U.S. Presidents Who Died in Office

U.S. Presidents Who Died in Office

During the history of the United States, eight presidents have died in office. Of those eight, four were assassinated, and four died of natural causes. In all eight cases, the Vice President of the United States took over the office of presidency as part of the United States presidential line of succession. William Henry Harrison holds the record for shortest term served, holding the office of presidency for 31 days before passing away, as well as being the first president to die in office. Franklin Delano Roosevelt held the office of presidency longer than any other president, including those who completed their terms, with a total of four terms or 4,422 days.

Succession PresidentDays in OfficeDate of DeathCause of DeathAge 
35 John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy1,03611/22/1963Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald46 
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt4,4224/12/1945Cerebral hemorrhage63 
29 Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding8818/2/1923Heart attack57 
25 William McKinley William McKinley1,6549/14/1901Assassinated by Leon Frank Czolgosz58 
20 James Garfield James Garfield1999/19/1881Assassinated by Charles Julius Guiteau49 
16 Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln1,5034/15/1865Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth56 
12 Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor4917/9/1850Acute gastroenteritis65 
9 William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison314/4/1841Pneumonia and pleurisy68 
U.S. Presidents Who Died in Office
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