Heights of Presidents and Presidential Candidates of The United States - Extremes

Extremes

The tallest President elected to office was Abraham Lincoln (6 ft 4 in or 193 cm); the tallest President to originally enter the office by means other than election was Lyndon B. Johnson (6 ft 4 in or 193 cm). The shortest President elected to office was James Madison (5 ft 4 in or 163 cm); the shortest President to originally enter the office by means other than election is tied between Millard Fillmore and Harry S. Truman (both were 5 ft 9 in or 175 cm).

The tallest unsuccessful presidential candidate (who is also the tallest of all presidential candidates) is Winfield Scott, who stood at 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) and lost the 1852 election to Franklin Pierce, who stood at 5 ft 10 in (178 cm). The second tallest unsuccessful candidate is John Kerry, at 6 ft 4 in (193 cm). The shortest unsuccessful presidential candidate is Stephen A. Douglas, at 5 ft 4 in (163 cm). The next shortest is tied between two sitting Presidents, Martin Van Buren and Benjamin Harrison, who lost their respective elections in 1840 and 1892 and were both 5 ft 6 in (168 cm).

The largest height difference between two presidential candidates (out of the candidates whose heights are known) was in the 1860 election, when Abraham Lincoln stood 12 inches (30 cm) taller than opponent Stephen A. Douglas. The second-largest difference was in the 1812 election, with De Witt Clinton standing 11 inches (28 cm) taller than incumbent James Madison.