The path to the presidency is rarely a straight line. While many U.S. Presidents followed the traditional route of law and local politics, others came from the battlefield, the classroom, or even the silver screen.

The Professional Trends

1. The Legal Tradition

Law has historically been the most common profession for future presidents. Roughly 27 out of 46 presidents were lawyers.

• John Adams & Thomas Jefferson: Both were prominent attorneys in the colonies.
• Abraham Lincoln: A self-taught “circuit rider” lawyer who spent years traveling through Illinois to argue cases.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: Worked as a clerk for a prestigious Wall Street firm before entering politics.

2. The Military Commanders

Service in the armed forces has long been a springboard to the presidency, often for those who achieved the rank of General.

• George Washington: Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
• Andrew Jackson: A war hero of the Battle of New Orleans.
• Dwight D. Eisenhower: Supreme Allied Commander during WWII; he had never held an elected political office before becoming President.

Unexpected Occupations

Some presidents held jobs that seemed a world away from the Oval Office.

• Harry S. Truman (Haberdasher): After WWI, Truman opened a men’s clothing store (Truman & Jacobson) in Kansas City. It eventually went bankrupt during a recession, which fueled his drive in local politics.
• Andrew Johnson (Tailor): He never attended school and was apprenticed to a tailor at age 10. He actually made many of his own suits while serving as a politician.
• Herbert Hoover (Mining Engineer): Hoover was a world-renowned engineer and consultant who worked in Australia and China, becoming a self-made multi-millionaire before turning to humanitarian work.
• Lyndon B. Johnson (Teacher): Before entering DC, LBJ taught at a “Mexican-American” school in Cotulla, Texas. This experience with poverty deeply influenced his later “Great Society” programs.
• Ronald Reagan (Actor): Reagan appeared in over 50 films and served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild. His first taste of executive leadership came from labor union negotiations in Hollywood.

Modern Career Diversity

In the last few decades, we have seen a shift toward business and media backgrounds.

• Jimmy Carter: A Naval officer who returned home to run his family’s peanut farm.
• George W. Bush: A businessman in the oil industry and part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
• Barack Obama: A civil rights attorney and a Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago.
• Donald Trump: A real estate mogul and television personality.