List of Governors of California by age
Below is a list of Governors of California by age.
The youngest person to become California Governor was J. Neely Johnson (30 years, 160 days). The oldest person to become Governor of California is Jerry Brown on January 3, 2011, who became Governor at 72 years, 271 days old. Brown had previously been the sixth-youngest person to become Governor in 1975, and the youngest since the 1860s, at 36 years, 275 days old (his third term began 28 years to the day after his second term expired). The median age of accession is roughly 48 years, which falls between John Bigler (19th youngest) and William Irwin (20th).
The youngest living former California Governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger, born July 30, 1947 (aged 71 years, 75 days), followed by Gray Davis, born December 26, 1942 (aged 75 years, 291 days). Incumbent Governor Jerry Brown, born April 7, 1938 (aged 80 years, 189 days) is the second-oldest of the four living governors. The oldest living former governor is Pete Wilson, born August 23, 1933 (aged 85 years, 51 days).
The shortest-lived Governor was J. Neely Johnson, who died at the age of 47 years, 29 days. The longest-lived Governor was Ronald Reagan, who died at the age of 93 years and 120 days (Reagan was also the longest-lived U.S. President at the time of his death, but Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter have since surpassed his record). Pat Brown was the second longest-lived, almost 3 years short of Reagan. The oldest living Governor, Pete Wilson, will tie Brown if he lives to June 19, 2024, and tie Reagan if he lives to December 21, 2026.
# by age | Governor |
# in office |
Date of birth |
Date of inauguration |
Age at inauguration |
End of term |
Age at end of term |
Date of death |
Length of retirement |
Lifespan |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | J. Neely Johnson | 4 | August 2, 1825 | January 9, 1856 | 30 years, 160 days | January 8, 1858 | 32 years, 159 days | August 31, 1872 | 14 years, 236 days | 47 years, 29 days |
2 | John G. Downey | 7 | June 24, 1827 | January 14, 1860 | 32 years, 204 days | January 10, 1862 | 34 years, 200 days | March 1, 1894 | 32 years, 50 days | 66 years, 250 days |
3 | Milton Latham | 6 | May 23, 1827 | January 9, 1860 | 32 years, 231 days | January 14, 1860 | 32 years, 236 days | March 4, 1882 | 22 years, 49 days | 54 years, 285 days |
4 | John McDougall | 2 | January 1, 1818[1] | January 9, 1851 | 33 years, 8 days | January 8, 1852 | 34 years, 7 days | March 30, 1866 | 14 years, 81 days | 48 years, 88 days |
5 | Frederick Low | 9 | June 30, 1828 | December 10, 1863 | 35 years, 163 days | December 5, 1867 | 39 years, 158 days | July 21, 1894 | 26 years, 228 days | 66 years, 21 days |
6 | Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. (I) | 34 | April 7, 1938 | January 7, 1975 | 36 years, 275 days | January 3, 1983 | 44 years, 271 days | 28 years, 0 days[2] | 80 years, 189 days | |
7 | Leland Stanford | 8 | March 9, 1824 | January 10, 1862 | 37 years, 307 days | December 10, 1863 | 39 years, 276 days | June 21, 1893 | 29 years, 193 days | 69 years, 104 days |
8 | George C. Perkins | 14 | August 23, 1839 | January 8, 1880 | 40 years, 138 days | January 10, 1883 | 43 years, 140 days | February 26, 1923 | 40 years, 47 days | 83 years, 187 days |
9 | Peter H. Burnett | 1 | November 15, 1807 | December 20, 1849 | 42 years, 35 days | January 9, 1851 | 44 years, 128 days | May 17, 1895 | 43 years, 55 days | 87 years, 183 days |
10 | Henry H. Haight | 10 | May 20, 1825 | December 5, 1867 | 42 years, 199 days | December 8, 1871 | 46 years, 202 days | September 2, 1878 | 6 years, 268 days | 53 years, 105 days |
11 | Romualdo Pacheco | 12 | October 31, 1831 | February 27, 1875 | 43 years, 119 days | December 9, 1875 | 44 years, 39 days | January 23, 1899 | 23 years, 45 days | 67 years, 84 days |
12 | James Budd | 19 | May 18, 1851 | January 11, 1895 | 43 years, 238 days | January 4, 1899 | 47 years, 231 days | July 30, 1908 | 9 years, 208 days | 57 years, 73 days |
13 | Hiram Johnson | 23 | September 2, 1866 | January 3, 1911 | 44 years, 123 days | March 15, 1917 | 50 years, 194 days | August 6, 1945 | 28 years, 144 days | 78 years, 338 days |
14 | George Pardee | 21 | July 25, 1857 | January 7, 1903 | 45 years, 166 days | January 9, 1907 | 49 years, 168 days | September 1, 1941 | 34 years, 235 days | 84 years, 38 days |
15 | John B. Weller | 5 | February 22, 1812 | January 8, 1858 | 45 years, 320 days | January 9, 1860 | 47 years, 321 days | August 17, 1875 | 15 years, 220 days | 63 years, 176 days |
16 | Newton Booth | 11 | December 30, 1825 | December 8, 1871 | 45 years, 343 days | February 27, 1875 | 49 years, 59 days | July 14, 1892 | 17 years, 138 days | 66 years, 197 days |
17 | Henry Gage | 20 | December 25, 1852 | January 4, 1899 | 46 years, 10 days | January 7, 1903 | 50 years, 13 days | August 28, 1924 | 21 years, 234 days | 71 years, 247 days |
18 | James Gillett | 22 | September 20, 1860 | January 9, 1907 | 46 years, 111 days | January 3, 1911 | 50 years, 105 days | April 20, 1937 | 26 years, 107 days | 76 years, 212 days |
19 | John Bigler | 3 | January 8, 1805 | January 8, 1852 | 47 years, 0 days | January 9, 1856 | 51 years, 1 day | November 29, 1871 | 15 years, 324 days | 66 years, 325 days |
20 | William Irwin | 13 | January 1, 1827[3] | December 9, 1875 | 48 years, 342 days | January 8, 1880 | 53 years, 7 days | March 15, 1886 | 6 years, 66 days | 59 years, 73 days |
21 | Henry Markham | 18 | November 16, 1840 | January 8, 1891 | 50 years, 53 days | January 11, 1895 | 54 years, 56 days | October 9, 1923 | 28 years, 271 days | 82 years, 327 days |
22 | Earl Warren | 30 | March 19, 1891 | January 4, 1943 | 51 years, 291 days | October 5, 1953 | 62 years, 200 days | July 9, 1974 | 20 years, 277 days | 83 years, 112 days |
23 | Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr. | 32 | April 21, 1905 | January 5, 1959 | 53 years, 259 days | January 2, 1967 | 61 years, 256 days | February 16, 1996 | 29 years, 45 days | 90 years, 301 days |
24 | George Deukmejian | 35 | June 6, 1928 | January 3, 1983 | 54 years, 211 days | January 7, 1991 | 62 years, 215 days | May 8, 2018 | 27 years, 121 days | 89 years, 336 days |
25 | Ronald Reagan | 33 | February 6, 1911 | January 2, 1967 | 55 years, 330 days | January 7, 1975 | 63 years, 335 days | June 5, 2004 | 29 years, 150 days | 93 years, 120 days |
26 | Gray Davis | 37 | December 26, 1942 | January 4, 1999 | 56 years, 9 days | November 17, 2003 | 60 years, 326 days | 14 years, 330 days | 75 years, 291 days | |
27 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | 38 | July 30, 1947 | November 17, 2003 | 56 years, 110 days | January 3, 2011 | 63 years, 157 days | 7 years, 283 days | 71 years, 75 days | |
28 | Goodwin Knight | 31 | December 9, 1896 | October 5, 1953 | 56 years, 300 days | January 5, 1959 | 62 years, 27 days | May 22, 1970 | 11 years, 137 days | 73 years, 164 days |
29 | Friend Richardson | 25 | December 1, 1865 | January 9, 1923 | 57 years, 39 days | January 4, 1927 | 61 years, 34 days | September 6, 1943 | 16 years, 245 days | 77 years, 279 days |
30 | William Stephens | 24 | December 26, 1859 | March 15, 1917 | 57 years, 79 days | January 8, 1923 | 63 years, 13 days | April 25, 1944 | 21 years, 108 days | 84 years, 121 days |
31 | Pete Wilson | 36 | August 23, 1933 | January 7, 1991 | 57 years, 137 days | January 4, 1999 | 65 years, 134 days | 19 years, 282 days | 85 years, 51 days | |
32 | C. C. Young | 26 | April 28, 1869 | January 4, 1927 | 57 years, 251 days | January 6, 1931 | 61 years, 253 days | December 24, 1947 | 16 years, 352 days | 78 years, 240 days |
33 | George Stoneman | 15 | August 8, 1822 | January 10, 1883 | 60 years, 155 days | January 8, 1887 | 64 years, 153 days | September 5, 1894 | 7 years, 240 days | 72 years, 28 days |
34 | Robert Waterman | 17 | December 15, 1826 | September 12, 1887 | 60 years, 271 days | January 8, 1891 | 64 years, 24 days | April 12, 1891 | 94 days | 64 years, 118 days |
35 | James Rolph | 27 | August 23, 1869 | January 6, 1931 | 61 years, 136 days | June 2, 1934 | 64 years, 283 days | June 2, 1934 | 0 days | 64 years, 283 days |
36 | Culbert Olson | 29 | November 7, 1876 | January 2, 1939 | 62 years, 56 days | January 4, 1943 | 66 years, 58 days | April 13, 1962 | 19 years, 99 days | 85 years, 157 days |
37 | Washington Bartlett | 16 | February 29, 1824 | January 8, 1887 | 62 years, 314 days | September 12, 1887 | 63 years, 196 days | September 12, 1887 | 0 days | 63 years, 196 days |
38 | Frank Merriam | 28 | December 22, 1865 | June 2, 1934 | 68 years, 162 days | January 2, 1939 | 73 years, 11 days | April 25, 1955 | 16 years, 113 days | 89 years, 124 days |
39 | Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. (II) | 39 | April 7, 1938 | January 3, 2011 | 72 years, 271 days | 80 years, 189 days | ||||
# by age | Governor |
# in office |
Date of birth |
Date of inauguration |
Age at inauguration |
End of term |
Age at end of term |
Date of death |
Length of retirement |
Lifespan |
Notes
- ↑ McDougall was born in 1818, but his exact birthdate is unknown. All calculations here are made from January 1, 1818.
- ↑ Brown's retirement stopped 28 years to the day he left office because he returned for a third (non-consecutive) term as governor.
- ↑ Irwin was born in 1827, but his exact birthdate is unknown. All calculations here are made from January 1, 1827.
References
- JoinCalifornia.com - Dates of birth and death for Governors