20 jobs presidents had before they were in office

Zoë EttingerJul 18, 2020, 02:08 IST

Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher and Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer.Popperfoto/Hulton Archives/Getty Images

You'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 jobs presidents had before they were head of state.

John Adams was a diplomat in France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain between 1778 and 1788.

John Adams. The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images

Martin Van Buren served two terms in the New York State Senate and was elected New York attorney general in 1815.

Martin Van Buren. Universal History Archive/Getty Images

Abraham Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem, Illinois, in 1833 and served until 1836.

Abraham Lincoln. Mathew B. Brady:The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

Andrew Johnson started working as a tailor in Greeneville, Tennessee, when he was just 17 years old.

Andrew Johnson. Glasshouse Vintage/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Grover Cleveland was sheriff of Erie County, New York, from 1871 to 1873.

Grover Cleveland. Library of Congress

Theodore Roosevelt became a rancher after a hunting trip to North Dakota's Badlands in 1883.

Theodore Roosevelt. AP Photo

William Taft was appointed governor general of the Philippines by President McKinley in 1900.

William Howard Taft. Archive Photos/Getty

Woodrow Wilson became the president of Princeton University in 1902 and held the position until 1910.

Woodrow Wilson. Bettmann/Getty Images

Warren Harding was a newspaper editor in Marion, Ohio. He purchased the Marion Star in 1884.

Warren Harding. Library of Congress

Calvin Coolidge was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1918 and served during the Boston Police Strike.

Calvin Coolidge. Bettman/Getty Images

Herbert Hoover worked as a mining engineer in China from 1899 to 1902.

Herbert Hoover. Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a lawyer in New York City at a law firm called Carter Ledyard and Milburn from 1907 to 1911.

Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Harry Truman operated his family farm in Grandview, Missouri, for 11 years.

Harry Truman. Bettmann/Getty Images

Dwight Eisenhower was the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II.

Dwight Eisenhower. Fox Photos/Getty Images

John F. Kennedy was a journalist for Hearst Newspapers. He covered World War II news during the summer of 1945.

John F. Kennedy. William J. Smith/AP

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

Lyndon Johnson. AP Photo

Jimmy Carter managed his family's peanut farm and warehouse in Plains, Georgia, after his father died in 1953.

Jimmy Carter. PhotoQuest/Getty Images

Ronald Reagan was the host of General Electric Theater for eight years, between 1954 and 1962.

Ronald Reagan. AP

George H.W. Bush co-founded an oil drilling company, Zapata Petroleum Corporation, in 1953.

George H.W. Bush. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Barack Obama worked as a civil rights lawyer for a Chicago law firm called Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland for four years.

Barack Obama. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

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