section_path: Post-presidency/Activities
section_name: Activities
paragraph_text: Activities
  
  Some former presidents have had significant careers after leaving office. Prominent examples include William Howard Taft 's tenure as chief justice of the United States and Herbert Hoover 's work on government reorganization after World War II. Two former presidents served in Congress after leaving the White House: John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives, serving there for 17 years, and Andrew Johnson returned to the Senate in 1875, though he died soon after. Some ex-presidents were very active, especially in international affairs, most notably Theodore Roosevelt; Herbert Hoover; Richard Nixon; and Jimmy Carter.
  
  Earlier presidents returned to their hometowns to lead charitable work there, or supervised farm work on their farms or plantations, many of which had been neglected during their presidencies. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia during his post-presidency, and, following his death, was succeeded as rector by James Madison. Madison and James Monroe participated in the drafting of one version of the Virginia Constitution, while John Tyler served at the Confederate Constitution and in the Confederate Congress.
  
  Presidents may use their predecessors as emissaries to deliver private messages to other nations or as official representatives of the United States to state funerals and other important foreign events. Richard Nixon made multiple foreign trips to countries including China and Russia and was lauded as an elder statesman. During his post-presidency, Jimmy Carter became a global human rights campaigner, international arbiter, and election monitor, as well as a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Bill Clinton also worked as an informal ambassador, most recently in the negotiations that led to the release of two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, from North Korea. During his presidency, George W. Bush called on former presidents George H. W. Bush and Clinton to assist with humanitarian efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. President Obama followed suit by asking presidents Clinton and George W. Bush to lead efforts to aid Haiti after an earthquake devastated that country in 2010. Clinton's relationship with the two Bushes is not the first friendship between former presidents: Carter enjoyed a friendship and correspondence with Gerald Ford, while Jefferson and John Adams had an extended correspondence through letters in their post-presidencies.
  
  Clinton has been active politically since his presidential term ended, working with his wife Hillary on her 2008 and 2016 presidential bids and President Obama on his 2012 reelection campaign. Obama has also been active politically since his presidential term ended, having worked with his former vice president Joe Biden on his 2020 election campaign and Biden's vice president Kamala Harris on her 2024 election campaign after President Biden withdrew his bid for re-election.
  
  After losing his bid for the presidency in 2020, Trump remained politically active and was an outspoken critic of his successor and the Democratic Party. He also contended with four criminal cases. Trump announced his fourth bid to the presidency in 2022, ultimately becoming the nominee of his party for the third time and won a second presidential term in 2024. Grover Cleveland was also elected to nonconsecutive terms; his reelection bid failed in 1888 but succeeded in 1892.