Well here in GB, the likes of Tony Blair and Ken Clarke would probably be lawyers. Given their oratory skills, they'd become high fliers. Gordon Brown may well stay in education and become a professor. Or expanding on his TV journalism.
What if they didnt get into politics?
- Thread starter Hadley
- Start date
He also did have a significant interest in Latin America, we well as an interest in combatting the AIDS crisis in Africa.
Maybe he could be one of those people you hear about in intermission breaks on NPR as some general do-gooder.
Woodrow Wilson is perhaps the easiest. Had he never gone into NJ politics, he might well have accepted the post of president / chancellor of another university with progressive (note the small "p") aspirations, especially with respect to a graduate school I could see him taking over Johns Hopkins, for example, where he got his doctorate, or perhaps the University of Virginia.
Had Taft remained on the bench, I think he may well have wound up approximately where he did; i.e., on the Supreme Court. It was too much of a natural, given his reputation.
Harry Truman...could you see him with a second, third, or more haberdashery outlets? His face, in caricature form, might still be around today in advertising for something like "Harry's Menswear" (commercials suitable for NFL games if it's high end stuff; late night independent stations [Philadelphia area members: think Krass Brothers] if it's not).
Ike is also pretty easy: he stays as a five star general until he finally decides to retire to his Gettysburg farm. Could be without the stress of the presidency that he lives a few years longer--say, until the mid-to-late 1970s.
Hoover...by the time he entered politics, he was wealthy. Admittedly not in the same league as, say, Morgan or Rockefeller but definitely in fine shape. I could see him retaining the nominal CEO position of his mining engineering outfit while devoting the bulk of his time to humanitarian causes. Were that the case, history would think far better of him than it does given his single term in the White House.
A prior post suggested that Lyndon Johnson would almost certainly go into politics no matter what. I suggest the same could be said for Calvin Coolidge: if I recall correctly, he cut short a vacation (might even have been his honeymoon!) to run for a school board position.
Warren Harding is a tough one. He didn't have a lot of ambition. Had he stayed out of politics, he probably wouldn't be known outside the vicinity of Marion, OH--and even then wouldn't be much more than a dim memory, apart from being mentioned in semi-risqué stories of the early 20th century, when he had affairs with (fill in one or more obscure names here). On the other hand, he was interested deeply in baseball. Could be he might have secured a position with, say, the Cincinnati Reds, in the front office. Possibly he might have made it to NL President in the '20s.
Had Taft remained on the bench, I think he may well have wound up approximately where he did; i.e., on the Supreme Court. It was too much of a natural, given his reputation.
Harry Truman...could you see him with a second, third, or more haberdashery outlets? His face, in caricature form, might still be around today in advertising for something like "Harry's Menswear" (commercials suitable for NFL games if it's high end stuff; late night independent stations [Philadelphia area members: think Krass Brothers] if it's not).
Ike is also pretty easy: he stays as a five star general until he finally decides to retire to his Gettysburg farm. Could be without the stress of the presidency that he lives a few years longer--say, until the mid-to-late 1970s.
Hoover...by the time he entered politics, he was wealthy. Admittedly not in the same league as, say, Morgan or Rockefeller but definitely in fine shape. I could see him retaining the nominal CEO position of his mining engineering outfit while devoting the bulk of his time to humanitarian causes. Were that the case, history would think far better of him than it does given his single term in the White House.
A prior post suggested that Lyndon Johnson would almost certainly go into politics no matter what. I suggest the same could be said for Calvin Coolidge: if I recall correctly, he cut short a vacation (might even have been his honeymoon!) to run for a school board position.
Warren Harding is a tough one. He didn't have a lot of ambition. Had he stayed out of politics, he probably wouldn't be known outside the vicinity of Marion, OH--and even then wouldn't be much more than a dim memory, apart from being mentioned in semi-risqué stories of the early 20th century, when he had affairs with (fill in one or more obscure names here). On the other hand, he was interested deeply in baseball. Could be he might have secured a position with, say, the Cincinnati Reds, in the front office. Possibly he might have made it to NL President in the '20s.
Republic of Ireland:
John Dillon: Doctor
William Redmond: Barrister
Michael Davitt: Factory worker and Trade Unionist
Eamonn de Valera: Teacher
Cathal Brugha: Shop assistant ("That is Cathal Brugha mother" " It is not indeed, it's that wee Mr Burgess from the drapery counter") or candle manufacturer, ecclesiastical supplier
Richard Mulcahy: Post Office Engineer
W.T. Cosgrave: Wine & Spirit merchant
Michael Collins: Accountant, Wall Street banker
Sean McEntee: Engineer
John Costello: Barrister
Patrick Hillery: Doctor, Coroner
Garret Fitzgerald: Businessman, journalist, barrister
Brian Lenihan:Teacher or Barrister
Charles Haughey: Businessman, Accountant
John Bruton: Farmer, Businessman
Peter Barry: Tea merchant
Northern Ireland:
James Craig: Distiller
William Craig: Solicitor and businessman
J Milne Barbour: Textile manufacturer
Brian Faulkner: Textile Manufacturer
John Hume: Priest, Teacher, Credit Union operator
Seamus Mallon: Teacher
Edgar Graham: Barrister
David Trimble: Barrister
James Molyneaux: Photographer or Camera Shop
John Dillon: Doctor
William Redmond: Barrister
Michael Davitt: Factory worker and Trade Unionist
Eamonn de Valera: Teacher
Cathal Brugha: Shop assistant ("That is Cathal Brugha mother" " It is not indeed, it's that wee Mr Burgess from the drapery counter") or candle manufacturer, ecclesiastical supplier
Richard Mulcahy: Post Office Engineer
W.T. Cosgrave: Wine & Spirit merchant
Michael Collins: Accountant, Wall Street banker
Sean McEntee: Engineer
John Costello: Barrister
Patrick Hillery: Doctor, Coroner
Garret Fitzgerald: Businessman, journalist, barrister
Brian Lenihan:Teacher or Barrister
Charles Haughey: Businessman, Accountant
John Bruton: Farmer, Businessman
Peter Barry: Tea merchant
Northern Ireland:
James Craig: Distiller
William Craig: Solicitor and businessman
J Milne Barbour: Textile manufacturer
Brian Faulkner: Textile Manufacturer
John Hume: Priest, Teacher, Credit Union operator
Seamus Mallon: Teacher
Edgar Graham: Barrister
David Trimble: Barrister
James Molyneaux: Photographer or Camera Shop
Bulldoggus
Banned
So, for post-WWII presidents:
Truman: Moderately successful businessman. Mostly known in Missouri, if anywhere.
Ike: General (obviously). Maybe he becomes a respected academic.
Kennedy: TV newscaster.
LBJ: Football Coach/That high school math teacher everyone despises.
Nixon: Lawyer. Best known for his alleged "dirty tricks" that got O. J. Simpson exonerated.
Ford: Announcer for the Michigan Wolverines.
Carter: Preacher.
Reagan: Color Man for the Los Angeles Angels.
GHW Bush: Successful businessman and philanthropist in Dallas.
Bill Clinton: Either very successful or incarcerated.
GW Bush: Commissioner of baseball.
Obama: Pop historian.
Truman: Moderately successful businessman. Mostly known in Missouri, if anywhere.
Ike: General (obviously). Maybe he becomes a respected academic.
Kennedy: TV newscaster.
LBJ: Football Coach/That high school math teacher everyone despises.
Nixon: Lawyer. Best known for his alleged "dirty tricks" that got O. J. Simpson exonerated.
Ford: Announcer for the Michigan Wolverines.
Carter: Preacher.
Reagan: Color Man for the Los Angeles Angels.
GHW Bush: Successful businessman and philanthropist in Dallas.
Bill Clinton: Either very successful or incarcerated.
GW Bush: Commissioner of baseball.
Obama: Pop historian.
Nixon graduated law school in the late 1930s and applied to be an FBI agent, but was turned down due to budget cuts. Imagine if he were hired, and eventually succeeded J. Edgar Hoover as director.
W. seemed quite content managing the Texas Rangers. IIRC, the pols in Texas encouraged him to run for Governor and that's what returned him to a political career.
Hillary Clinton could still be an attorney and also an advocate for children's issues.
When Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad left politics in 1998, he stated he was considering a new career in either business or education, although he was an attorney before entering politics. He then went on to become a licensed financial advisor and then became President of Des Moines University. (He got his careers in both business and education!) If people weren't so mad at Gov. Chet Culver in 2010, Branstad would likely still be at Des Moines University, instead of being Governor of Iowa, again.
When Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad left politics in 1998, he stated he was considering a new career in either business or education, although he was an attorney before entering politics. He then went on to become a licensed financial advisor and then became President of Des Moines University. (He got his careers in both business and education!) If people weren't so mad at Gov. Chet Culver in 2010, Branstad would likely still be at Des Moines University, instead of being Governor of Iowa, again.
Obama played basketball in high school, that's why he's a basketball player.
Marco Rubio also had a football scholarship in college...
Attachments
Can you make one for Ford? he was offered contract both the lions and packers...
Sure, I'll make one. Won't have my laptop until Monday but I'll whip something up
Winston Churchill ... General and best selling writer (Still winning the Nobel Prize for Literature)
Clement Atlee ... Lawyer
Anthony Eden ... Professor of Oriental Languages
Harold Macmillan ... CEO of Macmillan Publishing
Alec Douglas-Home ... Technically still a politician as a Peer of the Realm.
Harold Wilson ... Professor of Economics
Edward Heath ... Civil Servant
Jim Callaghan ... Civil Servant
Margaret Thatcher ... Research Chemist
John Major ... CEO of Standard Chartered (Or Bus Driver)
Tony Blair ... Lawyer (Or early death by Keith Moon)
Gordon Brown ... University Lecturer
David Cameron ... Has only ever been a politician.
Theresa May ... Governor of The Bank of England
Enoch Powell, was a Professor of Ancient Greek, the Youngest General in the British Army, published Author, Museum Curator and expert Linguist.
Given that he expected to be head of Intelligence for the next war ... Head of MI6?
Clement Atlee ... Lawyer
Anthony Eden ... Professor of Oriental Languages
Harold Macmillan ... CEO of Macmillan Publishing
Alec Douglas-Home ... Technically still a politician as a Peer of the Realm.
Harold Wilson ... Professor of Economics
Edward Heath ... Civil Servant
Jim Callaghan ... Civil Servant
Margaret Thatcher ... Research Chemist
John Major ... CEO of Standard Chartered (Or Bus Driver)
Tony Blair ... Lawyer (Or early death by Keith Moon)
Gordon Brown ... University Lecturer
David Cameron ... Has only ever been a politician.
Theresa May ... Governor of The Bank of England
Enoch Powell, was a Professor of Ancient Greek, the Youngest General in the British Army, published Author, Museum Curator and expert Linguist.
Given that he expected to be head of Intelligence for the next war ... Head of MI6?
Ford as a pro football player would be an interesting TL.
Non-US example, I find it interesting to think what would happen if instead of going to parliament Dennis Skinner stayed in the National Union of Mineworkers and eventually became president of it. It's still politics, I guess, but it could lead to some interesting effects down the line.
He'd probably be able to get a decent corporate job though.
Enoch Powell becomes one of the most renowned classicists of our time, putting aside his proclivity for inappropriately quoting Virgil.