List of Australian Prime Ministers by age
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Prime Ministers of Australia
by age, including when they were born, what age they were when they were appointed Prime Minister, what age were they when they left the office and the age at which they died, or their current age as of if they are still alive. The table can be sorted by each different category.
The date of appointment as Prime Minister is the date on which they were sworn in by the Governor-General
for their first term. The day on which they departed office is the final day of their final term. This is either the day a new Prime Minister was appointed or their date of death if they died whilst in office.
age of a Prime Minister on the first day of their first term is 53 years, 33 days, which falls between James Scullin
and Billy Hughes
. The youngest person to assume the office was Chris Watson
(age 37 years, 18 days). The oldest person to assume office was John McEwen
(age 67 years, 265 days).
The oldest living Prime Minister is Gough Whitlam
, born 11 July 1916 (age ). The youngest living former Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd
, born 21 September 1957 (age ). The youngest living Prime Minister is the incumbent, Julia Gillard
, born 29 September 1961 (age ).
The longest-lived Prime Minister is Gough Whitlam, who is still living as of 2011 at the age of . Frank Forde
was the second longest-lived Prime Minister, at the age of 92 years, 194 days. Whitlam surpassed Forde's lifespan on 21 January 2009. The shortest-lived Prime Minister was Harold Holt
, at the age of 59 years, 134 days (See footnote below explaining his disappearance).
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
by age, including when they were born, what age they were when they were appointed Prime Minister, what age were they when they left the office and the age at which they died, or their current age as of if they are still alive. The table can be sorted by each different category.
The date of appointment as Prime Minister is the date on which they were sworn in by the Governor-General
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
for their first term. The day on which they departed office is the final day of their final term. This is either the day a new Prime Minister was appointed or their date of death if they died whilst in office.
Overview
The medianMedian
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
age of a Prime Minister on the first day of their first term is 53 years, 33 days, which falls between James Scullin
James Scullin
James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
and Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
. The youngest person to assume the office was Chris Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
(age 37 years, 18 days). The oldest person to assume office was John McEwen
John McEwen
Sir John "Black Jack" McEwen, GCMG, CH , was an Australian politician and the 18th Prime Minister of Australia...
(age 67 years, 265 days).
The oldest living Prime Minister is Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
, born 11 July 1916 (age ). The youngest living former Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
, born 21 September 1957 (age ). The youngest living Prime Minister is the incumbent, Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
, born 29 September 1961 (age ).
The longest-lived Prime Minister is Gough Whitlam, who is still living as of 2011 at the age of . Frank Forde
Frank Forde
Francis Michael Forde PC was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for only eight days.-Early life:...
was the second longest-lived Prime Minister, at the age of 92 years, 194 days. Whitlam surpassed Forde's lifespan on 21 January 2009. The shortest-lived Prime Minister was Harold Holt
Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December 1967 when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was presumed drowned.Holt spent 32 years...
, at the age of 59 years, 134 days (See footnote below explaining his disappearance).
List of Australian Prime Ministers by age
| # |
Prime Minister |
Date of birth |
Start date of (first) term |
Age at beginning of (first) term |
End date of (final) term |
Total time in office |
Date of death |
Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 27 | Incumbent | days | days | |||||
| # | Prime Minister | Date of birth | Start date of (first) term |
Age at beginning of (first) term |
End date of (final) term |
Total time in office |
Date of death | Lifespan |
See also
- Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
- Politics of AustraliaPolitics of AustraliaThe Politics of Australia take place within the framework of a parliamentary democracy, with electoral procedures appropriate to a two-party system. Australia is governed as a federation and as a constitutional monarchy, with an adversarial legislature based upon the Westminster system...
- List of Prime Ministers of Australia