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[–] 17 points 3 days ago* (2 children)

When this country was founded, there was no way to conceive that we'd live for 80+ and people would hold an office for their entire life

Ben Franklin died at 84 in 1790 just 2 years after serving as President of Pennsylvania… but okay.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago (1 child)

    I wonder how that compares to the average life span at that time. It's not unheard off but it was rarer back in his time than ours.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 days ago

    Largely averages from back then are skewed by child mortality rates. Looking at the median age of adults at death results in a number around 75 for the late 1700s. He lived a little longer than the norm but not by enough that it was an anomaly.

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