US politics WI: former presidents as senators-for-life

Some of the former presidents, the ones in good health for a period after their presidency, could have wound up chairing important committees or being floor leaders. That would have produced butterflies. The one President to return to Congress for a lengthy period, John Quincy Adams, did make impact, though as a gadfly.

Ex-Presidents who remained politically active:

JQ Adams (elected to Congress)
Van Burn (repeated attempts to return to White House)
Grant (comeback attempt in 1880)
Cleveland (successful comeback in 1892)
T Roosevelt (third party run in 1912)
Taft (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court)
Hoover
Truman
Ford (former House floor leader, considered comeback bid in 1980)
Carter (Carter center)
Clinton (Clinton foundation, this could butterfly away his wife's career)

Ex-Presidents who had bad health/ died soon after leaving the White House:

Washington
Jackson
Polk
A. Johnson (elected to Senate but couldn't take his seat)
Arthur (tried and failed to be elected to Senate)
Wilson
Coolidge
Eisenhower
LB Johnson (had been the Democratic floor leader)
Reagan

Long quiet retirements, plus Nixon

J Adams
Jefferson
Madison
Monroe
Fillmore
Pierce
Buchanan
Hayes
Harrison
Nixon ("resigned in disgrace")
GHW Bush
GW Bush

The presidents listed in the first category could have wound up as floor leaders for their parties. What would have happened with the ones in the last category would have varied greatly.
 
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