Age and illness an issue for US presidential hopefuls

WITH illness plaguing Clinton and Trump quizzed about his age, questions are being asked about the ability of both candidates to handle the top job.

Ronald Reagan, with wife Nacny, was the oldest person to be elected to the White House.

THE job of president of the United States is one of the toughest gigs in the world. And it can take a toll on who ever who sits in the Oval Office. That is why questions are being asked about the ability of both current candidates to handle the top job.

Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are among the oldest ever to aim for the White House — Hilary turns 69 in October and Trump turned 70 in June. And to make matters worse, Clinton has also been diagnosed with pneumonia after stumbling during a 9/11 memorial service on the weekend.

While some may blame the illness on her age, other ageing candidates have managed the gruelling campaign and gone on to serve full terms in the White House. The oldest person ever to be elected president was Ronald Reagan, who took up the job a couple of weeks short of his 70th birthday. His age never really became an issue during his campaign and even when he was running for a second term in 1984, aged 73, he deflected a question about his age with a well-honed quip: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

US President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan on October 29, 1981.

While many conservatives believe Reagan was one of the best presidents the US ever had (Democrats beg to differ), it later emerged that he may have been suffering from the earliest stages of dementia while in office. Although his Alzheimers was not diagnosed until six years after he left the presidency, while he was president he often appeared vague at press conferences, made contradictory statements, forgot names and was known to lose concentration and fall asleep during meetings.

The second oldest person to be elected president was William Henry Harrison, who was 68 years and three weeks old at his inauguration in 1841 (which at the time was a record). His health had held up during the election in 1840, however, when he gave his inaugural address — the longest in history at more than 8000 words and lasting two hours — he neglected to wear an overcoat on a freezing Washington day. Although some stories suggest the cold weather gave him pneumonia, it wasn’t until three weeks later he was diagnosed with the illness.

It is possible that his body’s defences were weakened by the experience and a cold turned into something worse. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841 and died on April 4 — the shortest presidency in history and the first president to die in office.

William Harrison was the first president to die in office in 1841.

Horace Greeley campaigned for the presidency, but died before the 1872 election.

Newspaper editor Horace Greeley was only 61 when he ran for president, but the decision to run would prove fatal. In 1872 he was nominated as candidate by both the Liberal Republicans (dissenters from the Republican Party) and the Democrats, to take on incumbent Republican President Ulysses Grant. Unusually, Greeley personally went around making speeches to campaign, up to that time the speeches had mostly been left to supporters and lackeys. During the campaign Greeley’s wife became ill so he took time off during the campaign to care for her. She died just days before the election. Plunged into despair, Greeley continued with the campaign but lost the election. He only managed 66 votes in the electoral college to Grant’s 286. The strain of the loss of his wife, the campaign and the humiliating loss affected his health. He died before the electoral votes were counted and his votes were redistributed among the other candidates.

Much was made of how young and vigorous John F. Kennedy, pictured with wife Jacqueline, was during the 1960 presidential campaign.

But even being youthful does not guarantee that a candidate is in the peak of health.

During the 1960 presidential campaign, much was made of how young and vigorous John F. Kennedy was. Aged 43, he was one of the youngest candidates to run for president and was often depicted involved in physical pursuits. In reality he was suffering from a multitude of medical problems. He suffered from Addison’s disease, for which he took regular doses of cortisone. His back was badly injured in World War II and he needed to wear a brace. He was also plagued by ulcers and intestinal problems. Most of it was kept secret from the public.

During the election when he found himself at a low ebb, losing his voice and lacking energy, he went to Max “Dr Feelgood” Jacobson who administered painkillers and amphetamines that gave Kennedy back his pep. It helped win him the election but has caused historians to question whether Kennedy’s judgment as president was affected by the medications he took for his various illnesses.

Originally published as Age and illness an issue for US presidential hopefuls