21 Photos of U.S. Presidents Before and After the White House

After serving 14 years in the House and two terms as governor of Ohio, McKinley won the presidential election in a landslide. Newspapers often criticized his leadership skills, and it's believed that this pressure-pushed him to declare war with Spain in 1898. In 1900, McKinley won a second term, which was tragically cut short when he died eight days after being shot in September 1901.

McKinley's assassination catapulted then-Vice President Roosevelt into his role as president. Along with his "Square Deal" domestic program and passion for conservation, he's well-known for his foreign policy. Wanting the U.S. to "speak softly and carry a big stick," these efforts led to the construction of the Panama Canal and his Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating to end the Russo-Japanese War. After his two terms were up, he left D.C. to go on an African safari.

Taft had a difficult time living up to the legacy of his mentor Theodore Roosevelt, who started the "Bull-Moose" party in the 1912 presidential election. But Taft's primary goal was to serve as Chief Justice of the United States, which he accomplished in 1921. He kept that job until his death in 1930 and is the only man in history to have held both the highest executive and judicial positions.

Unlike Taft, Wilson worked on passing several pieces of legislation, like the Federal Reserve Act. Shortly after winning a second term, he asked Congress to declare war on Germany in 1917. He tried and failed to ratify the 1918 Versailles Treaty, a peace agreement between the U.S. and Germany. He suffered from a stroke in 1919 while traveling far and wide to discuss the treaty, and he never fully recovered.

Harding's short presidency was overshadowed by scandals. He appointed his friends to official positions, and many of them were charged with defrauding the government. In an effort to repair his image, he organized a tour to meet Americans in the western states and Alaska. Mid-tour in 1923, he suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep.

Known as "Silent Cal," Coolidge was sworn into the presidency in the middle of the night. He scored the reelection just one year later with the slogan "Keep Cool With Coolidge" and went on to become a visible presidential figure with a focus on lowering taxes and balancing the budget. His time in office was once considered "Coolidge Prosperity," but the Great Depression eventually changed public opinion.

As the 31st president of the United States, Hoover created a program that helped millions in Belgium avoid famine during World War I, earning worldwide recognition as a "Great Humanitarian." But after the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Hoover by a landslide in the 1932 election. What a difference four years can make!

Roosevelt entered the Oval Office at age 51, during one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. He's remembered for building the New Deal coalition, winning a record four presidential elections and leading the country during World War II, as well as his triumphant spirit in the face of a debilitating polio diagnosis in 1921.

Prior to becoming POTUS in 1945, the Missouri native was both a farmer and a WWI captain. During the first year of Truman's presidency, which would become the last year of WWII, he made the world-altering decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan's surrender. He left office looking pretty good for 68 years old

Popular for his past as a commanding general during WWII, our 34th president "Ike" was elected and took office shortly before the end of the Korean War in 1953. During his presidency, schools were forced to desegregate at long last. Eisenhower famously ordered troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, in order to force the resistant school district to comply. He suffered a heart attack in 1955 but was re-elected for a second term the following November.

In addition to being the youngest person ever to serve as president of the United States, John F. Kennedy unfortunately holds another notable mark: He died at the youngest age of any president, having been assassinated on November 22, 1963. But his legacy continues to live on. "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country" is still one of the most iconic quotes in political history.

Having served as John F. Kennedy's vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in under exceptional circumstances the same day that JFK was assassinated — and the American people respected him for stepping up. In fact, Johnson was re-elected by more than 15 million votes, the "widest popular margin in American history," according to the White House.

The five-year presidency of Richard M. Nixon is invariably tainted by one word: Watergate. While he was able to end the military draft and saw the first man land on the moon (Neil Armstrong, of course!) within his first year in office, Nixon is best remembered for resigning amidst the 1972 Watergate scandal.

After Nixon's resignation, then-Vice President Gerald R. Ford stepped up on August 9, 1974, to take his place, announcing, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances ... This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts." He was not re-elected for a second term, though he did win the Republican nomination in 1976 to go up against future President Jimmy Carter.

James Earl Carter, Jr., a.k.a. Jimmy Carter, grew up in Plains, Georgia, and served as a naval officer prior to venturing into politics. Known for his vehement attempts to improve unemployment rates and his compassion for humanitarianism in other countries, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Originally an actor who appeared in more than 50 films, Ronald Reagan was the president of the Screen Actors Guild before being elected governor of California by more than a million votes. He became our country's 40th president in 1981 and ended his two-term run having grown the U.S. economy to prosperity, while also achieving "peace through strength" abroad. It's no wonder he aged so well.

The first of two Bush family members to serve as president, former WWII pilot George H.W. Bush took office toward the end of the '80s, seeing both the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War's close. You could argue that 1992, when he lost the election to Bill Clinton, is the year his age started to show.

As the 42nd president of the United States, Clinton's time in office resulted in a reduced unemployment rate, economic prosperity and lower crime statistics. Though he maintained high approval ratings, his presidency was deeply affected by his affair with Monica Lewinsky. He eventually became the second president to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, but reappeared in the political spotlight when his wife Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2008 and 2016.

The son of former President George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush is most remembered for his wartime presidency after multiple terrorist attacks struck the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

The Hawaii native became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review in 1990 — a prequel to becoming the first Black president of the United States in 2009. Barack Obama's accomplishments throughout his presidency include economic resurgence and the mission that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden, as well as major healthcare and lobbying reform.