Surprising jobs US presidents had before taking office

Lincoln held the position from 1833 to 1836. "Mail arrived once a week, delivered on a route running from Springfield to Millers Ferry. If an addressee did not collect his or her mail at the Post Office, as was the custom, Lincoln delivered it personally–usually carrying the mail in his hat," states the USPS website.

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Andrew Johnson -

The president who succeeded Abraham Lincoln after his assassination worked as a tailor in Greeneville, Tennessee.

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Andrew Johnson -

Andrew Johnson was 17 at the time. The former president is quoted as saying that when he was a tailor, he "always made a close fit, and was always punctual to my customers, and did good work."

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Grover Cleveland -

The only US president ever to serve two discontinuous terms was sheriff of Erie County, New York.

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Grover Cleveland -

Grover Cleveland held the position from 1871 to 1873. During this time, Sheriff Cleveland sentenced three convicted murderers to capital punishment.

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Theodore Roosevelt -

Teddy Roosevelt became a rancher after a hunting trip to North Dakota's Badlands.

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Theodore Roosevelt -

In 1883, Roosevelt purchased the Chimney Butte Ranch, also known as the Maltese Cross Ranch.

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Woodrow Wilson -

Before he took office as the 28th US president, Woodrow Wilson was the president of Princeton University.

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Woodrow Wilson -

Wilson held the position from 1902 to 1910. In 2020, Princeton University announced that it would remove Woodrow Wilson's name from its public policy school over "racist thinking and policies."

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Warren G. Harding -

Harding served as US president from 1921 until his death in 1923. Before he got into politics, Harding was a newspaper editor in Marion, Ohio.

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Warren G. Harding -

Harding and two friends bought the Marion Star in 1884. When asked about why he got into the press business, Harding replied that it was because it combined two of his passions: "writing and the opportunity to affect change."

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Herbert Hoover -

Future president Herbert Hoover worked as a mining engineer when he was younger.

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Herbert Hoover -

Herbert Hoover did so in China from 1899 to 1902. His wife and future First Lady Lou Hoover traveled with him.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Before he became president, FDR was a lawyer in New York City.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Roosevelt worked at a law firm called Carter Ledyard and Milburn from 1907 to 1911.

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Harry S. Truman -

Before becoming president, Truman ran his family farm in Grandview, Missouri.

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Harry S. Truman -

Truman operated the farm for 11 years. According to his mother, Martha Truman, "it was on the farm that Harry got his common sense. He didn't get it in town."

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Dwight D. Eisenhower -

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II.

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Dwight D. Eisenhower -

Eisenhower went on to develop skills that he later used as president of the United States.

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John F. Kennedy -

Before being elected president of the United States, JFK worked as a journalist for Hearst Newspapers.

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John F. Kennedy -

Kennedy went on to cover World War II news reports in 1945, and later attended important post-war events, including the first United Nations meeting.

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Lyndon B. Johnson -

Johnson was just 20 years old in 1928, when he started working as a teacher in Cotulla, Texas.

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Lyndon B. Johnson -

Johnson taught poor Mexican-American students. He is said to have used his own money to buy them volleyballs and softball bats.

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Jimmy Carter -

After Jimmy Carter's father died in 1953, Carter took over the family's peanut farm and warehouse in Plains, Georgia.

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Jimmy Carter -

When he became president, Carter put his peanut farm into a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest.

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Ronald Reagan -

Ronald Reagan's career as an actor is well known, but Reagan was also the host of General Electric Theater from 1954 to 1962.

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Ronald Reagan -

A former "liberal anticommunist," Reagan became a conservative throughout the course of eight years on the job.

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George H.W. Bush -

Before Bush Sr. became president, he co-founded an oil drilling company in 1953.

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George H.W. Bush -

The company, called Zapata Petroleum Corporation, pioneered offshore drilling, and reportedly one of its contracts was to drill for Shell in Kuwait.

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Barack Obama -

Before getting into politics, Barack Obama worked for four years as a civil rights lawyer for a Chicago law firm.

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Barack Obama -

Obama "helped represent clients in civil and voting rights matters and wrongful firings, argued a case before a federal appellate court, and took the lead in writing a suit to expand voter registration," reports the Los Angeles Times.

Sources: (Business Insider) (Los Angeles Times) (The Atlantic) (CNN) (USPS) (NPR) (National Park Service) (History)

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Abraham Lincoln -

Before he was sworn in as the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln served as postmaster of New Salem, Illinois.

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Abraham Lincoln -

Getty Images

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Andrew Johnson -

The president who succeeded Abraham Lincoln after his assassination worked as a tailor in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Getty Images

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Andrew Johnson -

Andrew Johnson was 17 at the time. The former president is quoted as saying that when he was a tailor, he "always made a close fit, and was always punctual to my customers, and did good work."

Getty Images

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Grover Cleveland -

The only US president ever to serve two discontinuous terms was sheriff of Erie County, New York.

Getty Images

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Grover Cleveland -

Grover Cleveland held the position from 1871 to 1873. During this time, Sheriff Cleveland sentenced three convicted murderers to capital punishment.

Getty Images

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Theodore Roosevelt -

Teddy Roosevelt became a rancher after a hunting trip to North Dakota's Badlands.

Getty Images

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Theodore Roosevelt -

In 1883, Roosevelt purchased the Chimney Butte Ranch, also known as the Maltese Cross Ranch.

Getty Images

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Woodrow Wilson -

Before he took office as the 28th US president, Woodrow Wilson was the president of Princeton University.

Getty Images

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Woodrow Wilson -

Wilson held the position from 1902 to 1910. In 2020, Princeton University announced that it would remove Woodrow Wilson's name from its public policy school over "racist thinking and policies."

Getty Images

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Warren G. Harding -

Harding served as US president from 1921 until his death in 1923. Before he got into politics, Harding was a newspaper editor in Marion, Ohio.

Getty Images

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Warren G. Harding -

Getty Images

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Herbert Hoover -

Future president Herbert Hoover worked as a mining engineer when he was younger.

Getty Images

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Herbert Hoover -

Herbert Hoover did so in China from 1899 to 1902. His wife and future First Lady Lou Hoover traveled with him.

Getty Images

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Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Before he became president, FDR was a lawyer in New York City.

Getty Images

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Franklin D. Roosevelt -

Roosevelt worked at a law firm called Carter Ledyard and Milburn from 1907 to 1911.

Getty Images

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Harry S. Truman -

Before becoming president, Truman ran his family farm in Grandview, Missouri.

Getty Images

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Harry S. Truman -

Truman operated the farm for 11 years. According to his mother, Martha Truman, "it was on the farm that Harry got his common sense. He didn't get it in town."

Getty Images

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Dwight D. Eisenhower -

General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II.

Getty Images

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Dwight D. Eisenhower -

Eisenhower went on to develop skills that he later used as president of the United States.

Getty Images

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John F. Kennedy -

Before being elected president of the United States, JFK worked as a journalist for Hearst Newspapers.

Getty Images

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John F. Kennedy -

Kennedy went on to cover World War II news reports in 1945, and later attended important post-war events, including the first United Nations meeting.

Getty Images

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Lyndon B. Johnson -

Johnson was just 20 years old in 1928, when he started working as a teacher in Cotulla, Texas.

Getty Images

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Lyndon B. Johnson -

Johnson taught poor Mexican-American students. He is said to have used his own money to buy them volleyballs and softball bats.

Getty Images

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Jimmy Carter -

After Jimmy Carter's father died in 1953, Carter took over the family's peanut farm and warehouse in Plains, Georgia.

Getty Images

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Jimmy Carter -

When he became president, Carter put his peanut farm into a blind trust to avoid conflicts of interest.

Getty Images

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Ronald Reagan -

Ronald Reagan's career as an actor is well known, but Reagan was also the host of General Electric Theater from 1954 to 1962.

Getty Images

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Ronald Reagan -

A former "liberal anticommunist," Reagan became a conservative throughout the course of eight years on the job.

Getty Images

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George H.W. Bush -

Before Bush Sr. became president, he co-founded an oil drilling company in 1953.

Getty Images

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George H.W. Bush -

The company, called Zapata Petroleum Corporation, pioneered offshore drilling, and reportedly one of its contracts was to drill for Shell in Kuwait.

Getty Images

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Barack Obama -

Before getting into politics, Barack Obama worked for four years as a civil rights lawyer for a Chicago law firm.

Getty Images

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Barack Obama -

Sources: (Business Insider) (Los Angeles Times) (The Atlantic) (CNN) (USPS) (NPR) (National Park Service) (History)

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Surprising jobs US presidents had before taking office

From farm boys to Hollywood stars!

04/11/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Presidency

The vast majority of US presidents held political posts before they took office. From governors to vice presidents, the top job at the White House has historically been taken by those with at least some background in politics. But this is not always the case. It turns out not every American president started out in politics. In fact, many had completely different career paths before becoming president.

In this gallery, you'll get to know the surprising jobs presidents had before they took office. Curious? Then click on!