List of Canadian Prime Ministers by age
This is a list of Prime Ministers of Canada since Confederation in 1867, arranged in descending order of their age upon first taking office.
Rank |
Prime Minister |
Date of Birth |
First mandate begins |
Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Charles Tupper |
July 2 1821 |
May 1 1896 |
74y 304d |
2 |
John Abbott |
March 12 1821 |
June 16 1891 |
70y 96d |
3 |
Mackenzie Bowell |
December 27 1824 |
December 21 1894 |
69y 359d |
4 |
Louis St. Laurent |
February 1 1882 |
November 15 1948 |
66y 288d |
5 |
Lester B. Pearson |
April 23 1897 |
April 24 1963 |
66y 1d |
6 |
Paul Martin |
August 28 1938 |
December 12 2003 |
65y 228d |
7 |
John Diefenbaker |
September 18 1895 |
June 21 1957 |
61y 276d |
8 |
Richard Bennett |
July 3 1870 |
August 7 1930 |
60y 35d |
9 |
Jean Chrétien |
January 11 1934 |
November 4 1993 |
59y 297d |
10 |
Robert Borden |
June 26 1854 |
October 10 1911 |
57y 104d |
11 |
John Turner |
June 7 1929 |
June 30 1984 |
55y 23d |
12 |
Wilfrid Laurier |
November 20 1841 |
July 11 1896 |
54y 234d |
13 |
John A. Macdonald |
January 11 1815 |
July 1 1867* |
52y 171d |
14 |
Alexander Mackenzie |
January 28 1822 |
November 7 1873 |
51y 283d |
15 |
Pierre Trudeau |
October 18 1919 |
April 20 1968 |
48y 185d |
16 |
John Sparrow Thompson |
November 10 1845 |
December 5 1892 |
47y 25d |
17 |
William Lyon Mackenzie King |
December 17 1874 |
December 29 1921 |
47y 12d |
18 |
Stephen Harper |
April 30 1959 |
February 6 2006 |
46y 282d |
19 |
Kim Campbell |
March 10 1947 |
June 25 1993 |
46y 99d |
20 |
Arthur Meighen |
June 16 1874 |
July 10 1920 |
46y 24d |
21 |
Brian Mulroney |
March 20 1939 |
September 17 1984 |
45y 181d |
22 |
Joe Clark |
June 5 1939 |
June 4 1979 |
39y 364d |
* Date of Confederation. John A. Macdonald began his first mandate as Joint Premier of the pre-confederation Province of Canada on May 24, 1856, when he was 41y 144d old, which would make him the second-youngest on the list. Charles Tupper was Premier of Nova Scotia at the time of Confederation having been in that office since 1864 when he was 45.
Source
- Canada. Library of Parliament. "Age when Sworn to Office". Retrieved May 14, 2006.