Below is a list ofGovernors of California by age. The youngest person to become California Governor was J. Neely Johnson. The oldest person to become Governor of Californiafor the first time was Frank Merriam who became Governor on June 2, 1934 at 68 years, and 162 days old. The oldest Governor to be inaugurated overall was Jerry Brown on January 3, 2011, who became Governor at 72 years, 271 days old. Brown had previously been the sixth-youngest person to become Governor in 1975, and the youngest since the 1860s, at 36 years, 275 days old. The median age of accession is roughly 49 years, and 4 days which falls between William Irwin and Henry Markham. The oldest living former governor is Pete Wilson, born August 23, 1933. The youngest living former California Governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger, born July 30, 1947, followed by Gray Davis, born December 26, 1942. Incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom, born October 10, 1967 is the youngest of the five living governors. The shortest-lived Governor was J. Neely Johnson, who died at the age of 47 years, 29 days. The longest-lived Governor was Ronald Reagan, who died at the age of 93 years and 120 days. Pat Brown was the second longest-lived, almost 3 years short of Reagan. The oldest living Governor, Pete Wilson, will tie Brown if he lives to June 19, 2024, and tie Reagan if he lives to December 21, 2026. The Governor with the longest retirement is Peter H. Burnett. He left office on January 9, 1851, and died 44 years, and 128 days later on May 17, 1895. The Governor with the shortest retirement is Robert Waterman, who died on April 12, 1891, 94 days after leaving office on January 8, 1891.
Not all governors live to become the oldest of their time. Of the 34 deceased governors, 14 eventually became the oldest of their time, while 20 did not. George C. Perkins became the oldest living governor when Romualdo Pacheco died in 1899 and remained so until his death in 1923, for a record single period of 24 years and 34 days. Henry Markham became the oldest living governor after the death of George C. Perkins, but he survived Perkins by only 225 days. On one occasion the oldest living governor lost this distinction not by his death, but due to the inauguration of a governor who was older. Peter H. Burnett lost this distinction when John Bigler was inaugurated, but when Bigler died in 1871, Burnett regained it again until his own death in 1895 for a total record period of 25 years and 188 days. Ronald Reagan was the oldest to acquire this distinction at the age of 85 years, and 10 days. Hiram Johnson, who was 78 years, and 338 days old when he died, was the oldest governor to die without ever acquiring this distinction. Goodwin Knight who died on May 22, 1970 was the most recent governor to die without ever acquiring this distinction.
