George Washington expanded grain production at his plantation, where more than 300 people were enslaved when he died in 1799. John Quincy Adams and William Howard Taft both landed new jobs in government as a congressman and a Supreme Court chief justice, respectively. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, while Teddy Roosevelt launched a 15,000-mile expedition into the Amazon rainforest.
These are just some of the ways former presidents have spent their time after leaving arguably the most important job on the planet. While it looks different for every commander-in-chief, life after the Oval Office has proven quite lucrative lately, as these former leaders have capitalized on their stature and fanbase to land high-paying speaking gigs, book contracts and other deals. Now, Donald Trump takes it to a new level, becoming the first person to make a billion dollars off of politics less than four years after losing reelection and as he makes his third run for the White House. Here’s a breakdown of post-presidential wealth for all the living former heads of state.
Except for Trump’s, net worth estimates represent minimums. All book sale data is from BookScan.
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The richest president in U.S. history finished his first term in dire financial straits, with his entire real estate empire—commercial property, hotels, licensing deals—suffering under the combined weights of a global........