8 US presidents and first ladies with surprising age gaps: From Trump and Melania to Reagan and Nancy

8 Presidents and First Ladies with huge age gap

The widespread attention given to couples with a significant age gap is not a new phenomenon, and even the President of the United States cannot escape it. Alongside their presidential duties, the personal lives of national leaders and their families often come under scrutiny. According to data from the POTUS website, over the years, the country has seen several presidents and their spouses with a notable age difference. Here are eight former presidents and their wives who had an age gap of nine years or more.

1. Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom

Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, leads the list with a significant age difference from his wife, Frances Folsom. Married in 1886, Cleveland was 27 years and 125 days older than his wife, who was born in 1864. Their marriage ended with the former president's death in 1908.

2. Benjamin Harrison and Mary Scott Lord Dimmick

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, married his second wife, Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, in 1896. Harrison was 24 years and 253 days older than Dimmick, who was 38 years old at the time of their marriage. The former president was 63 years old at the time.

3. Donald Trump and Melania Trump

Donald Trump and Melania Trump top the list despite their marriage occurring in the 21st century. The 45th President is 23 years and 316 days older than the former First Lady of the United States. They tied the knot in 2005, marking the real estate mogul's third marriage. Donald and Melania are the only living former presidential couple with a significant age gap.

4. James Madison and Dolley Payne Todd

The American Founding Father and fourth President of the United States, James Madison, married Dolley Payne Todd in 1794. At the time of their marriage, Madison, aged 53, was 17 years and 65 days older than Todd, who was 26 years old.

5. Woodrow Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt Wilson

Former President Woodrow Wilson, who led the United States into World War I, married Edith Bolling Galt Wilson in 1915. This was his second marriage after his first wife, Ellen Louise Axson, died in 1914. The 28th President was 15 years and 291 days older than his second wife, who was 43 at the time of their wedding.

6. John F Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy

John F Kennedy, the 35th President of the US, tied the knot with Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy in 1953. Jackie was 12 years and 60 days younger than JFK. Their marriage ended with Kennedy's assassination in 1963.

7. Ronald and Nancy Reagan

Former President Ronald Reagan married Nancy Reagan in 1952 after he divorced his first wife, Jane Wyman. The 40th President, born in 1911, was ten years and 150 days older than his second wife, with whom he had two children,  Patricia Ann Reagan and Ronald Prescott Reagan.

8. Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd

A 33-year-old Abraham Lincoln married 24-year-old Mary Todd in 1842. The former first lady was nine years and 304 days younger than the 16th President, who led the country through the American Civil War. Lincoln's assassination in 1865 ended their two-decade-old marriage.