How 24 US Presidents Aged While in Office

We certainly can’t deny the allure of motorcades, ticker-tape appearances with adoring followers, and having an airplane to oneself — not to mention lifelong free Secret Service protection.

However, being the top dog in the U.S.A. sometimes has drawbacks, namely in one’s appearance: presidents age faster than average humans, so here are some to discuss. Due to a lack of photographic evidence, it is hard to gauge how some presidents fared from the start of their term until the end. Therefore, we begin in 1881.

1. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

According to the White House Historical Association, Chester Arthur, son of an immigrant Northern Irish Baptist preacher, looked every bit the part: dignified, tall, and handsome, with a clean-shaven chin and side whiskers. His role in government reforms gave him a better reputation when he left politics to when he gained the presidency.

Sadly, photos of Arthur post-presidency are few: he died of a fatal kidney disease a year after losing his reelection in 1886.

2. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 and 1893-1897)

The 22nd (and 24th) president had the unique position of being the only reelected American leader in history and the nation’s first Democrat elected post-Civil War. Cleveland’s 1885 portrait photos show a defiant, dark-haired, and mustachioed gentleman. Yet, many didn’t realize that in 1893, he had reconstructive surgery in his upper mouth after doctors found a neoplasm.

However, in the twelve years since his inauguration, Cleveland’s inevitable aging shows he is heavier and much grayer.

3. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

“Little Ben” was only five feet, six inches tall, and his youthful demeanor gave his Democrat rivals plenty of rhetorical ammunition during his 1876 Indiana governorship campaign, labeling him “Kid Gloves” Harrison. Another one-term president, Harrison, aged well, keeping a good head of white hair and a proud beard.

His hairline had receded by the end of his term, but he left office looking like an elder statesman.

4. William McKinley: 1897-1901

As one-term presidential terms continued, William McKinley was beset with issues that would age any human. The long-time Republican public servant (14 years in the Senate and two terms as Ohio Governor) declared War on Spain in 1898 after much criticism of his leadership style. Photos of the 25th president show a man who goes gray relatively fast, which is unsurprising.

Sadly, McKinley’s life ended after the assassination in 1901, following a successful second-term reelection.

5. Teddy Roosevelt: 1901 – 1909

The “Square Deal” president was renowned for his progressive, outgoing personality. His appearance in photos changed over his tenure, especially around the eyes. In 1901, the president had a rounder, smoother face with fewer wrinkles and almost a sparkle.

Cut to his last year in office, the mustache looks whiter, the brow more furrowed, and his soul looks heavier.

6. William Howard Taft: 1909 -1913

William Howard Taft had big shoes to fill following his mentor Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning legacy, and had he secured a second term, the looming Great War would have aged him badly. Taft’s walrus mustache framed an optimistic, if somewhat heavy, face, and his appearance didn’t change much during his single term.

Taft has the rare honor of being the only president ever to hold the highest judicial and executive positions in the land.

7. Woodrow Wilson: 1913-1921

Woodrow Wilson has a burnished legacy as the president who oversaw America’s cameo in World War One, helping secure peace in Europe. However, his serious demeanor, clean-cut, and reliable looks suffered when he had a stroke in 1919. When comparing his appearance post-presidency, the angular, proud jawline is gone, and his hairline has also retreated.

Few knew then that his wife was effectively running the country in his final incumbent years.

8. Warren G. Harding: 1921-1923

Few presidents don’t reach the end of their first term. President Harding would be a champion if there were a prize for filling a short presidency with scandals. High-wire balancing acts like installing friends in positions of power and letting them defund the nation must have taken their toll.

His chiseled, authoritative looks became more disheveled as he fell into bad health and lost his life to cardiac arrest just two years into his term.

9. Calvin Coolidge: 1923-1929

His slogan, “Keep Cool With Coolidge,” worked for some time, winning him a second term. However, the “Coolidge Prosperity” hit a sad demise when the Great Depression spectacularly ended the Roaring Twenties.

Coolidge’s youthful, freckled, ginger appearance changed little during this time; as we know, red hair never turns gray but fades — Coolidge looked no different from one era to the next.

10. Herbert Hoover 1929-1933

Poor Herbert Hoover couldn’t have stepped into the presidency at a worse time; the 1929 stock market crash shadowed his first term, making people forget Hoover’s prior contribution to saving millions of lives in post-war Belgium.

Sadly, Hoover’s stressful term gave him a rougher, grayer appearance, which reflected a tumultuous presidential period.

11. Franklin D. Roosevelt: 1933-1945

The three-term “New Deal” president is remembered for his economic achievements, polio fight, and winning World War Two — not a bad legacy. What’s more remarkable is how the former senator did it all after a debilitating paralytic disease, consigning him to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life.

Surprisingly, his appearance didn’t change much between his terms, except for a grayer, higher hairline, a few more wrinkles, and a slightly thinner appearance.

12. Harry S. Truman: 1945-1953

Harry Truman grew up in Missouri, became a prosperous farmer for 12 years, and served in France as a field artillery captain during World War One. The Democrat party follower became a senator, and as president, he enacted many world-changing decisions, in addition to a relentless fight against Communism in Korea.

Remarkably, Truman left office at age 68, barely showing signs of aging.

13. Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1953-1961

The man who warned against the tyranny of the military-industrial complex in his farewell address presided over the escalation of the Cold War. Therefore, one would imagine he had a few things on his mind, especially considering his heart attack in 1955.

Eisenhower’s end-of-tenure photos reveal a slightly more balding and whiter-haired president.

14. John F. Kennedy: 1961-1963

No president has ever had the same star power as JFK, and his clean-cut good looks melted female hearts for two epic years before his world-famous assassination. Consequently, his appearance changed very little, though two years added a slightly more rugged appearance.

JFK’s face has been immortalized in the zeitgeist, and he will remain a middle-aged man forever.

15. Lyndon B. Johnson: 1963-1969

Few presidents have to take over a deceased predecessor, but Lyndon Johnson’s infamous rise to the top table came in controversial circumstances. Kennedy’s vice president received kudos for stepping up despite his health problems.

The six-year-serving president had already suffered a heart attack, and at the end of his reign, his hair was much grayer and his face more gaunt. However, Johnson’s 60-a-day nicotine habit must have been a contributing factor.

16. Richard M. Nixon: 1969-1974

America went from a six-year president to a five-year president when Nixon took office following the 1968 presidential election, only for the Watergate scandal to up-end his reputation. Nixon’s tenure produced results: he ended the military draft and saw America gain Moon supremacy all in his first year.

However, a grueling period followed, with Nixon’s bedraggled appearance betraying a fallen presidency following his resignation in 1974.

17. Gerald Ford: 1974-1977

America went from a five-year to a three-year president when Gerald Ford took over from his former running mate. Controversially, he gave Nixon a full pardon, which no doubt marred his reelection prospects, with Americans growing tired of their administration’s corrupt behavior.

Subsequently, the balding, reddish-blonde-haired Ford aged reasonably well, leaving the office looking the same as when he first arrived.

18. Jimmy Carter: 1977-1981

Jimmy Carter presided over a tricky four-year period in America’s history, culminating in the 1979 Iranian Oil Crisis. Though Carter was the man in power when Star Wars released its first two episodes, signifying the beginning of a new American standard in soft power, the Iranian Revolution caused crude oil to double in value, bringing middle America to its knees.

Carter did appear a little older by the end of his term, and he had his reasons: not only had he lost America’s confidence, but his peanut-farming business was in serious trouble.

19. Ronald Reagan: 1981-1989

Many of America’s Generation X voters still pine for the days of Ronald Reagan, who was America’s first celebrity president (notwithstanding JFK’s celebrity status once he took office). The former actor starred in over 50 movies before becoming California governor and then running for office. As a result, his carefully manicured public appearance hardly changed.

Though Reagan suffered cognitive decline towards the end, he still looked great; his hair barely changed color- people even followed him to the barber, only to be disappointed that it was natural. His movie star heritage gave Reagan an advantage in the public persona department.

20. George H. W. Bush: 1989-1993

Following Reagan’s successful two terms, another Republican stepped into the Oval Office, but he never quite hit the same stride. Even though he was in office when the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union collapsed, Ronald Reagan’s “Tear down this wall!” speech was its architect.

Bush senior aged rather badly over his four years; his hairline went north, while his jawline went south, as he lost reelection to Bill Clinton.

21. Bill Clinton: 1993-2001

Here is one president who should have aged much worse than he did in light of his indiscretions and subsequent impeachment hearings. Bill Clinton was carrying America into the new millennium, an era prosperous with new anti-aging techniques. Indeed, he must have used some of these- other than a slightly more furrowed brow; his face was still remarkably young when he left office.

There is probably a Monica Lewinsky joke in here.

22. George W. Bush: 2001-2009

American presidents don’t tend to have an easy existence, and at the outset of George Bush’s presidency, the world entered a volatile period. Following the events of 9/11, Bush enacted bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and with much popular support.

However, as his popularity waned in his second term, the sparkle in his smile faded, his salt-and-pepper hair faded to whitish gray, and his double chin started appearing.

23. Barack Obama: 2009-2017

The first president with African roots came to prominence with unrivaled, bright-eyed, youthful vigor in 2008. After he was elected, President Obama’s tenure saw much social upheaval, a growing rift between classes, and stubbornness from some of his rivals.

His well-aged face was somewhat strained, and his dark, youthful hair had whitened when he passed the mantle to an incoming Donald Trump.

24. Donald J. Trump: 2017-2021

When Donald Trump, the civilian, descended that famous escalator when he announced his presidential run, the world could barely believe it. Trump’s wrestler-style rhetoric and hard-nosed cultural diplomacy came with a new, celebrity-style public aura — and a famously foppish hairstyle. Photos of Trump in 2017 compared to 2021 show very little difference except for a slightly diluted hair tone.

His teetotal, clean living is a factor, though the former president’s only exercise appears to be golf.