AHC: Younger US Presidents

Basically the idea is to have US presidents be younger on average. My immediate thought is to have a sort of "double threat" caused by two successive old men as President - one dies of natural causes while in office, his Even older VP ascends to the Presidency and is eventually declared senile via a Senate impeachment trial (or however that works). Bonus points for this event happening during a warmer period of the Cold War so people place a lotof importance on having someone healthy on the button, so to speak.

My only real stipulation is I'm thinking post-1945.
 
My only real stipulation is I'm thinking post-1945.
OK. Average age of U.S. Presidents upon assuming the office post 1945: 55

So, starting with a POD of Roosevelt choosing a younger running mate:

1945-1953: Scott Lucas, Age 53 (Democratic)
1953-1961: Harold Stassen, Age 45 (Republican)
1961-1969: John F. Kennedy, Age 43 (Democratic)
1969-1973: Spiro Agnew, Age 50 (Republican)
1973-1981: George H.W. Bush, Age 48 (Republican)
*
1981-1989: Jerry Brown, Age 42 (Democratic)
1989-1997: Al Gore, Age 40 (Democratic)

1997-2005: Jeb Bush, Age 43 (Republican)
2005-2009: Tim Pawlenty, Age 44 (Republican)

2009-incumbent: Barack Obama, Age 47 (Democratic)


*Assumed office after Agnew resigned due to scandals

Average Age of assuming office: 45, reduced by a decade.
 
Let's try this

1977-1983: Nelson Rockefeller [1]
1983-1985: Barry Goldwater [2]
1985: Donald Rumsfeld [3]
1985-1993: Joseph Biden [4]
1993-2001: Mike Huckabee [5]
2001-2009: Barack Obama [6]
2009-2013: Hillary Rodham [7]
2013-2021: Marco Rubio [8]


[1] Rockefeller/Goldwater seem crazy? Despite being very opposed in the 60s, both weren't very fond of the Christian conservatism represented by Ronald Reagan. Who better to undercut Ron than the OG Conservative himself? Unforuntately Rockefeller dies of a heart attack at Age 74.
[2] Many were worried after Rockefeller's death because Goldwater had a stroke just a few months before Rockefeller's death. It soon became apparent that Goldwater was himself suffering from dementia and alzheimer's due to the stroke. The Cabinet (including newly appointed VP Donald Rumsfeld) tried to keep things quiet and run things themselves, but the press eventually found out and Congress voted to impeach Goldwater. People suddenly became very worried about the age and health of the President - Rumsfeld thus had to do multiple photo ops to instill public confidence in his ability. Still, the Goldwater trickery made him political poison to actually run himself in 1984.
[3]Biden (42 at the time) was successfully able to leverage worries about Presidential help to win the Democratic Nomination and become one of the youngest Presidents. He was very liberal and helped end the Cold War. He unfortunately had a brain aneurysm in the last few months of his Presidency and narrowly survived. He was quick to get out and present an image of health and recovery to the public to assuage their fears.
[4]Coming off of a successful career as Governor of Arkansas in the 1980s (beating Bill Clinton), Huckabee was 38 when he entered office - even younger than Biden had been. He began the "War on Terror" against Al Queda and largely led America in a more conservative direction. The only exception to this is an "America Healthy" program he started as American focus on health expanded to everyone wanting to stay healthy.
[6]Obama became popular when he was elected to the Senate in the Democratic landslide of 1994; he became a national figure in his opposition to President Huckabee on many policies, while conversely being seen as willing to cross the aisle when he worked with President Huckabee on the "America Healthy" program together. He was 40 when he was elected and passed lots of landmark legislation including a Single Payer Healthcare and Campaign Finance Reform.
[7]The first to break the string of young Presidents, Rodham got some flack for her divorce of Bill Clinton in the 1970s and also being 60 at the time, but thankfully she overcame this (frankly stupid) criticism and was able to do a lot to shore up women's rights and curb Wall Street excesses during her single term as President before party fatigue ended her short career as President.
[8]Rubio continued the trend of young Presidents and also represented the Republican Party shift to try to get minority voters (after losing to a black guy and a woman for three elections). Rubio did very well portraying himself as a young man and rather unfairly called into question Hillary's mental capabilities as a "64 year old woman". He also made some waves when he authored a term limit bill for Senators in 2007 forcing many of the "Old Guard" to retire and making the average age of government officials almost 10 years younger. He was 42 when he was elected.

The average age of US Presidents since Rumsfeld is now 44, with the average age of a Senator at 50. The only branch of government which maintains lots of old people is the Supreme Court.
 
How about this?

Mark Hanna doesn’t die in 1904 and narrowly wins the nomination over Theodore Roosevelt (age: 46). However, due to some sort of scandal, Hanna (age: 67) loses in the general election in November to Hearst (age: 41) by a very narrow margin. However, the urban Hearst dies in an accident in early 1906, and his rural VP, Henry G. Davis (age: 82), succeeds him. However, Davis quickly becomes so unpopular that he is ultimately impeached in mid-1907 and succeeded by his Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan (age: 46). This string of young politicians being more successful than older ones starts an ageist national trend where voters lean towards younger candidates – and so do party bosses...

Presidents, party-state, time in office (age in office) – notes – median age:
26 Theodore Roosevelt, R-NY, 1901-1905 (42-46) – lost nomination
27 William Randolph Hearst, D-NY, 1905-1906 (41-42) – died
28 Henry Gassaway Davis, D-WV, 1906-1907 (82-83) – impeached
29 William Jennings Bryan, D-NE, 1907-1913 (46-52) – retired due to poor health – median age: 49
30 Frederick William Mulkey, R-OR, 1913-1921 (39-47) – retired – median age: 43
31 Franklin D. Roosevelt, D-NY, 1921-1929 (38-46) – retired; President-Elect Edwin T. Meredith died – median age: 42
32 Alfred Mossman Landon, R-KS, 1929-1933 (41-45) – lost re-election; Governor 1927-1929 – median age: 43
33 Sherman “Shay” Milton, D-IN, 1933-1941 (42-50) – lost re-election – median age: 46
34 Thomas Edmund Dewey, R-NY, 1941-1949 (38-46) – term-limited – median age: 42
35 Harold Edward Stassen, R-MN, 1949-1957 (41-49) – term-limited – median age: 45
36 John Fitzgerald Kennedy Sr., D-MA, 1957-1959 (39-41) – assassinated – median age: 40
37 George Corley Wallace Sr., D-AL, 1959-1969 (39-49) – term-limited; pro-integration Governor 1955-1957 – median age: 44
38 Howard Henry Baker Jr., R-TN, 1969-1977 (43-51) – term-limited – median age: 47
39 Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown Jr., D-CA, 1977-1985 (38-46) – term-limited – median age: 42
40 Donald Lee “Don” Nickles, R-OK, 1985-1989 (36-40) – lost re-election – median age: 38
41 Albert Arnold “Al” Gore Jr., D-TN, 1989-1997 (40-48) – term-limited – median age: 44
42 Timothy James “Tim” Pawlenty, R-MN, 1997-2005 (36-44) – term-limited; Governor 1995-1996 – median age: 40
43 Jesse Louise Jackson Jr., D-IL, 2005-2013 (39-47) – term-limited; Governor 1999-2005 – median age: 43
44 Julian Castro, D-TX, 2013à (38à) – incumbent; Mayor 2005-2008, US Senator 2009-2013

The average age for the President between 1907 and 1917 = 43.2 exactly.
 
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…um, wow, was my last post so bad it killed this thread? Man, why is it that, whenever you kill something, it dies?

Well, here’s my second take at this, staying closer to the original concept of 2 oldsters after WW2 starting it all off…

Presidents
Time in office: Number) President, party-state (age in office) – notes
1933-1945: 32) Franklin Delano Roosevelt, D-NY (51-63) – died in April from a hemorrhage
1945-1946: 33) John Hollis Bankhead II, D-AL (72-73) – died in June from a stroke
1946-1949: 34) John Nance Garner IV, D-TX (77-80) – oldest President
1949-1957: 35) Harold Edward Stassen, R-M (41-49) – term-limited – median age: 45
1957-1965: 36) George Michael Leader, D-PA (39-47) – term-limited – median age: 43
1965-1969: 37) John Goodwin Tower, R-TX (39-43) – lost re-election – median age: 41
1969-1977: 38) Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy Sr., D-MA (38-46) – term-limited – median age: 42
1977-1981: 39) H. John Heinz III, R-PA (38-42) – assassinated in March – median age: 40
1981-1983: 40) Michael Bradley “Mike” Enzi, R-WY (36-38) – resigned in August – median age: 37
1983-1989: 41) Joseph Fidler “Joe” Walsh, R-CA (35-41) – lost re-election; 2nd youngest President – median age: 38
1989-1997: 42) William M. “Bill” Walker, D-AS (37-45) – term-limited – median age: 41
1997-2000: 43) John G. Rowland, R-CN (43-47) – impeached in June – median age: 45
2000-2005: 44) Jane Swift, R-MA (35-39) – first female President/youngest President – median age: 37
2005-2013: 45) Artur G. Davis, D-AL (37-45) – first African-American President – median age: 41
2013-2021: 46) Marco Antonio Rubio, R-FL (41-49) – first Cuban-American President – median age: 45
2021à: 47) Patrick Erin Murphy, D-FL (37à) – just got sworn in
The average age for the President between 1949 and 2021 = 41.33continuous

Elections
1948: Harold E. Stassen/Kenneth Wherry won over Richard B. Russell Jr./Scott W. Lucas
1952: Harold E. Stassen/Richard Nixon won over Estes Kefauver/Gerald “Pat” Brown Sr. and Strom Thurmond/Harry Byrd Sr. (3%)
1956: George Leader/Hubert Humphrey won over Richard Nixon/Robert B. Anderson
1960: George Leader/Hubert Humphrey won over Cecil Underwood/William Knowland
1964: John G. Tower/Daniel B. Brewster won over Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie
1968: Ted Kennedy/George McGovern won over John G. Tower/Daniel B. Brewster
1972: Ted Kennedy/George McGovern won over Robert “Bob” Dole/Rick Schweiker
1976: John Heinz/Nelson Rockefeller won over Gerald “Jerry” Brown Jr./Mike Gravel and Bernie Sanders/Norman Hill (5%)
1980: John Heinz/Larry Lee Pressler won over Gary Warren Hart/Jesse Jackson Sr. and Paul Tsongas/Ralph Nader (6%)
1984: Joseph F. Walsh/Donald L. Nickles won over John H. Glenn Jr./Birch Bayh Jr.
1988: William “Bill” Walker/“Al” Gore won over Joseph F. Walsh/Donald L. Nickles
1992: William “Bill” Walker/“Al” Gore won over Donald J. Trump Sr./Colin Powell and H. Ross Perot/James Bond Stockdale (19%)
1996: John G. Rowland/Mike Huckabee won over “Al” Gore/Christopher J. Dodd and H. Ross Perot/Benjamin S. Carson Sr. (10%)
2000: Jane Swift/Peter G. Fitzgerald won over Johnny R. Edwards/Blanche Lincoln and Jesse Ventura/Gary Earl Johnson (14%)
2004: Artur G. Davis/Martin O’Malley won over Peter G. Fitzgerald/Susan Molinari
2008: Artur G. Davis/Martin O’Malley won over “Bobby” Jindal/Timothy J. Pawlenty
2012: Marco A. Rubio/Tom Cotton won over Martin O’Malley/Kirsten Gillibrand
2016: Marco A. Rubio/Tom Cotton won over Julian Castro/Nina Hudson Turner and Donald J. Trump Jr./Duncan D. Hunter (7%)
2020: Patrick Murphy/Tulsi Gabbard won over Tom Cotton/Ronald “Ron” DeSantis

Explanation
----John Bankhead became FDR’s running mate in 1944 instead of Truman (the POD). Bankhead picked 76-year-old former VP John Garner to be his Secretary of State upon assuming the Presidency. Without Truman, the Secretary of State remains its place in the Presidential Succession Line to this day. In 1947, Garner, already unpopular for his inactive and lethargy attitude, suffered a heart attack but survived. After several gaffes are recorded on the radio, the Republicans call for an investigation into the mental well-being of Garner in early 1948, causing him to become even more unpopular. Enraged by the string of sick, elderly leaders, the voters gather around the youngest and healthiest-looking candidate in the 1948 election: 41-year-old Harold Stassen. Stassen’s popular administration created a national movement. Soon people became more involved in politics at younger and younger ages, which inadvertently also caused years of ageism and age-related prejudice across America...
----Over the years, more and more young people became politicians and cabinet members, and the idea among US Senators of running for President during their first or second term became a common practice.
----Dole narrowly won over fellow freshman US Senator Howard Baker in 1972. That year, Bernie Sanders was elected to the US Senate (still serving, now as Senate leader).
----Nelson Rockefeller was a risky pick for VP: many critics thought he was simply too old to even be VP, which they sort of were right about, as Rockefeller retired after a near-fatal heart attack in 1979 and was replaced by Mike Enzi, Governor of Wyoming (1979-81).
----In 1980, Hart won over fellow Senators Joe Biden and Bill Bradley.
----Enzi’s VP, Larry Pressler, died in a train accident in late 1982 and was replaced by musician-turned-congressman (serving from 1975 to 1983) Joe Walsh, only for Enzi to resign after suffering a nervous breakdown two weeks after the death of his wife in a car accident. The 1984 election saw the Democrats put forth its oldest candidate in years: 63-year-old astronaut-turned-US Senator John Glenn. Had Glenn won, the still-ongoing “Era of the Youngsters” would most likely have ended. However, Walsh proved to be an excellent debater, and won the election by a comfortable margin. However, he lost re-election in 1988 due to an economic downturn to Bill Walker (41-year-old Governor Henry Cisneros of Texas declined to run).
----The Bill Walker candidacy came with both youth and experience, serving as mayor of Valdez from 1979 to 1981, then as Governor of Alaska from 1982 to 1989. He won the nomination over another young mayor-turned-Governor, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. In 1992, Dan Quayle lost the Presidential nomination to businessman Donald Trump, who supported mandatory retirement for elected officials upon reaching the age of 65, and suggested anti-elderly laws to limit their rights to on guns and drive cars. Due to a higher-than-usual turnout of elderly voters in November, Trump lost the election in a landslide. The 1996 election, though, was highly contested.
----Jane Swift served as a US Congresswoman from 1993 to 1999, and as the US Secretary of State from October 1999 to June 2000, when she ascended to the Presidency upon the impeachments of Vice President Huckabee in April and President Rowland in June. She quickly was given the nomination for President and just barely won in November. She gave birth to twins in May 2001, and declined running for a second full term to focus on raising her children.
----Artur Davis had previously served as a US Congressman (1995-1999) and Governor (1999-2004).
 
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