Tailors, teachers, and peanut farmers: See the jobs US presidents held before taking office

Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher and Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer.Popperfoto/Hulton Archives/Getty ImagesYou'll be surprised to learn some of the jobs presidents had before they became commander in chief.Abraham Lincoln was a postmaster in New Salem, Illinois.John F. Kennedy was a journalist and reported on the end of World War II.Though many presidents of the United States had jobs in politics before they were in the White House, some were employed in positions you might not expect.Abraham Lincoln delivered mail in New Salem, Illinois, and John. F Kennedy was a foreign correspondent for Hearst Newspapers.Take a look at the jobs these 21 US presidents had before they were in office.John AdamsFor years, Adams worked as a diplomat in foreign European countries.The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty ImagesJohn Adams was a diplomat in France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain between 1778 and 1788.However, PBS reported, "His independent, unbending temperament was not ideal for diplomacy, and his diplomatic triumphs were offset by feelings of alienation."Martin Van BurenVan Buren served as a senator and attorney general in New York.Universal History Archive/Getty ImagesMartin Van Buren served two terms in the New York State Senate and was elected New York attorney general in 1815. During his terms, he "proved himself to be an adept politician, using political appointments and financial contributions to secure votes, and effectively establishing what would prove to be the foundations of the modern political machine," as reported by Biography.com.Abraham LincolnLincoln was a postmaster in Illinois before his presidency.Mathew B. Brady:The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAbraham Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem, Illinois, in 1833 and served until 1836.The mail arrived in New Salem once a week, and if someone didn't collect it from the post office, Lincon would hand-deliver it to them, per USPS.Andrew JohnsonJohnson worked as a tailor in his youth.Glasshouse Vintage/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesAndrew Johnson started working as a tailor in Greeneville, Tennessee, when he was just 17 years old.According to the National Park Service, Johnson said, "When I was a tailor I always made a close fit, and was always punctual to my customers, and did good work."Grover ClevelandAs sheriff of Erie County, New York, Cleveland sentenced three murderers to death.Library of CongressGrover Cleveland was sheriff of Erie County, New York, from 1871 to 1873. There, he sentenced three convicted murderers to death by hanging during his two-year term, as reported by History.com.Theodore RooseveltIn 1883, Roosevelt purchased the Chimney Butte Ranch, also known as the Maltese Cross Ranch.AP PhotoTheodore Roosevelt became a rancher after a hunting trip to North Dakota's Badlands in 1883, per the NPS. He was so taken by the beauty of the area and its opportunities that he bought a ranch and cattle.William TaftTaft lived in the Philippines for three years, where he was appointed governor general by President McKinley.Archive Photos/GettyWilliam Taft was appointed governor general of the Philippines by President McKinley in 1900.Taft, his wife, and their three children lived in Southeast Asia for three years, where he improved the local Filipino economy, as reported by Biography.com.Woodrow WilsonWilson was Princeton University's president between 1902 and 1910.Bettmann/Getty ImagesWoodrow Wilson became the president of Princeton University in 1902 and held the position until 1910.Wilson's name was removed from Princeton's public policy school in June 2020."We have taken this extraordinary step because we believe that Wilson's racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school whose scholars, students, and alumni must be firmly committed to combating the scourge of racism in all its forms," the board said.Warren HardingHarding purchased the newspaper for $300 in 1884.Library of CongressWarren Harding was a newspaper editor in Marion, Ohio.Harding and two friends purchased the failing Marion Star for $300 in 1884.He turned the near-defunct paper into a successful publication. According to the Marion Star, "He said once someone asked him, 'Why newspapering?' and he said, 'It combines my two passions, writing and the opportunity to affect change.'"Calvin CoolidgeCoolidge was the governor of Massachusetts during the Boston Police Strike.Bettman/Getty ImagesCalvin Coolidge was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1918 and served during the Boston Police Strike.Coolidge sent a telegram to union leader Samuel Gompers that said, "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime."His response to the strike made him famous across the country, and led him to be chosen as Warren Harding's vice presidential candidate. Herbert HooverHoover worked as a mining engineer in China, where his wife studied Chinese culture and language.Topical Press Agency/Getty ImagesHoover worked as a mining engineer in China from 1899 to 1902, working to "enhance the profitability of their mines," according to the National Archives.Franklin Delano RooseveltRoosevelt worked as a lawyer from 1907 to 1911, although he disliked the profession.Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesFranklin Delano Roosevelt was a lawyer in New York City at a law firm called Carter Ledyard and Milburn from 1907 to 1911.However, Roosevelt disliked the profession and didn't even graduate law school at Columbia University; he left after he passed the bar in 1907, as reported by the Miller Center.Harry TrumanBefore becoming president, Truman managed his family's farm.Bettmann/Getty ImagesHarry Truman operated his family farm in Grandview, Missouri, for 11 years.According to the National Archives, Truman was working a bank job in Kansas City when his father asked him to help manage the family farm owned by his widowed grandmother."It was on the farm that Harry got his common sense. He didn't get it in town," his mother, Martha Truman, said of her son.Dwight EisenhowerEisenhower commanded the Allied forces during WWII.Fox Photos/Getty ImagesDwight Eisenhower was the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II.During that time, he "developed diplomatic skills that he would later employ as America's 34th president," wrote History.com.John F. KennedyKennedy briefly worked as a journalist in 1945.William J. Smith/APJohn F. Kennedy was a journalist for Hearst Newspapers. He covered World War II news during the summer of 1945.As a foreign correspondent, Kennedy attended the first United Nations meeting, the Potsdam Conference, and other key meetings following the end of World War II.Lyndon B. JohnsonJohnson worked as a teacher 35 years before becoming president.AP PhotoLyndon B. Johnson was a teacher in Cotulla, Texas, when he was just 20 years old, in 1928. For a year, he taught Mexican-American students who were so poor he saw them "going through a garbage pile, shaking the coffee grounds from the grapefruit rinds and sucking the rinds for the juice that was left," as reported by NPR, which added he used part of his salary to buy softball equipment for students.Jimmy CarterCarter managed his family's peanut farm in Georgia.PhotoQuest/Getty ImagesJimmy Carter managed his family's peanut farm and warehouse in Plains, Georgia, after his father died in 1953. When he became president, he put his peanut farm into a blind trust to ensure that there were no conflicts of interest, as reported by the Washington Post. However, due in part to mismanagement, the peanut business was $1 million in debt by the time Carter left office.Ronald ReaganPrior to the presidency, Reagan was the host of the General Electric Theater.APRonald Reagan was the host of General Electric Theater for eight years, between 1954 and 1962. During his time working for General Electric, his politics shifted from a "liberal anticommunist" to "so far to the right that the company felt it had to drop him as a spokesman," as reported by Slate.George H.W. BushBush co-founded an oil drilling company prior to his presidency.AP Photo/Charlie RiedelBush co-founded an oil drilling company, Zapata Petroleum Corporation, in 1953. The company worked with international offshore drilling, having a contract with Shell in Kuwait, as reported by The National.Barack ObamaObama worked as a civil rights lawyer for four years.Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APBarack Obama worked as a civil rights lawyer for a Chicago law firm called Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland for four years. At the firm, he focused on clients dealing with "voting rights matters and wrongful terminations," as reported by the Los Angeles Times.Donald TrumpTrump was the host of the reality show "The Apprentice" from 2004 to 2015.Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via Getty Images)Before the presidency, Donald Trump made a name for himself in the media as a real estate and business mogul, hosting the reality TV show "The Apprentice" from 2004 to 2015, and serving as a guest commentator on "Fox & Friends" from 2011 to 2015.Read the original article on Business Insider

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