US ELECTION 2024
How many former US presidents are still alive and when did they serve their terms? Carter, Bush, Clinton, Obama...
In total, 46 men have served as president of the United States - George Washington was the first and Joe Biden the most recent. Let’s take a look at how many are still with us.
It’s Election Day in the United States. Millions of voters will be heading to polling places to cast their ballots with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris neck and neck in the presidential race. Trump is seeking to return to the Oval Office - a feat only one previous president has achieved. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd US president, served from January 1933, through the Great Depression and then the war years up until his death in April 1945. In total, FDR served three full terms and two months of a fourth - 4,422 days as head of state.
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In total, 46 men have served as president of the United States - George Washington was the first and Joe Biden the most recent. Let’s take a look at how many are still with us.
Jimmy Carter
The Peanut Farmer, Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday just a few weeks ago. James Earl Carter Jr, son of Earl Carter, a peanut warehouser, was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. Carter entered politics after serving in the US Navy. A Democrat, he ran as candidate in the 1976 election against Republican president Gerald Ford. Carter received 297 electoral votes and 50.1% of the popular vote to Ford’s 240 electoral votes and 48.0% of the popular vote. He was instated on 20 January 1977 - curiously, being the only president to be sworn in using his informal name Jimmy rather than James.
His time in office was fraught due to the challenges he faced and his inability to overcome them - the energy crisis and Iran hostage siege tested his authority during his four-year tenure. He ran in the 1980 elections but lost to Ronald Regan.
George W. Bush
Born in New Haven, Connecticut on 6 July 1946, George W. Bush was the eldest of six children in a family with political ties. His father George Herbert Walker served as the 41st US president from 1989 to 1993.
A Republican, Bush Jr narrowly won the electoral college vote in the 2000 election, beating vice president Al Gore. His time in office will be remembered for the 11 September terrorist attacks and Iraq War. He was re-elected in 2004 but his popularity waned as a result of his handling of a number of issues including the Iraq War and the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Bill Clinton
Born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, Arkansas on 19 August 1946, he adopted the Clinton surname from his stepfather when he turned 15. Clinton attended Georgetown University and spent two years as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford studying politics but left without graduating. He met his wife Hillary Rodham at Yale University, where they were both studying law.
A Democrat, he became the 42nd president of the United States in 1993 gaining 370 electoral votes against Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush (168 electoral votes). He was re-elected in 1996, even though Republicans had gained control of Congress in 1994. His time in office was marred by scandals and controversies including claims of sexual misconduct and harassment.
Barack Obama
And finally, Barack Hussein Obama II, the first president with an ethnic background (his father was Kenyan). Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he is the only US president to have been born outside of the 48 mainland states.
Obama graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1983. Married to Michelle, the Obamas have two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha.
A Democrat, he ran for the 2008 US presidential elections, beating Republican candidate Mitt Romney with 332 electoral votes and 51.1 percent of the popular vote. He ran again in 2012 and won, beating opponent Alan Keyes with 70 percent of the vote. Barack is one of three surviving US presidents to have been in office for two terms.
The most recent former US president to pass away was George H W Bush, who died on 30 November 30, aged 94. Before him, Gerald Ford (December 26 2006) and Ronald Reagan (June 5 2004), who were also in their 90s.