What Do U.S. Presidents Do After Their Term?

George W. Bush

Job he did after his presidency: Painter

After completing two terms, our quirky President George W. Bush decided to lean into his creative side and become a painter. In 2012, he began taking classes with Dallas-based artist Gail Norfleet, and in 2013, his new hobby was revealed after a somewhat embarrassing email hack.

However, the former president didn’t let those early criticisms get to him. In 2017, he released Portraits of Courage, a book of his paintings of members of the U.S. military. In 2021, he released Out of Many, One, which focuses on portraits of U.S. immigrants. Some proceeds from the book went toward organizations that help immigrants resettle in the United States. In March 2025, the former president opened a new exhibition, A Shining City on the Hilltop, at Dallas’s Southern Methodist University.

George Washington

Job he did after his presidency: Whiskey distiller

Our nation’s first president stepped down as commander-in-chief in 1797, and that same year, his farm manager convinced him to open a whiskey distillery at his home, Mount Vernon. By 1799, George Washington‘s distillery was one of the largest in the country.

According to the Mount Vernon Museum, it produced almost 11,000 gallons of whiskey that year, while the average Virginia distillery produced just 650. The whiskey was sold to nearby merchants in unbranded wooden barrels; Washington sold so many that the distillery was one of the most successful money-making endeavors at Mount Vernon.

Barack Obama

Job he did after his presidency: Film producer

So what do presidents do after their term? They get creative, that’s what! Since leaving the White House in 2017, Barack Obama has traveled the globe and written a memoir (A Promised Land came out in November 2020), among other endeavors. He has also done something fairly unexpected: He signed a deal with Netflix.

In 2018, he and Michelle announced a multiyear deal with Netflix to produce content under their imprint, Higher Ground Productions. In a statement, Netflix said projects would include a range of scripted, unscripted and documentary series, as well as full-length features and documentaries.

Higher Ground Productions first acquired American Factory, a documentary about post-industrial Ohio, and Bloom, a drama series about the world of fashion in post-World War II New York City. Since then, they have produced several films and series, including Leave the World Behind and have many more lined up for production in the coming years.

Thomas Jefferson

Job he did after his presidency: University founder

As if being a Founding Father of the United States wasn’t enough, Thomas Jefferson went on to found something else: a university. In 1819, just 10 years after his presidency ended, Jefferson established the University of Virginia, which opened six years later in 1825.

According to the National Park Service, Jefferson imagined that an “academical village clustered around a tree-lined lawn would provide an ideal setting in which to pursue higher education.” Turns out he was right. Today, the University of Virginia is regarded as one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.

Bill Clinton

Job he did after his presidency: Recording artist

Did you know that Bill Clinton won two Grammy Awards after he left office? The 42nd president is known to be an impressive saxophone player—and one of the presidents with the highest IQ scores—but his Grammys are for something totally different: spoken-word albums.

Clinton won his first Grammy in 2004 for his narration of the children’s book Wolf Tracks. He won his second in 2005 for his narration of his autobiography, My Life. This is another incredible example of what presidents do after their term and what all they can go on to achieve.

And while Clinton was the first president to win a Grammy, he wasn’t the last. Barack Obama won the award in 2006 and 2008, and Jimmy Carter won it in 2007.

William Howard Taft

Job he did after his presidency: Supreme Court justice

The 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft decided to serve his country in a different way after his stint in the White House—by becoming a Supreme Court justice.

Taft served as president from 1909 to 1913, and he was appointed to the highest court in the land in 1921 by president Warren Harding. He considered the appointment to be his greatest honor, and he once wrote, “I don’t remember that I ever was president.” Taft is the only president to have served the country in both capacities.

Ronald Reagan

Job he did after his presidency: Knight

OK, Ronald Reagan didn’t pursue a second act as a hero on a horse—but he was knighted by the Queen of England. On June 15, 1989, Queen Elizabeth II made Reagan a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush also received the honor.

So what do these men get for their knighthood? Not too much actually, although they can put the title “Sir” in front of their names. And they get permanent bragging rights. Being the leader of the free world can be a tough job in itself, which makes it all the more interesting to know what do presidents do after their term is over.

Grover Cleveland

Job he did after his presidency: President (again!)

Some presidents have trouble establishing a second act after their presidency, but Grover Cleveland avoided this by simply running for president again. Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms in office, the first from 1885 to 1889 and the second from 1893 to 1897.

The Democrat was defeated in the 1888 election by Republican Benjamin Harrison; he won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote. Lucky for him, he was reelected just four years later. Other than Donald Trump, he’s the only president to have served two non-consecutive terms.

John Quincy Adams

Job he did after his presidency: Nine-term congressman

John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, served his country in more ways than one. In 1830, just after he left the presidency, he was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served nine terms, until his death in 1848. At one point, he was even dubbed the “Father of the House.”

Quincy Adams, who had spent so much time in the nation’s Capitol, died there as well. On Feb. 21, 1848, he cast a “no” vote related to the Mexican War, but when he stood to speak, he staggered and fell. Other members of the House moved him to a sofa and carried the sofa to Speaker Robert Winthrop’s office.

There, Quincy Adams fell into a coma and died two days later, on Feb. 23. The real presidential trivia around death dates, though, is that three presidents have died on the Fourth of July.

Calvin Coolidge

Job he did after his presidency: Newspaper columnist

Many U.S. presidents write memoirs and autobiographies after they leave the White House, but Calvin Coolidge, the country’s 30th leader, also wrote newspaper columns.

For a year, from 1930 to 1931, he published “Thinking Things Over with Calvin Coolidge,” a column that was nationally syndicated for the McClure Newspaper chain. The former president also published his autobiography in 1929. To this day, he remains the only president born on the Fourth of July.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Job he did after his presidency: Cattle farmer

Dwight D. Eisenhower grew up on a farm in Abilene, Kansas, where he developed a lifelong passion for the outdoors. When he left the presidency in 1961, he returned to those roots and moved to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There, he raised beef cattle and a few milking cows.

In 1967, Eisenhower donated the farm and house to the National Park Service. Visitors can now stroll the grounds where the 34th president bred his beloved cattle. Eisenhower also had another hidden talent: He was a painter.

Jimmy Carter

Job he did after his presidency: Humanitarian

According to the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, “Jimmy Carter has provided Americans with an ideal model of post-presidential life.” In 1982, Carter founded the Carter Presidential Center, which is devoted to issues related to democracy and human rights. He has also worked with Habitat for Humanity International, building houses for those in need.

“My life since the White House has been personally more gratifying, although the presidency was obviously the pinnacle of political success,” Carter, then 90 years old, said at a press conference in 2015, according to CNN. “If I had to choose between four more years and the Carter Center, I think I would choose the Carter Center.”

In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Jimmy Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom; in 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Theodore Roosevelt

Job he did after his presidency: Explorer

While “explorer” might not have been Theodore Roosevelt’s official post-presidency job title, you’ll want to categorize him as one once you hear this story.

After losing the 1912 election, Roosevelt and his son set off to explore the jungles of Brazil—specifically, an uncharted tributary of the Amazon called the River of Doubt. During the expedition, which lasted seven months and crossed 15,000 miles, the former president contracted malaria and a serious infection after his leg was injured in a boat accident. Fortunately, Roosevelt made it home, although the adventure left him with a range of ailments that plagued him until his death in 1919.

FAQs

What do presidents do after their time in office is over?

Most write memoirs, give speeches, establish libraries or foundations, and pursue business ventures or personal passions like farming or painting.

Do former presidents still get paid?

Yes. Under the Former Presidents Act, they receive a pension, an office staff and other benefits.

Can former presidents hold other government positions?

They can. For example, John Quincy Adams served in Congress, and William Howard Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

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Sources:

• National Archives: “Former Presidents Act”
• Artsy: “The Artist Who Taught George W. Bush to Paint”
• Bush Center: “A Shining City on the Hilltop”
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon: “Ten Facts About the Distillery”
• Netflix: “Higher Ground Announces Upcoming Slate of Projects Exclusive to Netflix”
• National Park Service: “Thomas Jefferson’s Plan for the University of Virginia”
• The White House Historical Association: “William Howard Taft”
• Royal Central: “The US Presidents knighted by The Queen and King George VI”
• The White House Historical Association: “Grover Cleveland”
• History, Art & Archives: United States House of Representatives: “The Last Hours of John Quincy Adams”
• UVA Miller Center: “Calvin Coolidge: Life After the Presidency”
• UVA Miller Center: “Dwight D. Eisenhower: Life After the Presidency”
• CNN: “Jimmy Carter’s Rewarding Post-Presidency”
• History.com: “The Amazonian Expedition That Nearly Killed Theodore Roosevelt”