Dig deep enough into anyone’s job history, and you’ll find some jobs that won’t make their resume. Just about everyone has a story about the time they were paid to whitewash a gazebo all summer, or serve tiny pigs-in-blankets to grazers at the grocery store. But most of us don’t think of U.S. presidents at ever having toiled at less-than-glamorous gigs. History, however, has a way of proving us wrong.
Here, via Popsugar, are three of the most surprising jobs of former presidents:
1. Ronald Reagan, Lifeguard
Most of us know that the Gipper was an actor before he became an ’80s fixture on the nightly news. But what we probably didn’t know is that he spent seven summers working as a lifeguard in Dixon, Illinois.
2. Warren Harding, Insurance Salesman
Prior to becoming the 29th president of the United States, Warren G. Harding was a newspaper publisher. Before that, he was a teacher and sold insurance. But he’s still probably best known for the Teapot Dome scandal.
3. Harry Truman, Haberdasher
Nattily attired Harry S. Truman opened a men’s clothing store in Kansas City, only to lose it to a recession in 1921. A year later, he was elected County Court judge, beginning his political career and proving once again that every career reversal can contain the seeds of success.
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