Well Known Presidents
The majority of United States Presidents were attorneys at one point in their careers. For the most part, people trust attorneys to uphold the law and fight for justice, so which makes it easier for people to trust attorneys when they make a run for the White House. It helps when there is documented cases available to view that show how much good the attorneys have done for the average citizen. Here is a list of the top five presidents that were once attorneys. Some of them you may have known were practicing law before becoming President, some not.
1. John Adams – The second President of the United States, and one of two attorneys that were also farmers at some point in their past. Adams was President from 1797-1801 after serving two terms as Vice President for George Washington. Adams became well known during the American Revolution and served as a delegate from Massachusetts in the Continental Congress.
2. Thomas Jefferson – He became President after John Adams’s term ended. He is also the second of the two attorneys to also have done farming. Aside from these professions, he was also a writer, inventor, and an architect. Jefferson is well known for being one of the main authors to pen the Declaration of Independence. He was also Secretary of State during George Washington’s first term as President, and served as John Adams’s Vice President as well.
3. Abraham Lincoln – Unlike many of the other attorneys that went on to become President, Abraham Lincoln practiced law until the very year that he decided to run for the President of the United States. Lincoln was the sixteenth president, and served from 1861-1865. He helped to make many advances in civil rights and is credited as a major factor in the abolishment of slavery in America. Lincoln was assassinated while in office by actor John Wilkes Booth who shot him in the head with a pistol inside of a theater.
4. William Taft – This man held many positions within the legal system. Not only was he a lawyer, he was also a judge, a law reporter, and the dean at the law school in the University of Cincinnati. His experience with law made him a good candidate to run for the presidency.
5. Barack Obama – Our current Commander in Chief, Obama started out as a lawyer just like the other attorneys on this list. He attended Harvard Law School, which is one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Aside from practicing law, President Obama was also a law lecturer, community organizer, and a senator for the state of Illinois.
History has shown that being an attorney provides a good background if you someday want to become the President of the United States. For all you young ones out there that have aspirations to lead our country, you know right where to start if you want to be a contender.