seventies, eighties and even nineties, even when numerous capable younger politicians are ready and willing to serve. In the upcoming American presidential election, it looks like our two candidates will both be in their late seventies and early eighties.
Why do countries gravitate to older leaders? Countries often gravitate toward older leaders in their eighties and nineties due to perceived advantages such as extensive experience and wisdom gained over decades, offering a deep understanding of governance and crisis management. Older leaders may be seen as stable, mature, and reliable, especially during times of uncertainty. Established reputations and name recognition garnered over a long political career can contribute to their appeal, and some voters may associate their age with a sense of responsibility and commitment to public service.
Elderly World Leaders
Here are some examples of older presidents and prime ministers from around the world (and one queen!)
Queen Elizabeth II, Great Britain, 96 Years Old
While not a political leader in the traditional sense, Queen Elizabeth II was the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom from February 6, 1952 until her death on September 8, 2022. Born on April 21, 1926, she was one of the longest-reigning monarchs in British history. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states over the course of her lifetime and remained the monarch of 15 realms by the time of her death. Her reign of over 70 years is the longest of any British monarch, the longest of any female monarch, and the second-longest verified reign of any monarch of a sovereign state in history.
Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia, 95 Years Old
Mahathir Mohamad was the oldest serving elected leader in the world in his role as prime minister of Malaysia. He was born on July 10, 1925, and became the Prime Minister of Malaysia for the second time in May 2018 at the age of 92, where he served until 2020. A politician, author, and physician, he held office from 1981 to 2003 and later from 2018 to 2020 for a cumulative total of 24 years, making him the country’s longest-serving prime minister. He is still alive today, although I don’t know if he’s interested in serving another term as prime minister.
Beji Caid Essebsi, Tunisia, 93 Years Old
The second oldest elected leader in the world country was Beji Caid Essebsi, who served as the President of Tunisia. Born on November 29, 1926, Essebsi became President on December 31, 2014. He was the sixth president of Tunisia and held that position until his death on 25 July 2019 at the age of 93. Essebsi’s political career spanned six decades and included Tunisia’s transition to democracy. Essebsi was the founder of the Nidaa Tounes political party, which came to power in the 2014 parliamentary election. In December 2014, he won the first regular presidential election following the Tunisian Revolution, becoming Tunisia’s first democratically elected president.
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe, 93 Years Old
Robert Mugabe served as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President until 2017. He was born on February 21, 1924, and held power for a significant portion of his life. He was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, the ZANU – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), from 1980 to 2017. Ideologically an African nationalist, during the 1970s and 1980s he identified as a Marxist–Leninist, and as a socialist after the 1990s.
Paul Biya, Cameroon, 91 Years Old
Paul Biya, born February 13, 1933, is a Cameroonian politician who has been serving as president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. He had previously been the prime minister of Cameroon from 1975 to 1982. Biya is the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, the longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world, and the oldest head of state in the world. If he stays in power, he will supersede Mahathir Mohamad in four years.
Fidel Castro, Cuba, 82 Years Old
Fidel Castro was the Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and then served as the President from 1976 to 2008. Born on August 13, 1926, he played a significant role in Cuban politics for several decades. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist and Cuban nationalist, he also served as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1965 until 2011. Under his administration, Cuba became a one-party communist state; industry and business were nationalized, and socialist reforms were implemented throughout society.
Joseph Biden, United States, 80 Years Old
The oldest American president in our nation’s history is Joe Biden. Born on November 20, 1942, he was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021, at the age of 78. If he wins reelection and survives through his second term, he will be 86 years old. That’s not the oldest in the world, but pretty close. A centrist most of his political career, he recently formed new aliances with the far left to consolidate his power. Some are questioning his mental acuity, but the leaders in the democratic party are still supporting his desire to serve a second term as president.
American Presidents and their Ages
Here’s a list of American presidents and their ages at the time they took office. You’ll see that most have been in their fifties and sixties.
George Washington: 57 years old (1789)
John Adams: 61 years old (1797)
Thomas Jefferson: 57 years old (1801)
James Madison: 57 years old (1809)
James Monroe: 58 years old (1817)
John Quincy Adams: 57 years old (1825)
Andrew Jackson: 61 years old (1829)
Martin Van Buren: 54 years old (1837)
William Henry Harrison: 68 years old (1841)
John Tyler: 51 years old (1841)
James K. Polk: 49 years old (1845)
Zachary Taylor: 64 years old (1849)
Millard Fillmore: 50 years old (1850)
Franklin Pierce: 48 years old (1853)
James Buchanan: 65 years old (1857)
Abraham Lincoln: 52 years old (1861)
Andrew Johnson: 56 years old (1865)
Ulysses S. Grant: 46 years old (1869)
Rutherford B. Hayes: 54 years old (1877)
James A. Garfield: 49 years old (1881)
Chester A. Arthur: 51 years old (1881)
Grover Cleveland: 47 years old (1885)
Benjamin Harrison: 55 years old (1889)
Grover Cleveland (second non-consecutive term): 55 years old (1893)
William McKinley: 54 years old (1897)
Teddy Roosevelt, The Youngest President
Theodore Roosevelt: 42 years old (1901)
William Howard Taft: 51 years old (1909)
Woodrow Wilson: 56 years old (1913)
Warren G. Harding: 55 years old (1921)
Calvin Coolidge: 51 years old (1923)
Herbert Hoover: 54 years old (1929)
Franklin D. Roosevelt: 51 years old (1933)
Harry S. Truman: 60 years old (1945)
Dwight D. Eisenhower: 62 years old (1953)
John F. Kennedy: 43 years old (1961)
Lyndon B. Johnson: 55 years old (1963)
Richard Nixon: 56 years old (1969)
Gerald Ford: 61 years old (1974)
Jimmy Carter: 52 years old (1977)
Ronald Reagan: 69 years old (1981)
George H.W. Bush: 64 years old (1989)
Bill Clinton: 46 years old (1993)
George W. Bush: 54 years old (2001)
Barack Obama: 47 years old (2009)
Donald Trump: 70 years old (2017)
Joe Biden: 78 years old (2021)
What The Future Holds
I’m personally surprised by the phenomenon of elderly world leaders. Leading a country, it seems to me, is a young person’s game. And when I say young, I mean someone in their fifties or early sixties. Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president, at 42 years old. That’s a bit young. But of course, he was vice president at the time when William McKinley was assassinated. Joe Biden is the oldest, having taken office at 78. He’ll be 82 if he gets reelected. That just seems a bit too old to me. Especially when you have at least a dozen well qualified democrats to serve. Likewise with Donald Trump, who will be 78 if he’s elected later this year. But it seems this match-up is inevitable, even though most Americans don’t like either candidate. Life is a strange ride sometimes.
Next Steps
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