List of prime ministers of Canada by longevity
This is a list of prime ministers of Canada by longevity. Where the prime minister in question is still living, the longevity is calculated up to April 26, 2024.
Two measures of the longevity are given; this is to allow for the differing number of leap days occurring within the life of each prime minister. The first column is the number of days between date of birth and date of death, allowing for leap days; the second column breaks this number down into years and days, with the years being the number of whole years the prime minister lived, and the days being the remaining number of days after his/her last birthday.
Overview[edit]
If a prime minister served more than one non-consecutive term, the dates listed below are for the beginning of their first term, and the end of their final term.
The median age at which a prime minister first takes office is roughly 52 years and 100 days, which falls between Alexander Mackenzie and John A. Macdonald. The youngest person to become Prime Minister was Joe Clark, who took office one day before his 40th birthday. The oldest person to become Prime Minister was Charles Tupper at the age of 74 years, 304 days. The oldest person ever to serve as Prime Minister was John A. Macdonald, who was still in office when he died at the age of 76 years, 146 days.
Born on January 11, 1934, Jean Chretien is older than 3 of his predecessors: Brian Mulroney (5 years, 68 days); Joe Clark (5 years, 145 days); and Kim Campbell (13 years, 58 days).
The oldest living prime minister is Jean Chrétien, born January 11, 1934 (aged 90 years, 106 days). The second-oldest living prime minister is Paul Martin, born August 28, 1938 (aged 85 years, 242 days). The youngest living prime minister is the incumbent, Justin Trudeau, born December 25, 1971 (aged 52 years, 123 days).
The longest lived prime minister was Charles Tupper, who died at the age of 94 years, 120 days. Mackenzie Bowell was the second-longest lived prime minister. Bowell died at the age of 93 years, 348 days, only 136 days short of matching Tupper. Jean Chrétien, the oldest living prime minister, will surpass Bowell's lifespan if he lives beyond December 24, 2027, and surpass Tupper if he lives beyond May 9, 2028. The shortest lived prime minister was John S. Thompson, who died (in office) at the age of 49 years, 32 days. Macdonald and Thompson were the only two prime ministers to die in office.
In 2015, Justin Trudeau became the second-youngest person to become Prime Minister. He took office at the age of 43 years and 314 days. The only person to become prime minister younger than Justin Trudeau was Joe Clark.
Joe Clark has the distinction of having the longest retirement of any former prime minister, currently at 44 years, 54 days since leaving office on March 3, 1980. He surpassed the previous record, held by Arthur Meighen (33 years, 315 days) on January 12, 2014. The prime minister with the shortest retirement is John Abbott, who died on October 30, 1893, 340 days after he left office on November 24, 1892.
Five prime ministers have lived into their 90s. They are Sir Charles Tupper (1821–1915), Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1823–1917), Louis St. Laurent (1882–1973), John Turner (1929–2020) and Jean Chrétien (born 1934).
Prime ministers of Canada[edit]
| # |
Prime Minister |
Date of birth |
Start date of (first) term |
Age at beginning of (first) term |
End date of (final) term |
Age at end of (final) term |
Length of retirement |
Date of death |
Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John A. Macdonald | January 11, 1815 | July 1, 1867[1] | 52 years, 171 days | June 6, 1891[2] | 76 years, 146 days | N/A | June 6, 1891 | 76 years, 146 days |
| 2 | Alexander Mackenzie | January 28, 1822 | November 7, 1873 | 51 years, 283 days | October 9, 1878 | 56 years, 254 days | 13 years, 191 days | April 17, 1892 | 70 years, 80 days |
| 3 | John Abbott | March 12, 1821 | June 16, 1891 | 70 years, 96 days | November 24, 1892 | 71 years, 257 days | 340 days | October 30, 1893 | 72 years, 232 days |
| 4 | John Thompson | November 10, 1845 | December 5, 1892 | 47 years, 25 days | December 12, 1894[2] | 49 years, 32 days | N/A | December 12, 1894 | 49 years, 32 days |
| 5 | Mackenzie Bowell | December 27, 1823 | December 21, 1894 | 70 years, 359 days | April 27, 1896 | 72 years, 122 days | 21 years, 227 days | December 10, 1917 | 93 years, 348 days |
| 6 | Charles Tupper | July 2, 1821 | May 1, 1896 | 74 years, 304 days | July 8, 1896 | 75 years, 6 days | 19 years, 114 days | October 30, 1915 | 94 years, 120 days |
| 7 | Wilfrid Laurier | November 20, 1841 | July 11, 1896 | 54 years, 234 days | October 5, 1911 | 69 years, 319 days | 7 years, 135 days | February 17, 1919 | 77 years, 89 days |
| 8 | Robert Borden | June 26, 1854 | October 10, 1911 | 57 years, 106 days | July 10, 1920 | 66 years, 14 days | 16 years, 335 days | June 10, 1937 | 82 years, 349 days |
| 9 | Arthur Meighen | June 16, 1874 | July 10, 1920 | 46 years, 24 days | September 25, 1926 | 52 years, 101 days | 33 years, 315 days | August 5, 1960 | 86 years, 50 days |
| 10 | W.L. Mackenzie King | December 17, 1874 | December 29, 1921 | 47 years, 12 days | November 15, 1948 | 73 years, 334 days | 1 year, 249 days | July 22, 1950 | 75 years, 217 days |
| 11 | R.B. Bennett | July 3, 1870 | August 7, 1930 | 60 years, 35 days | October 23, 1935 | 65 years, 112 days | 11 years, 246 days | June 26, 1947 | 76 years, 358 days |
| 12 | Louis St. Laurent | February 1, 1882 | November 15, 1948 | 66 years, 288 days | June 21, 1957 | 75 years, 140 days | 16 years, 34 days | July 25, 1973 | 91 years, 174 days |
| 13 | John Diefenbaker | September 18, 1895 | June 21, 1957 | 61 years, 276 days | April 22, 1963 | 67 years, 216 days | 16 years, 116 days | August 16, 1979 | 83 years, 332 days |
| 14 | Lester B. Pearson | April 23, 1897 | April 22, 1963 | 65 years, 364 days | April 20, 1968 | 70 years, 363 days | 4 years, 251 days | December 27, 1972 | 75 years, 248 days |
| 15 | Pierre Trudeau | October 18, 1919 | April 20, 1968 | 48 years, 185 days | June 30, 1984 | 64 years, 256 days | 16 years, 90 days | September 28, 2000 | 80 years, 346 days |
| 16 | Joe Clark | June 5, 1939 | June 4, 1979 | 39 years, 364 days | March 3, 1980 | 40 years, 272 days | 44 years, 54 days | 84 years, 326 days | |
| 17 | John Turner | June 7, 1929 | June 30, 1984 | 55 years, 23 days | September 17, 1984 | 55 years, 102 days | 36 years, 2 days | September 19, 2020 | 91 years, 104 days |
| 18 | Brian Mulroney | March 20, 1939 | September 17, 1984 | 45 years, 181 days | June 25, 1993 | 54 years, 97 days | 30 years, 249 days | February 29, 2024 | 84 years, 346 days |
| 19 | Kim Campbell | March 10, 1947 | June 25, 1993 | 46 years, 107 days | November 4, 1993 | 46 years, 239 days | 30 years, 174 days | 77 years, 47 days | |
| 20 | Jean Chrétien | January 11, 1934 | November 4, 1993 | 59 years, 297 days | December 12, 2003 | 69 years, 335 days | 20 years, 136 days | 90 years, 106 days | |
| 21 | Paul Martin | August 28, 1938 | December 12, 2003 | 65 years, 106 days | February 6, 2006 | 67 years, 162 days | 18 years, 80 days | 85 years, 242 days | |
| 22 | Stephen Harper | April 30, 1959 | February 6, 2006 | 46 years, 282 days | November 4, 2015 | 56 years, 188 days | 8 years, 174 days | 64 years, 362 days | |
| 23 | Justin Trudeau | December 25, 1971 | November 4, 2015 | 43 years, 314 days | Incumbent | Incumbent | Incumbent | 52 years, 123 days |
Timeline of living prime ministers[edit]
This is a chronological list of all who served as the Prime Minister of Canada and were still living, at different periods in history. There have been 6 time periods when there was only one living prime minister, first with the appointment of John A. Macdonald in 1867 and most recently during the administration of Robert Borden following the death of Wilfrid Laurier in 1919.
There has been one time period when 8 living current or former prime ministers co-existed. This period was from the November 2015 appointment of Justin Trudeau to the September 2020 death of John Turner. If one includes future prime ministers as well as past and current prime ministers, there has been only one time period when 13 different prime ministers co-existed. (see Statistics)
| Start date | End date | Start event | Duration | End event | Living prime ministers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 1867 | November 7, 1873 | Appointment of John A. Macdonald | 6 years, 129 days | Appointment of Alexander Mackenzie | 1 | Macdonald |
| November 7, 1873 | June 6, 1891 | Appointment of Alexander Mackenzie | 17 years, 211 days | Death of John A. Macdonald | 2 | Macdonald Mackenzie |
| June 6, 1891 | June 16, 1891 | Death of John A. Macdonald | 10 days | Appointment of John Abbott | 1 | Mackenzie |
| June 16, 1891 | April 17, 1892 | Appointment of John Abbott | 306 days | Death of Alexander Mackenzie | 2 | Mackenzie Abbott |
| April 17, 1892 | December 5, 1892 | Appointment of John Abbott | 232 days | Appointment of John Thompson | 1 | Abbott |
| December 5, 1892 | October 30, 1893 | Appointment of John Thompson | 329 days | Death of John Abbott | 2 | Abbott Thompson |
| October 30, 1893 | December 12, 1894 | Death of John Abbott | 1 year, 43 days | Death of John Thompson | 1 | Thompson |
| December 21, 1894 | May 1, 1896 | Appointment of Mackenzie Bowell | 1 year, 132 days | Appointment of Charles Tupper | 1 | Bowell |
| May 1, 1896 | July 11, 1896 | Appointment of Charles Tupper | 71 days | Appointment of Wilfrid Laurier | 2 | Bowell Tupper |
| July 11, 1896 | October 10, 1911 | Appointment of Wilfrid Laurier | 15 years, 91 days | Appointment of Robert Borden | 3 | Bowell Tupper Laurier |
| October 10, 1911 | October 30, 1915 | Appointment of Robert Borden | 4 years, 20 days | Death of Charles Tupper | 4 | Bowell Tupper Laurier Borden |
| October 30, 1915 | December 10, 1917 | Death of Charles Tupper | 2 years, 41 days | Death of Mackenzie Bowell | 3 | Bowell Laurier Borden |
| December 10, 1917 | February 17, 1919 | Death of Mackenzie Bowell | 1 year, 69 days | Death of Wilfrid Laurier | 2 | Laurier Borden |
| February 17, 1919 | July 10, 1920 | Death of Wilfrid Laurier | 1 year, 144 days | Appointment of Arthur Meighen | 1 | Borden |
| July 10, 1920 | December 29, 1921 | Appointment of Arthur Meighen | 1 year, 172 days | Appointment of William Lyon Mackenzie King | 2 | Borden Meighen |
| December 29, 1921 | August 7, 1930 | Appointment of William Lyon Mackenzie King | 8 years, 221 days | Appointment of R.B. Bennett | 3 | Borden Meighen King |
| August 7, 1930 | June 10, 1937 | Appointment of R.B. Bennett | 6 years, 307 days | Death of Robert Borden | 4 | Borden Meighen King Bennett |
| June 10, 1937 | June 26, 1947 | Death of Robert Borden | 10 years, 16 days | Death of R.B. Bennett | 3 | Meighen King Bennett |
| June 26, 1947 | November 15, 1948 | Death of R.B. Bennett | 1 year, 142 days | Appointment of Louis St. Laurent | 2 | Meighen King |
| November 15, 1948 | July 22, 1950 | Appointment of Louis St. Laurent | 1 year, 249 days | Death of William Lyon Mackenzie King | 3 | Meighen King St. Laurent |
| July 22, 1950 | June 21, 1957 | Death of William Lyon Mackenzie King | 6 years, 334 days | Appointment of John Diefenbaker | 2 | Meighen St. Laurent |
| June 21, 1957 | August 5, 1960 | Appointment of John Diefenbaker | 3 years, 45 days | Death of Arthur Meighen | 3 | Meighen St. Laurent Diefenbaker |
| August 5, 1960 | April 22, 1963 | Death of Arthur Meighen | 2 years, 260 days | Appointment of Lester B. Pearson | 2 | St. Laurent Diefenbaker |
| April 22, 1963 | April 20, 1968 | Appointment of Lester B. Pearson | 4 years, 364 days | Appointment of Pierre Trudeau | 3 | St. Laurent Diefenbaker Pearson |
| April 20, 1968 | December 27, 1972 | Appointment of Pierre Trudeau | 4 years, 251 days | Death of Lester B. Pearson | 4 | St. Laurent Diefenbaker Pearson P. Trudeau |
| December 27, 1972 | July 25, 1973 | Death of Lester B. Pearson | 210 days | Death of Louis St. Laurent | 3 | St. Laurent Diefenbaker P. Trudeau |
| July 25, 1973 | June 4, 1979 | Death of Louis St. Laurent | 5 years, 314 days | Appointment of Joe Clark | 2 | Diefenbaker P. Trudeau |
| June 4, 1979 | August 16, 1979 | Appointment of Joe Clark | 73 days | Death of John Diefenbaker | 3 | Diefenbaker P. Trudeau Clark |
| August 16, 1979 | June 30, 1984 | Death of John Diefenbaker | 4 years, 319 days | Appointment of John Turner | 2 | P. Trudeau Clark |
| June 30, 1984 | September 17, 1984 | Appointment of John Turner | 79 days | Appointment of Brian Mulroney | 3 | P. Trudeau Clark Turner |
| September 17, 1984 | June 25, 1993 | Appointment of Brian Mulroney | 8 years, 281 days | Appointment of Kim Campbell | 4 | P. Trudeau Clark Turner Mulroney |
| June 25, 1993 | November 4, 1993 | Appointment of Kim Campbell | 132 days | Appointment of Jean Chrétien | 5 | P. Trudeau Clark Turner Mulroney Campbell |
| November 4, 1993 | September 28, 2000 | Appointment of Jean Chrétien | 6 years, 329 days | Death of Pierre Trudeau | 6 | P. Trudeau Clark Turner Mulroney Campbell Chrétien |
| September 28, 2000 | December 12, 2003 | Death of Pierre Trudeau | 3 years, 75 days | Appointment of Paul Martin | 5 | Clark Turner Mulroney Campbell Chrétien |
| December 12, 2003 | February 6, 2006 | Appointment of Paul Martin | 2 years, 56 days | Appointment of Stephen Harper | 6 | Clark Turner Mulroney Campbell Chrétien Martin |
| February 6, 2006 | November 4, 2015 | Appointment of Stephen Harper | 9 years, 271 days | Appointment of Justin Trudeau | 7 | Clark Turner Mulroney Campbell Chrétien Martin Harper |
| November 4, 2015 | September 19, 2020 | Appointment of Justin Trudeau | 4 years, 320 days | Death of John Turner | 8 | Clark Turner Mulroney Campbell Chrétien Martin Harper J. Trudeau |
| September 19, 2020 | February 29, 2024 | Death of John Turner | 3 years, 163 days | Death of Brian Mulroney | 7 | Clark Mulroney Campbell Chrétien Martin Harper J. Trudeau |
| February 29, 2024 | present | Death of Brian Mulroney | 57 days | present | 6 | Clark Campbell Chrétien Martin Harper J. Trudeau |
Statistics[edit]
- There have been six men who have been the only living prime minister: John A. Macdonald (as the first, from July 1, 1867 to November 7, 1873), Alexander Mackenzie (from Macdonald's death on June 6, 1891 to June 16, 1891), John Abbott (from Mackenzie's death on April 17, 1892 to December 5, 1892), John Thompson (from Abbott's death on October 30, 1893 to December 12, 1894), Mackenzie Bowell (from his appointment on December 21, 1894 to May 1, 1896), and Robert Borden (from Laurier's death on February 19, 1919 to July 10, 1920).
- During one period in the History of Canada, has there been 8 persons alive to have been prime minister. This period was from November 4 2015 to September 19, 2020 (when Joe Clark, John Turner, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, Stephen Harper, and Justin Trudeau were alive).
- Joe Clark was the only person to be both one of two or less living prime ministers (from August 16, 1979 to June 30, 1984) and one of the 8 living prime ministers (from November 4, 2015 to September 19, 2020).
- There have been 12 administrations during which a prime minister has not died, the most recent being the administration of Stephen Harper. This does not include the administration of John A. Macdonald (who was himself the only prime minister to die during his administration).
- Conversely, only during the administrations of Robert Borden and William Lyon Mackenzie King have there been as many as three deaths during an administration.
- Wilfrid Laurier holds the distinction of serving for the longest period without the death of a prime minister during his term (15 years and 86 days).
- The longest period between deaths of prime ministers was the 21 years and 43 days between the deaths of John Diefenbaker on August 16, 1979 and Pierre Trudeau on September 28, 2000. The shortest was the 210 days between the deaths of Lester B. Pearson on December 27, 1972 and Louis St. Laurent on July 25, 1973.
- If the longest period between deaths is to be exceeded, no prime minister must die before April 12, 2045 (the current oldest and second oldest surviving prime ministers, Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, would then be 111 and 107 years old respectively).
- The second longest period is the 20 years and 322 days between the deaths of John Thompson on December 12, 1894 and Mackenzie Bowell on October 30, 1915.
- Following his administrations' end in 1980, Joe Clark has lived to see a record 8 administrations since leaving office 44 years, 54 days ago. John Turner follows with 6 administrations after his own administration ended in 1984, prior to his death in September 2020.
- If one includes future as well as past and current prime ministers, the record sits at 13:
- Between Kim Campbell's birth on March 10, 1947 and R.B. Bennett's death on June 26, 1947, the following prime ministers were alive: Arthur Meighen, W.L. Mackenzie King, R.B. Bennett, Louis St. Laurent, John Diefenbaker, Lester B. Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, John Turner, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, and Paul Martin.
- Since the appointment of Arthur Meighen on July 10, 1920 (a period of 103 years, 291 days), there have been at least two prime ministers living, and since the appointment of John Turner on June 30, 1984 (a period of 39 years, 301 days), there have been at least three prime ministers living.
Oldest living prime ministers of Canada[edit]
Not all prime ministers live to become the oldest of their time. Of the 17 deceased prime ministers, 14 eventually became the oldest of their time, while 3 did not (William Lyon Mackenzie King, Lester B. Pearson, and Brian Mulroney being the only exceptions). John A. Macdonald became the oldest living prime minister when he was appointed in 1867 and remained so until his death in 1891, for a record of almost 24 years. Alexander Mackenzie became the oldest living prime minister after the death of John A. Macdonald, but he held this distinction for only 10 days.
On two occasions the oldest living prime minister lost this distinction not by his death, but due to the appointment of a prime minister who was older. Alexander Mackenzie, who became the oldest living during a vacancy in the office of Prime Minister following the death of John A. Macdonald, lost this distinction when John Abbott was appointed to succeed Macdonald. Mackenzie Bowell lost this distinction when Charles Tupper was appointed, but when Tupper died in 1915, Bowell regained it again until his own death in 1917 for a total period of 3 years and 182 days. Jean Chrétien was the oldest to acquire this distinction at the age of 86 years and 252 days. Brian Mulroney, who was 84 years and 346 days old when he died, on February 29, 2024 was the oldest and most recent prime minister to die without ever acquiring this distinction.
| Prime Minister | Became oldest living prime minister | Ceased to be oldest living prime minister | Age at start date | Age at end date | Duration (years, days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John A. Macdonald | July 1, 1867 | June 6, 1891 | 52 years, 171 days | 76 years, 146 days | 23 years, 340 days |
| Alexander Mackenzie | June 6, 1891 | June 16, 1891 | 69 years, 129 days | 69 years, 139 days | 10 days |
| John Abbott | June 16, 1891 | October 30, 1893 | 70 years, 86 days | 72 years, 232 days | 2 years, 136 days |
| John Thompson | October 30, 1893 | December 12, 1894 | 47 years, 354 days | 49 years, 32 days | 1 year, 43 days |
| Mackenzie Bowell | December 21, 1894 | May 1, 1896 | 70 years, 350 days | 72 years, 126 days | 1 year, 132 days |
| Charles Tupper | May 1, 1896 | October 30, 1915 | 74 years, 304 days | 94 years, 120 days | 19 years, 182 days |
| Mackenzie Bowell | October 30, 1915 | December 10, 1917 | 91 years, 307 days | 93 years, 348 days | 2 years, 41 days |
| Wilfrid Laurier | December 10, 1917 | February 17, 1919 | 76 years, 20 days | 77 years, 89 days | 1 year, 69 days |
| Robert Borden | February 17, 1919 | June 10, 1937 | 64 years, 236 days | 82 years, 349 days | 18 years, 113 days |
| R.B. Bennett | June 10, 1937 | June 26, 1947 | 66 years, 342 days | 76 years, 358 days | 10 years, 16 days |
| Arthur Meighen | June 26, 1947 | August 5, 1960 | 73 years, 10 days | 86 years, 50 days | 13 years, 40 days |
| Louis St. Laurent | August 5, 1960 | July 25, 1973 | 78 years, 186 days | 91 years, 174 days | 12 years, 354 days |
| John Diefenbaker | July 25, 1973 | August 16, 1979 | 77 years, 310 days | 83 years, 332 days | 6 years, 22 days |
| Pierre Trudeau | August 16, 1979 | September 28, 2000 | 59 years, 302 days | 80 years, 346 days | 21 years, 43 days |
| John Turner | September 28, 2000 | September 19, 2020 | 71 years, 113 days | 91 years, 104 days | 19 years, 357 days |
| Jean Chrétien | September 19, 2020 | Current oldest living prime minister | 86 years, 252 days | Current oldest living prime minister | 3 years, 220 days |
| Prime Minister | Became oldest living prime minister | Ceased to be oldest living prime minister | Age at start date | Age at end date | Duration (years, days) |
See also[edit]
Others articles of the Topic Canada : Canadian hip hop
Others articles of the Topic Politics : Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Anan Foundation, Frank Blackburn, Incumbent, New York's congressional districts, Social Activist, Ewald Max Hoyer
Others articles of the Topic Lists : List of Mensans, List of musicians, List of most popular websites
Notes[edit]
Sources[edit]
- Government of Canada. Library of Parliament. "Prime Ministers of Canada". Retrieved September 3, 2016.
Lists of prime ministers of Canada | |
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