The last words and final moments of 40 presidents

Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't

Photo collage of close-ups of mouths of Robert F Kennedy, Dwight D Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and William Howard Taft.
'I'm trying to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris'
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

Former President Joe Biden's grim prostate cancer diagnosis means that it might not be long before he joins the list of chief executives who have passed on. American presidents have met their end in virtually every way known to human beings, some suddenly in hails of gunfire, some shortly after leaving office and some of old age years or even decades after their time as the country's leader. There is no official office that certifies the last words of presidents, and because much of what we know about the leaders of the early American Republic is secondhand or perhaps even altogether apocryphal, there is a considerable amount of guesswork involved in reconstructing the last moments of some of the most powerful men who have ever lived. And of course, not all of them were in any condition to offer last words. Some, like Ronald Reagan, were in the final throes of Alzheimer's, and others, like 100-year-old Jimmy Carter, were no longer able to communicate from their deathbeds.

Given the importance that even the least well-regarded presidents have had on U.S. and world history, there is value in interpreting their parting thoughts for future generations to ponder. For better or worse, these are the 40 men who have had the unique honor and responsibility of serving as president of the United States and who are no longer with us. Some had regrets, while others had none, and many expected another chapter on a different plane. As far as we can tell, none expected it to be hell, although perhaps several of them should have.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up