Who Was Alive

Were Harper Lee and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Harper Lee and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 54 years, from 1961 to 2016.

Harper Lee was 35 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 54 when Harper Lee died, aged 89.

Harper Lee

American novelist

Born 28 April 1926 · died 19 February 2016, aged 89

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Adolf Hitler
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. Nelson Mandela
  5. Harper Lee
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Harper Lee and Barack Obama in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.