In a hurricane relief fundraiser in Texas last October, ex-presidents made a rare appearance together.
Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama appeared on stage to raise money for victims of the disaster—the first time since 2013 they had appeared alongside one another in public.
With the death of George H.W. Bush Friday, who was aged 94, their number is diminished.
The oldest surviving ex-president is now Jimmy Carter, who is 94 years old. The Democrat was elected to office in 1977 aged 52, and served one term.
Democrat Bill Clinton, who beat George H.W. Bush in the 1992 presidential election is now 72 years old, and was one of the youngest presidents ever elected when he took office, aged 46, in 1993.
His successor to the White House, Republican George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States—is George H.W Bush's son. The two were only the second father and son in U.S. history to both hold the office of president. George W. Bush is now 72 years old.
Barack Obama, who was elected president in 2008 after George W. Bush's two terms of office, is 57 years old. He was one year older than fellow Democrat Clinton was when he took office when he was elected.
All the living ex-presidents and incumbent Donald J. Trump have paid tribute to George H.W. Bush, with Trump praising his "essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country."
There are four former First Ladies still alive: Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton—who was narrowly defeated in her bid to become the first female U.S. president in 2016—Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.
Barbara Bush, wife of George H.W. Bush and mother of George W. Bush, died in April, aged 92.
As recently as 2004 there were six current and former presidents still alive, with Presidents Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan not yet deceased, as well as Carter, Clinton, Bush the elder and George W. Bush, the incumbent.
However as The Atlantic noted in 2013, the number of presidents past present and future alive at any one given time is only knowable on retrospect, with the publication identifying a high point of eighteen current, former and future presidents alive between August 1833 and June 1836.
Uncommon Knowledge
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