Our Elder Statesmen Act as Brakes
Those Who Are Eligible to the Great Seniority and How Their Experience Can Serve the Nation
Who were considered the “elder statesmen” of American politics and society in 1925? A New York Times Magazine article listed more than a dozen, ranging from as old as 91 to as young as… 52?!
An illustration atop the piece depicted five of them dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, referencing this section of the article:
In Japan, until recent years, there had been a compact group known as the Genro… The Elder Statesmen who surrounded the Mikado were the power behind the throne. They advised him in every crisis. They were credited with the industrialization of the Empire, and with having led it through its growing pains to its present eminence as a first-class power; and they had acquired, before time and death decimated their ranks, an enormous influence.
Here were the 13 Americans whom the journalist Silas Dent named in his article as having acquired such American-equivalent status by 1925, listed in the order he mentioned them:
Charles Evans Hughes, 63: At the time, he was a former Supreme Court justice, New York governor, and Secretary of State. Five years later in 1930, he would rejoin the Supreme Court for a second stint, this time as Chief Justice.
Elihu Root, 80: former Secretary of War, Secretary of State, and U.S. senator from New York; 1912 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Oscar W. Underwood, 63: former U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Alabama.
Albert J. Beveridge, 63: former U.S. senator from Indiana.
George W. Wickersham, 67: former Attorney General.
Frank O. Lowden, 64: former Illinois governor, nominated as the 1924 Republican vice presidential candidate but actually turned it down.
John Sharp Williams, 71: former longtime U.S. representative and U.S. senator from Mississippi.
John Hessin Clarke, 68: former Supreme Court justice.
John W. Davis, 52: More than a decade younger than anyone else on this list, he was a former U.S. representative from West Virginia, Solicitor General, Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and 1924 Democratic presidential nominee.
Charles W. Eliot, 91: former Harvard president for 40 years.
Edward M. House, 67: former presidential chief adviser on European politics and diplomacy during World War I.
Eugene V. Debs, 70: labor leader and former Socialist Party candidate for president.
Elbert H. Gary, 79: cofounder and former president of U.S. Steel.
Who would make such a list of elder statesmen (or “states-women”) today?
Several of the biggest contenders, our “designated old people,” have died in recent years: Jimmy Carter in 2024, Henry Kissinger in 2023, Queen Elizabeth II and Barbara Walters and Mikhail Gorbachev in 2022. I’d argue even the likes of Jane Goodall in October should count.
With that in mind, here are some possibilities in various fields:
Politics
Joe Biden, 83
George W. Bush, 79
Bill Clinton, 79
Barack Obama, 64
Nancy Pelosi, 85
Sen. Chuck Grassley, 92 (and the oldest current member of Congress by a full five years)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, 84
Sen. Mitch McConnell, 83
Religion
The Dalai Lama, 90
Pope Leo XIV, 70
Business
Warren Buffett, 95
Bill Gates, 69
Journalism
Dan Rather, 94
Bob Woodward, 82
Carl Bernstein, 81
Tom Brokaw, 85
Anna Wintour, 76
Tina Brown, 72
Jann Wenner, 79
Entertainment
Lorne Michaels, 81
Steven Spielberg, 78
Martin Scorsese, 83
Dick van Dyke, 99
Mel Brooks, 99
Robert De Niro, 82
Jane Fonda, 87
Julie Andrews, 90
George Lucas, 81
Jay Leno, 75
David Letterman, 78
Steve Martin, 80
Meryl Streep, 76
Billy Crystal, 77
Carol Burnett, 92
Woody Allen, 89
Law
Anthony Kennedy, 89
Stephen Breyer, 87
Sports
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 78
Billie Jean King, 82
Phil Jackson, 80
Jim Calhoun, 83
Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski, 78
Joe Namath, 82
Terry Bradshaw, 77
Authors
Joyce Carol Oates, 87
Margaret Atwood, 86
Robert Caro, 90
Isabel Allende, 83
Activists
Jesse Jackson, 84
Gloria Steinem, 91
Ruby Bridges, 71
Music
Paul McCartney, 83
Ringo Starr, 85
Paul Simon, 84
Mick Jagger, 82
Diana Ross, 81
Barbra Streisand, 83
John Williams, 93
Bob Dylan, 84
Bruce Springsteen, 76
Billy Joel, 76
Miscellaneous
King Charles, 77
Anthony Fauci, 84
David Attenborough, 99
Buzz Aldrin, 95
Who would you pick? Perhaps someone I neglected to include above? Feel free to comment below.
Our Elder Statesmen Act as Brakes: Those Who Are Eligible to the Great Seniority and How Their Experience Can Serve the Nation
Published: November 19, 1925