{"id":58150,"date":"2015-10-31T13:10:09","date_gmt":"2015-10-31T19:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/?p=58150"},"modified":"2020-09-21T13:33:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T17:33:56","slug":"17-politicians-with-business-backgrounds-who-arent-donald-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/17-politicians-with-business-backgrounds-who-arent-donald-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Politicians With Business Backgrounds Who Aren’t Donald Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Donald<\/a>
Michael Vadon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost five months after announcing what many considered a long shot campaign for president, real estate mogul Donald Trump is still leading Republican primary polls nationwide. Carly Fiorina’s candidacy has also received greater attention over the last two months. Their campaigns represent a continued tradition in American politics: the businessman (or businesswoman) candidate. Here are 17 politicians from throughout U.S. history who had business backgrounds before running for office.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/h2>\n

George Washington<\/h2>\n

You might not think of America\u2019s first president as a \u201cbusinessman\u201d – his reputation was built as the Revolutionary War general who led the colonial militias – but he was actually quite wealthy thanks to his farms<\/a>. At his Mount Vernon estate Washington produced and sold tobacco, wheat, hemp, flax and corn. Of course, as an 18th century Southern plantation owner, General Washington benefited from the labor of slaves<\/a> and treated them as business assets rather than human employees.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Andrew<\/a><\/h2>\n

Andrew Johnson<\/h2>\n

Andrew Johnson became president after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated shortly after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox in 1865. Johnson, a Tennessee Democrat and old-school states\u2019 rights advocate, joined the Republican Lincoln on the National Union ticket in 1864. But prior to his entry in politics, Johnson operated a \u201dthriving\u201d<\/a> tailoring shop in Greeneville. Of his business, Johnson said that he \u201calways made a close fit, and was always punctual to my customers, and did good work.\u201d But he would go on to be a much less successful president, with his administration in constant conflict with a Radical Republican Congress that demanded a more punitive Reconstruction after the Civil War than Johnson was comfortable with. He would be impeached by that Congress – the first president to suffer that fate – and failed to capture the Democratic nomination in 1868.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Warren<\/a><\/h2>\n

Warren G. Harding<\/h2>\n

Harding, the 29th president, is now known more for his extracurricular pursuits<\/a> and his administration\u2019s scandals (like Teapot Dome<\/a>) than anything else he did during his brief presidency. But prior to being an elected official, he was known as a prominent Ohio newspaper publisher after turning around the struggling Marion Star<\/em>, which he purchased in the 1880s. His campaign slogan<\/a> in the 1920 presidential election was \u201cLess government in business and more business in government.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\"Herbert<\/a><\/p>\n

Herbert Hoover<\/h2>\n

Herbert Hoover is lately remembered as the president who saw the Great Depression begin. But he was an engineer by training and became wealthy through his work for several mining firms around the world. In 1901 he became a partner with Bewick, Moreing & Co. and by the end of the decade would be an independent consultant with investments worldwide. He became known for humanitarian work during World War I and President Harding appointed him Secretary of Commerce. Hoover was a strong proponent of the idea that government and business were riddle with inefficiencies and could be made to run more smoothly.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Joseph<\/a><\/h2>\n

Joseph P. Kennedy<\/h2>\n

The patriarch of the Kennedy family built his wealth as an investor in stocks and commodities before working in the steel industry, early Hollywood, and as a liquor importer. He was responsible for creating the once-major studio RKO Pictures and owned the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, which remained in family hands until 1998. Joseph Kennedy grew up in a Boston where anti-Irish and anti-Catholic prejudice were commonplace and that drove ambitions both for himself and his family. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would appoint Kennedy U.S. ambassador to Britain in the 1930s, but his isolationist views would doom his tenure. Kennedy\u2019s children, however, would later have outsize influence in American politics for decades to come, most notably his son and 35th president John Fitzgerald.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Harry<\/a><\/h2>\n

Harry Truman<\/h2>\n

Truman now ranks as one of the most well-regarded presidents in American history but public opinion was less kind during his time in office. When Franklin D. Roosevelt picked him as his vice President in 1945, Truman was a political nobody. Truman only served a few short months before FDR died. His political fortunes as president would be up and down (e.g., the famous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline says it all: the result was actually, and surprisingly, the opposite) but you may not have been aware of Truman’s background as an entrepreneur. He worked for a time in construction and as a bank clerk before serving in World War I. When he returned, Truman opened a haberdashery<\/a> (a men\u2019s clothing shop) with a friend but it would fail in short order thanks in part to a broader economic downturn.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/h2>\n

George Romney<\/h2>\n

Mitt\u2019s father served as chairman and president of the American Motors Corporation<\/a> in the 1950s, helping it succeed despite the long odds<\/a> of competing against larger domestic rivals like Ford and General Motors. George Romney left AMC to run for governor of Michigan and served three terms, becoming a leader of the GOP\u2019s liberal wing, before making a run for president<\/a> in 1968. He lost the Republican nomination to Richard Nixon and despite a stint as Housing Secretary in Nixon\u2019s first term, Romney\u2019s political star faded considerably.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jimmy<\/a><\/h2>\n

Jimmy Carter<\/h2>\n

Jimmy Carter is usually remembered as an ineffective president, but he built a profitable agriculture business in Georgia before entering politics. He left the Navy to take over his family\u2019s peanut farm<\/a> after his father died in 1953. While things started rough – Carter\u2019s farm only made a $187 profit in 1954 and for a time he and his wife lived in subsidized housing – he soon turned the business into quite a success.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/h2>\n

George H.W. Bush<\/h2>\n

While the elder Bush is most well-known for his career in government, his early career and wealth was made in the oil business. After returning from service in World War II and graduating from Yale university, Bush spent almost twenty years in the drilling industry, first with Dresser Industries and then as a founder and president of Zapata Petroleum<\/a>. Bush would eventually enter politics, becoming chairman of Houston Republican Party in 1962 and later vice president under Ronald Reagan. He served one term as president before being defeated by Bill Clinton in 1992.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Ross<\/a>
Alan Warren<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ross Perot<\/h2>\n

Perot was a prominent third-party presidential spoiler in the 1990s, most famously hampering George H.W. Bush\u2019s re-election bid in 1992. But in many ways he was a forerunner to Trump\u2019s flirtation with politics and current campaign for the presidency. Perot made his fortune as the founder of Electronic Data Systems<\/a>, which he built after quitting his sales job at IBM and later sold to GM in 1984 for $1.5 billion. He also founded Perot Systems, which was sold to Dell for almost $4 billion in 2009. His political platform rested on appeals to reform the tax system, move toward direct democracy (his \u201celectronic town hall\u201d idea was a key plank), and criticisms of outsourcing. But, foreshadowing the reception Donald Trump has received so far in 2015, Perot was not welcomed with open arms. Peter Elkind, editor of the Dallas Observer<\/em> called Perot \u201cthe most single-minded man on the face of the earth, and he seems to have decided he wants to be President of this country.\u201d And a young Karl Rove told the New York Times<\/em><\/a> that \u201cRoss Perot is the untested wild man, and while that may be attractive here at the beginning, I\u2019m not sure it will be attractive at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Steve<\/a>
Gage Skidmore<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Steve Forbes<\/h2>\n

Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of the eponymous Forbes<\/em> business magazine founded by his grandfather, ran longshot campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000. Forbes\u2019 platform was primarily centered around his desire for a national flat tax.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"George<\/a><\/h2>\n

George W. Bush<\/h2>\n

Son of the 41st president, George W. Bush had his own business career prior to entering politics. Like his father, \u201cDubya\u201d went from Yale to the oil fields (but with a stop at Harvard Business School in between). His time in the industry was not very successful, although it did involve no small amount of controversy during his father\u2019s presidency when the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated George W.\u2019s sale of his Harken Energy shares just before the firm announced losses. The stock quickly bounced back and the S.E.C. let it slide. Bush also drew criticism for the largely taxpayer-funded construction of The Ballpark at Arlington for his Texas Rangers baseball team in the early 1990s. Writing for CNN during the 2000 presidential campaign, Brooks Jackson<\/a> concluded that \u201cBush the businessman did prosper. But not by his bootstraps \u2014 with help from wealthy friends and taxpayer subsidies.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Darrell<\/a>
Gage Skidmore<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Darrell Issa<\/h2>\n

Elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, Issa is a millionaire thanks to the car alarm company he helped found in the 1980s<\/a>. Issa was CEO of that company, Directed Electronics, and increased sales from $1 million in 1985 to $14 million in 1989 and eventually \u201cabout one hundred million.\u201d Issa also served as chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association. Since becoming chair of the House Oversight Committee in 2011, Issa has been a thorn in the Obama administration. He is currently the wealthiest member of Congress<\/a>, with a net worth of $357.25 million as of fall 2014.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/a>
Ralph Alswang\/Center for American Progress<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michael Bloomberg<\/h2>\n

The former three-term New York City mayor came to prominence as the founder of financial data firm Bloomberg L.P. Like George W. Bush, he\u2019s a graduate of Harvard Business School. After working at investment bank Salomon Brothers for several years, Bloomberg formed his eponymous company with its signature terminals providing fast access to financial and business information for clients. The company would later branch out into media with Bloomberg News. Its founder ran for and was elected mayor of New York in 2001 as a Republican. He later became an independent before being elected to a third term in 2009. Over the years, Bloomberg has been the subject of frequent speculation that he might launch a presidential campaign but as of right now it doesn\u2019t seem likely for 2016.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Herman<\/a>
Gage Skidmore<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Herman Cain<\/h2>\n

Herman Cain made a name for himself in 2012 as a Republican presidential candidate and Tea Party favorite. But three decades earlier, he was busy rising to prominence as a restaurant executive with Pillsbury. His success with Burger King (then a Pillsbury subsidiary) led to an appointment as CEO of Godfather Pizza. After turning the struggling chain around, he bought it and remained at the helm until 1996. He then became the dining industry\u2019s chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C. as CEO of the National Restaurant Association. Cain gained some notoriety in 2012 for his \u201c9-9-9\u201d<\/a> tax plan, but Mitt Romney went on to capture Republican primary voters\u2019 support in 2012.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Mitt<\/a>
Gage Skidmore<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mitt Romney<\/h2>\n

Speaking of Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate is probably the highest profile businessman politician of recent years (after The Donald, of course). Romney earned an M.B.A. from Harvard before working for the Boston Consulting Group and then Bain & Company. He would eventually become CEO of Bain and then its venture capital spin-off, Bain Capital. Romney later led the organizing committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. After that, he served as governor of Massachusetts for four years and mounted two failed presidential campaigns. Mitt also had quite a pedigree as a son of another executive-turned-politician, George Romney.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Carly<\/a>
Gage Skidmore<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carly Fiorina<\/h2>\n

While she has made headlines as the only female Republican presidential candidate in 2016, Carly Fiorina first made political waves in 2010 when she challenged longtime California Senator Barbara Boxer. Her campaign gained national attention that year thanks to an its \u201cdemon sheep\u201d ad<\/a>. But before turning to politics, Fiorina was an executive at Lucent and CEO of Hewlett-Packard. She touts her business record as a campaign asset today, but her tenures at both Lucent and H-P continue to be controversial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost five months after announcing what many considered a long shot campaign for president, real estate mogul Donald Trump is still leading Republican primary polls nationwide. Carly Fiorina’s candidacy has also received greater attention over the last two months. Their campaigns represent a continued tradition in American politics: the businessman (or businesswoman) candidate. Here are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":58172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7845],"tags":[8458,199,2221],"class_list":{"0":"post-58150","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-8458","9":"tag-carly-fiorina","10":"tag-donald-trump"},"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58150"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71438,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58150\/revisions\/71438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}