Maybe your thinking of this shot, from the cover of Bob Woodward’s book.
There’s also this image of five presidents INixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush) at the opening of the Reagan Library in 1991. (another pic from the same day here.)
When that picture came out, I recall some publications called it the “Anti-Mt. Rushmore”. Harsh (but funny).
I’ve got a question…what’s the largest number of future Presidents that’s been alive at any one time? How many future Presidents might be alive today?
This thread inspired a strange notion. What if Presidents, like Supreme Court Justices, served for life? I used stockton’s link and the assumption that whoever was actually President at the time a supposed President died would have been the new President.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Presidents for Life of the United States:
George Washington 1789-1799
John Adams 1799-1826
John Quincy Adams 1826-1848
James K. Polk 1848-1849
Zachary Taylor 1849-1850
Millard Fillmore 1850-1874
Ulysses S. Grant 1874-1885
Grover Cleveland 1885-1908
Theodore Roosevelt 1908-1919
Woodrow Wilson 1919-1924
Calvin Coolidge 1924-1933
Herbert Hoover 1933-1964
Lyndon Johnson 1964-1973
Richard Nixon 1973-1994
Bill Clinton 1994-present
I don’t care what your political views are; this is a grim picture.
The second part is, of course, unanswerable.
The first part, though…
George Washington took office in 1789. Zachary Taylor was the youngest future president alive at that time, born in 1784. There were ten total future presidents alive at that time.
John Adams took office in 1797, and just before that, James K. Polk was born in 1795. During those two years (after Polk was born, but before Adams took office), there were twelve future presidents alive.
Thomas Jefferson took office in 1801, and Millard Fillmore was born in 1800, but Fillmore was the only one born, so the total remains the same.
Madison took office in 1807, Pierce was born in 1804, and there were still twelve living future presidents.
Monroe took office in 1817, Lincoln was born in 1809, and during those 8 years, there were thirteen living future presidents.
John Quincy Adams took office in 1825. Grant and Hayes were both born in 1822, so at that time there were fourteen living future presidents.
Jackson took office in 1829, but that only decreases the number by one, since the next future president was Chester A. Arthur, born in 1830.
Van Buren took office on March 4, 1837, and Cleveland was born in March 18, 1837, so we can’t count them both at the same time. Harrison was born in 1833, so there were fourteen future presidents living for those four years as well.
Both Harrison and Tyler took office in 1841. Between Cleveland’s birth and Harrison’s inauguration, there were fifteen living future presidents. When Tyler took office, the number decreased by one.
James K. Polk took office in 1845. McKinley was born in 1843, so for those two years, there were also 14 living future presidents.
Taylor took office in 1849, but Wilson was born until 1856, so there were thirteen at that time.
Fillmore took office in 1850, reducing the number to twelve.
Pierce took office in 1853, reducing the number to eleven.
Buchanan took office on March 4th, 1857, while Taft wasn’t born until September 15. Wilson was born on 1856, so the number remained eleven.
Lincoln took office in 1861, while Teddy Roosevelt was born in 1858. For those three years, there were twelve living future presidents.
Johnson took office April 15, 1865, Warren G. Harding wasn’t born until November 2 of that year, so the number decreases to 11.
Grant took office in 1869, and one president, Harding, was born in 1865, so the number remains the same.
Hayes took office in 1877. Hoover was born in 1874. For those three years, there were 12 living future presidents.
Garfield took office in 1881, but there were no new future presidents born, so the number dropped to 11.
Arthur also took office that year, so the number dropped to ten.
Cleveland took office in 1885, and both Frankling D. Roosevelt and Truman were born before that, so there were eleven living future presidents just before Cleveland took office.
Harrison took office in 1889, but no new future presidents were born. After Cleveland took office but before Harrison, there were ten living future presidents.
McKinley took office in 1897, but only one new future president, Eisenhower, was born, so the number remains the same.
Teddy Roosevelt took office in 1901, and no new presidents were born, so the number declined to nine.
Taft took office in 1909, and Johnson was born in 1908, so the number remains the same.
Wilson took office on March 4, 1913, while Nixon was born on January 9th of that year, but Gerald Ford was born July 14th of the same year. From January 9th to March 4th, 1913, there were ten living future Presidents.
Harding took office in 1921, and Kennedy was born in 1917. During those four years, there were eleven living future presidents.
Coolidge took office in 1923, but no new future presidents were born, so the number declines to ten.
Hoover took office in 1929, and both Carter and G.H.W. Bush were born in 1924, so during those five years, there were eleven future living presidents.
Roosevelt took office in 1933, but there were no new future presidents born, so the number declines to ten.
Harry S. Truman took office in 1945, and there were still no new presidents born, so the number declines to nine.
Eisenhower took office in 1953, and both Clinton and President Bush were born in 1946, so between those seven years, there were ten future living presidents.
John Kerry was born in 1943, so if he wins the upcoming election, you can increment Truman and eisenhower’s totals by one.
The winner is…between Grover Cleveland’s birth in 1837 and Harrison’s inauguration in 1841, there were FIFTEEN living future presidents at one time.
I think it’s safe to assume that there are at least eight future presidents alive right now, and it’s more likely that the total is closer to ten.
Garfield226:
Very nice rundown. Neglected Reagan, though, who was born in 1911. That bumps up the total by one for everyone from Taft onward. Not that this will affect who hold the record.
And *with * digging, you could assemble your own little Hall of Presidents.