What does a President do after they serve?
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We all know that president Obama can be quite funny. He has made some great one liners, especially with the rise of “Thanks Obama” as a go to blame for everything, and Obama responded with this:
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But in a lead up to the correspondents dinner, which is always quite a joy, Obama released this excellent video about life after the Oval Office. He talks with another leader who has faded from the public eye, John Boehner, as they joke about life after the office.
After a President leaves office, they are usually finished with their professional career. There is no way to move up, as they have already served the highest position imaginable, so they either retuurn to their life beforehand, serve as Chairman of different companies, or life a life of quite dignity. Many presidents decide to go on speaking tours, and others, like George W Bush, take up painting (see the self portrait below).
Others publish their memoirs, or dedicate their lives to the causes they fought for while in office. Additionally, many former Presidents work to establish their Presidential Library, which houses the artifacts from their presidency. Since a President is not allowed to accept personal gifts from foreign leaders, the gifts given to them during their term in office are stored in the Presidential Library,a s those items technically belong to the American people.
What have other President’s done after they left office?
- Jimmy Carter has had a very successful post-presidency. He continued to work for human rights, and he established the Carter Center, which is a major player for human rights across the globe.
- George HW Bush went on to chair multiple organizations such as the Eisenhower Fellowships and the National Constitution Center. he was also awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen of England.
- Gerald Ford actually considered a run for President after he served, as he had only served part of one term after assuming the office after Nixon resigned. He ultimately chose not to run, and threw his support behind Ronald Reagan.
- Richard Nixon worked on his memoirs and even traveled to the funeral of the deposed ruler of Iran, Reza Shah’s funeral in 1980. He also sat down with David Frost, for some of the most famous and important interviews in American Presidential history.
- Dwight Eisenhower went to live with his wife Mamie on a working farm until his death.
- Harry Truman refused to sit on corporate boards as he felt it tarnished the Office of the Presidency, and he was only able to survive by publishing his memoirs. Due to this, congress passed the Former Presidents Act, which gave a pension to the departing President.
- William Howard Taft returned to teach Legal History at Yale Law School, and then went on to be appointed a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1921-1930, when he resigned the office due to poor health. He is the only person in US history to have held positions as President and Chief Justice.