The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22
Ages OF THE PRESIDENTS
Longevity a Feature of Tenants o;
the White House.
John Adams the Only NonnEcnnrian
IN the List-PoII> the Youngest to
Die Natural Dcnth-Four. In
Guiding Lincoln aud Garfield.
Died During Their Incumbcncy.

men. Polk was the exception. He was
never robust, ard yet be was by no means
! an invalid. OF the remainder OF TIE
| TWENTY-FIVE Presidents-or perhaps 1t
would be better to say twenty-four, pear
ing in mind the fact that Grover Cleye-
| land counts twice: that is as the twenty
second and twenty fourth President-there
was not one who did not enjoy robust
| health up to and beyond middle life, and
NEST OF them continued to do so up to a
| good old age.
II will surprise many to know that the
| average age OF the twenty-one Pre- idents
who have died from Washington 70 Arthur
| inclusive. is the allotted three score md
ten, or to be more exact, seventy years
three months and sixteen days. By an ord
coincidence. this was almost the oTact
age Of Rutherford b. Hayes. who lived
seventy years. three months and thirteen
days.
The Presidents lived longer in the early
DAYS than in more recent times. The aver
age age Of the first ten, from Washington
to Tyler inclusive. is seventy years, Ten
months and three days. That q ne
eleven. from Polk to Arthur inclusive. ~
sixty-threc years. i've months and seven
DAYS This great difference Is accounted
for in part by the circumstance that two
Of the eleven Presidents, Lincoln and
Garfield. were stricken down by an aAaas-
sin at the comparatively early aR1s u
fifty-six and forty-nine, respectively. Bo'h
Of them we're men OF unusual health ana
strength, and had II not been TO- their
assassination, one or both might have
lived in the natural course OF events to at
least the average age Of the other Presi-
dents.
OF the first ten Presidents. Washington
was the youngest to die, and yet he reach
ed the considerable age OF 81. Only three
Of the eleven Presidents from Polk to Ar
thur attained a greater age. These were
Fillmore, Buchanan and Hayes.
John Adams, one of the sturdiest Of all
the Presidents, reached the most advanc-
ed age. He lived to be 80. and is the only
nonagenarian among them. Curiously
enough, the second in longevity was Mad
ison. though at the age Of q, shortly aft
er he was graduated from Princeton Col
lege. he was in so poor health that he
wrote to a friend intimating that he did
not expect a long or healthy life. Yet
Madison grew stronger in due time, and
lived to the ripe old age Of 50.
Next in longevity comes Madison's life
long friend and counselor. Thomas Jeffer-
son. who lived to be 49, John Quincy Ad-
ans reached so.
The Youngest of all the Presidents to
die was Garfield who was cut down in the
prime Of life by an assassin's bullet. Had
he lived just two months more, he would
have reached So
The youngest of the Presidents to die
natural death was Polk, who lived to be
3d. Next to him came Arthur, who died
at Sc
The ages of the dead Presidents, ar
ranged in the order of longevity are: John
Adams, 90; Madison, So; Jefferson, SO;
John Quincy Adams. so; Van Buren,, l9'
Jackson. IS; Buchanan, n; Fillmore, "A;
Monroe, 70; Tyler, II; Hayes. 20; William
Henry Harrison, IS; Washington, 81;
Johnson. &C; Taylor, 65 Pierce "a; Grant,
90; Lincoln Sc: Arthur, Sc; Garfield, 40.
1t will be seen that no two Of the Presi-
dents died at the same age except Lincoln
and Arthur.
The most remarkable coincidence relat-
ing to the deaths of the Presidents is the
circumstance that John Adams and
Thomas Jefferson died on the same day,
July 4, 1926, Just fifty years after the
Declaration of Independence, which Jeffer-
son himself had written and which both
Adams and jefferson had done much to
remarked: Thomas jefferson still lives.
But as a matter Of fact Jefferson had died
a few hours before.
Five years later, on Independence Day,
1881, died James Monroe, the originator OF
the Monroe Doctrine.
Washington was the only President to
pass his life entirely in the last century,
and Pierce was the first to be born during
the present century.
sod IN fhFa
William Henry Harrison, who served only
one month Zachary Taylor, who served
one year and four months: Abraham Lin
coin. who served one full term and about
six weeks of his second term; and James
A. Garfield. who died after he had held
the office six months.
OF the three Presidents now living, Ben
iamin Harrison is sc, and resides at In
dianapolis; Grover Cleveland is 60, and
lives at Princeton; President Mckinley is
81.
1t is a singular thing that two OF the
States, Virginia and Ohio, have furnished
more than half the Presidents to the Ma
ton Virginia 1.-The Mother of Presidents
is the birthplace of eight; Ohio OF FIVE;
Massachusetts, New York, and North Caro-
line of two each, and New Hampshire.
Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Vermont, and
New Jersey Of one each. Thus ten States
of all the Presidents Of the United States
Washington. jefferson, Madison, Monroe
William Henry Harrison, Tyler. Polk. and
TAYLOR we're born in Virginia: Grant
Hayes. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and
Mckinley in Ohio. John Adams and John
Quincy Adams in Massachusetts, Van
Buren, and Fillmore in New York; jack
son and johnson in North Carolina, Pierce
In New Hampshire, Buchanan in PennsyI-
I oil in ON IL n
Vermont and Cleveland in New Jersey.
II should be stated, though, that Jack
son was born so near the border between
North and South Carolina that the ques-
ton of his nativity has always been a
matter Of dispute. His biographer. James
Parton. has however denonstr"' - that
the honor belongs to North Carolina.
Twelve Of the Presidents, Washington,
jefferson, Madison, Monroe. John Adams,
John Quincy Adams, Van Buren,, Pierce,
Buchanan. Hayes, Garfield, and Mckinley
were chosen from their native States Ty-
Ter. who succeeded William Henry Harri-
son on the death of the latter was a resi-
dent of his native State at the time; and
so was Fillmore. who succeeded Taylor.
william Henry Harrison was chosen from
Ohio. Polk and Jackson from Tennessee,
Taylor from Kentucky. Lincoln and Grant
from Illinois, and Benjamin Harrison from
Indiana. Johnson was a citizen of Tennes-
see when he succeeded Lincoln. and Arthur
a citizen of New York when he succeeded
Garfield.
Buffalo enjoys the distinction Of being
the only city in the country that has fur
nished two Presidents. They are Fillmore
and Cleveland.
Each Of the important wars Of the United
States has given one or more Presidents
to the country The War Of the Revolu-
tion gave Washington; the War Of 1872,
L. I...- nrnA inrnE