Harrison, elected at age 68 and died a month later
William Henry Harrison, Chapter of 1773, Ninth President, took office in 1841 at the age of 68. So, in the United States, the life expectancy at birth (that is, the number of years a newborn was destined to live) for its recruits was less than 38 years. Harrison, a soldier and diplomat, contracted pneumonia and died a month after taking office.
General Eisenhower is killed in the White House
Dwight Eisenhower entered the White House in 1953 at the age of 61, and left at the age of 70 in 1961 (he died in 1969). For those born in 1890, life expectancy at birth was 42 years. Ike, a general and first commander in NATO, contracted Crohn’s disease in 1956, shortly after he ran for the second time. He had a heart attack a year ago, followed by a stroke.
Reagan is in his seventies, much like an octogenarian today
Seventy-year-old Ronald Reagan entered the White House in 1981 (when life expectancy was 71), and left it in 1989, already ill (although not officially) with Alzheimer’s disease. Joe Biden will be 82 at the start of a hypothetical second term in 2025 (an age comparable to the average life expectancy of over 79 in the United States today).
“Infuriatingly humble social media ninja. Devoted travel junkie. Student. Avid internet lover.”
