After the White House: Former Presidents as Private Citizens

When a president leaves the Oval Office, he loses power but not influence, concludes Bill Clinton, the newest member of an illustrious cohort of retirees profiled in this compact history. Political scientist Skidmore argues that studying post-Presidential lives hints at the possibilities for how future retired chiefs will wield this influence in their increasing longevity. The biographies, from George Washington to Bill Clinton, brim with presidential""firsts"" and other factoids. For example, ex-Presidents received no pensions until 1958, after Harry Truman complained that Commanders-in-Chief received nothing in retirement while five-star generals earned lifetime salaries, staff and other perks. Ulysses Grant's lucrative and critically acclaimed Memoirs were conceived with his personal finances, rather than posterity, in mind: the cash-strapped former president finished the work on his deathbed so his wife would not be left destitute. Most impressive, though, are the less successful presidents who later re-channeled their energies into other areas of public life to develop significant and rewarding new careers. Thus Jimmy Carter, who was relentlessly criticized during his White House years, went on to win the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize; John Quincy Adams achieved substantial clout as a congressman championing anti-slavery causes; William Taft served nine years as a strong Supreme Court Chief Justice. Skidmore also speculates on George Bush, Sr.'s influence on his son's foreign policies by using the smattering of available clues in the media. Regrettably, Skidmore delivers this and other stories in flavorless prose, and the few meaty portraits become bogged down among the many presidents who settled into unremarkable retirements.