Truman and Ford both Died on December 26th - 34 Years Apart

Harry S Truman and Gerald R. Ford both died on December 26th, but 34 years apart.

Harry Truman and Gerald Ford

Truman passed away on December 26, 1972 in Independence, Missouri at the age of 88. Ford, who lived to be the oldest ex-president, passed away at the age of 93 on December 26, 2006.

Both men attained the Presidency by elevation from the Vice-Presidency. Truman became President upon Franklin Roosevelt’s death in 1945, and Ford ascended to the Presidency upon the resignation of Richard M. Nixon in August 1974.

Truman went on to win a term as President on his own in 1948, while Ford was thwarted in his attempt to be elected to the Presidency in 1976 when challenger Jimmy Carter defeated him. Both Truman and Ford were solid men from middle America (Missouri and Michigan).

Mike Purdy’s Presidential History Blog
© 2012 by Michael E. Purdy
www.PresidentialHistory.com

1 Comment

Steven Harbin on December 27, 2012 at 3:28 pm

Thanks for posting this, I wasn’t aware that both men passed away on Dec. 26th. Interesting that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson passed away on the exact same day as well, July 4, 1826.