Presidential Deaths — Finding Fun in Mortality

Here at Commonplace Fun Facts, we like to keep things light and breezy—even we’re talking about presidential deaths. Yes, we know it is a bit odd to use the words “death” and “fun facts” in the same headline. Say what you will about our intrepid staff, be we’re nothing if not cheerful and awkwardly lacking in appropriate social norms.

Despite the power and prestige that goes with the presidency, it seems that not even the Oval Office offers immortality. And while these former leaders left us with legacies ranging from “built a nation” to “burned the economy,” all have (or will) shed this mortal coil. Let’s dive into some delightfully morbid trivia about those who have held the highest office in the land, and their equally high-tension post-presidency deaths.

When No One’s Left When You Need to Phone A Friend

Imagine being the president during a national crisis, and you think, Hey, I’ll give one of the old guys a call to ask how they handled things. But then you remember—they’re all dead. Richard Nixon probably felt all alone during Watergate. That’s not just because his friends were bailing on him, but he had exactly zero former presidents to turn to for advice. Dwight Eisenhower died in 1969, Harry Truman followed in 1972, and Lyndon Johnson—just two days into Nixon’s second term—checked out in 1973.

Nixon wasn’t the only one to feel as if he was the last contestant on Survivor: The White House Edition. The same thing happened to Herbert Hoover in 1933. Calvin Coolidge passed away on January 5, 1933, leaving Hoover all alone for the last few months of his presidency. As if the Great Depression wasn’t enough of a downer, he had to deal with it all by himself.

Of course, Hoover’s troubles were mild compared to poor Ulysses S. Grant. After Franklin Pierce died in 1869, Millard Fillmore in 1874, and Andrew Johnson in 1875, Grant probably felt like he was hosting a perpetual funeral reception. In fact, by the time Grant left office in 1877, he was practically the last ex-president standing.

It probably goes without saying (but when has that stopped us?) that George Washington spent his entire term without the benefit of being able to call a predecessor. (Unless he wanted to reach out to one of the fellows who may or may not have been president before he was.)

Six is a Crowd (Except When It’s Not)

What is the most presidents who have been alive at the same time? There have been four periods in U.S. history where we had five living ex-presidents (and, of course, the current occupant) hanging around:

1861–1862

The first time was in 1861. The cast: Sitting President Abraham Lincoln and former presidents Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and James Buchanan. Don’t think this meant Lincoln had the world’s best support group as he went into the Civil War. Tyler was too busy presiding over the Virginia Secession Convention to attend Lincoln’s inauguration, likely because he had joined Team Confederacy. He died the next year, resulting in the first time a former president died and the federal government officially ignored the occasion. Buchanan, for his part, sent only one letter to Lincoln, and it was for the purpose of asking him to send along some books he had accidentally left behind at the White House.

1993–1994

• Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton

2001–2004

• Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush

2009–2024

• Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden

2025-present?

Because Donald Trump served both as the 45th and 47th president, we have an unusual situation where a former president and current president are both present when he is the only person in the room. For that reason, one could argue that we currently are in an era in which there are six current and former presidents alive at one time: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump.

The fact that there were five ex-presidents alive in 1861-62 was largely made possibly by the fact that no one had won a second term in the preceding 25 years. In the 1990s, only one president had served out a full second term in the corresponding period, and of course then there are the advances in longevity — both factors also explain the period during the 2000s. This time, after the nation has just gone through only its second experience with three consecutive eight-year presidencies, longevity is the key.

Timing Is Everything… or Nothing

If you’re looking for presidential death coincidences, you have come to the right place. For starters, let’s talk about July 4, 1826, the nation’s 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. That same day, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, former political frenemies turned pen-pals, said goodbye to this world. Jefferson clocked out at 12:50 p.m., with Adams following at 6:20 p.m. His last words? “Thomas Jefferson survives.” He was mistaken, but he didn’t stick around for anyone to correct him.

The July 4 curse didn’t stop there. James Monroe, the nation’s fifth president, also decided to make his exit on that day, in 1831. Coincidence? Maybe, but try telling that to anyone scheduling a barbecue with a former president on Independence Day.

There’s also the strange fact that Millard Fillmore and William Howard Taft both died on March 8, just 56 years apart. Fillmore went first in 1874, and Taft, followed suit in 1930. Were they trying to start a new tradition? Fortunately, no one else has taken up the mantle.

And then there’s December 26. While most of us are still regretting our sixth helping of pie, both Harry S. Truman (1972) and Gerald Ford (2006) picked that day to shuffle off. Talk about a holiday buzzkill.

Who Outlived Whom?

You might be curious about which presidents managed to outlast their successors. Martin Van Buren, for example, holds the record for outliving four of them. After waving goodbye to his good pal William Henry Harrison (who, let’s be honest, didn’t last long), Van Buren kept on kicking while presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James K. Polk, and Zachary Taylor all shuffled off. Talk about winning the longevity lottery.

In terms of who stuck around the longest after leaving office, Jimmy Carter holds that title, hands-down. Upon his death in December 2024, at the age of 100 years, he had been an ex-president for nearly 44 years.

A Tale of Two Presidents… Born in the Same Year

While 1924 gifted us with two presidents—Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush—it wasn’t the first time the presidential stork decided to double up. The year 1767 produced both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. It’s safe to say each pair of same-year births produced polar opposites politically. We’ll leave the “who wore it better” debate for another day.

But when it comes to prolific presidential birth years, the real winner is 1946, which gave us three future presidents: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

How Old Were They When They Clocked Out?

Some presidents left us early; others stuck around long enough to see their hair go from campaign trail brown to ancient-marble white. Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford both made it to 93. Hoover and John Adams rang in their 90th birthdays before exiting stage right. And then there’s Andrew Jackson and Dwight D. Eisenhower, both of whom checked out at 78—a dignified age to go, especially considering that Jackson spent half his life in a duel or recovering from one.

Other presidential duos who reached the same age (rounded to the nearest year) include:

• George Washington, Benjamin Harrison, and Woodrow Wilson: 67
• Franklin Pierce and Lyndon B. Johnson: 64
• Grant and FDR: 63 (though only one had to handle how to keep facial hair appropriately groomed)
• Chester A. Arthur and Warren G. Harding: 57 (which feels like the beginning of a jazz duo)

The Final Word (Until the Next One)

Presidents may not have much in common—some were war heroes, some were peanut farmers, some were reality TV stars—but in the end, they all get a chapter in the big book of American mortality. Whether they exited on the Fourth of July or just managed to outlast their own vice presidents, their deaths add an oddly fascinating footnote to the saga of the presidency.

So the next time you pass by a statue of a U.S. president, give a respectful nod. Not just for what they did while in office, but for the wonderfully weird ways they left it.

And if it happens to be July 4, maybe just… check your pulse.

Read more about the presidents and the White House at The White House Historical Association.

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