Career

Adams was a public servant for almost his entire adult life, starting as an ambassador to the Netherlands, appointed by George Washington in 1794. Following that appointment, Adams served as a US Senator, ambassador to Great Britain and Russia, and Secretary of State. After a lifetime of public service, Adams’s ascent to the presidency was the obvious next step. He likely regarded his election as the apex of his long career in politics. But his presidency was marred by controversy, dysfunction, and unpopularity.

The presidential election of 1824 was a four-way race. When no candidate won a majority in the Electoral College, the election was turned over to Congress. In the contest to triumph in Congress, Adams received support from Henry Clay, the influential Speaker of the House, whom he thereafter appointed to be his Secretary of State. This move proved to be bad optics for the Adams administration. Critics accused him of making a corrupt bargain with Clay to win the presidency.

Without a strong mandate to begin with, Adams struggled to govern effectively. For the policy-focused Adams, this must have been extremely frustrating. The White House had gone from being his dream to a nightmare. It came as no surprise when he was defeated in a landslide in 1828.

Congress

At age 62, out of office and with no real prospects, Adams tried his hand at a variety of endeavors, but his heart wasn’t in them. All he’d ever known was public service. When associates encouraged him to run for Congress in his district of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Adams’s interest was piqued.

After a landslide victory, the former president traveled to Washington as a junior member of Congress. It was in that capacity that Adams found a new calling — and with it, a newfound vitality. He became an abolitionist.

As the discussions around slavery grew ever more heated and divisive, Adams found his groove in his staunch opposition to the institution. He read petitions against slavery in Congress, legislated against it, and found his popularity soaring in his old age as he made himself the face of abolition in Congress. He died within the halls of Congress, collapsing mid-session as he prepared to cast a vote.

Having served in many prominent positions, Adams secured his legacy in perhaps the lowest of them all — as a member of Congress.

Chief Executive  to Chief Justice — William Howard Taft

Year: 1921

Appointment: Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court

“The truth is, that in my present life I don’t remember that I even was president.”

(William Howard Taft, in his capacity as Chief Justice of the United States)

AT a White House dinner, President Theodore Roosevelt teased his guests, William Howard and Nellie Taft, with a tale he had made up. He told them he had recently met a fortune teller who had shared a vision he’d had. “I see a man weighing three hundred and fifty pounds,” the fortune teller was purported to have said, an obvious reference to the heavyset Taft. “There is something hanging over his head…. At one time it looks like the presidency, then again it looks like the chief justiceship.”

“Make it the chief justiceship,” said Mr. Taft.

“Make it the presidency,” pleaded Mrs. Taft. Both Mr. and Mrs. Taft would have their wishes fulfilled.

Background

Taft was born into a political family. His father, Alphonso Taft, held several senior government posts, including Attorney General and Secretary of War. However, the job that most appealed to him remained out of reach: Supreme Court Justice. It was an aspiration that would be fulfilled by his son, William Howard Taft.

Taft’s education reflected his ambitions. He attended Yale University and went on to Cincinnati Law School to pursue a career in law. Aided by his father’s connections, he secured a job as prosecutor right after graduation.

Career

While his career was launched with the help of his family name, it didn’t take long for Taft to develop a reputation as a top attorney. At age 29 he was appointed Ohio’s youngest judge. Soon after that, he became Solicitor General of the United States, the third-highest post in the Justice Department. In that capacity, he argued 18 cases before the Supreme Court — and won 15 of them.

However, while Taft may have aspired to a lifetime career in the judiciary, his wife, Nellie, had other ideas for her gifted husband.

While a career in politics was off-limits to women of that time period (they would not receive the right to vote until 1920), Nellie Taft had a keen interest in politics and sought to steer her husband in that direction. When her husband — at the time back on the judicial bench — was offered a posting as governor-general of the Philippines, then a newly acquired American territory, she encouraged him to accept it despite his lack of interest.

Taft served as governor for three years until he was called back to Washington by President Theodore Roosevelt to serve as Secretary of War. During that time, the Supreme Court beckoned; Taft was twice offered a job on the nation’s highest court, but he felt compelled to decline it both times due to his responsibilities as governor.

The Presidency

When Taft returned to Washington, he received a warm welcome from the president, Teddy Roosevelt. The two men were best friends, and actively sought to help each other’s careers.

While technically Secretary of War, Taft’s duties encompassed more than the Department of War. He served as Roosevelt’s troubleshooter, the man whom the president entrusted with implementing his policies. No one was surprised when after his second term was up, Roosevelt endorsed Taft as his successor.

Roosevelt was a tremendously popular president, and his support helped Taft emerge victorious in the election of 1908. However, Taft did not live up to his predecessor’s expectations.

When working for Roosevelt, Taft served as an intensely loyal lackey. A popular joke at that time was that T.A.F.T stood for “Take Advice from Theodore.” However, once elected president, Taft asserted himself as his own man. He replaced Roosevelt administration officials, and staked out more conservative positions than the progressive Roosevelt. Roosevelt grew angered to the point where he challenged his former friend for the presidency in 1912. Squaring off in a three-way race, they split the Republican vote, handing the White House to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

The Supreme Court

Even while serving as president, Taft had his eye on the Supreme Court. When the chief justiceship was vacated during his term, he skipped over the more obvious nominee for the job and chose an older justice, Edward White, to fill the post. He recognized that after serving as president he would not be able to serve as a subordinate associate justice; the only role that would be open to him would be that of chief justice. With White’s appointment, there was a chance that the job would one day be his.

His wish came true when Chief Justice White died on May 19, 1921. Taft was nominated a little more than a month later to fill the vacancy. On the day of his swearing-in, he told the president who had nominated him, Warren G. Harding, “Today is the greatest day of my life.” After a lifetime of waiting, the 27th president of the United States finally got the job he had always wished for.

Governor to Mayor — John Carney

Year: 2025

Appointment: Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware

“I had to become governor in order to become mayor of the city of Wilmington.”

(Delaware Governor John Carney during his campaign for mayor of Wilmington, Delaware)

When John Carney was sworn in as mayor of Wilmington on January 7, 2025, nothing unusual marked the actual ceremony. What made this event unprecedented was the man taking the oath of office. On that same day, John Carney resigned as governor of Delaware to take the helm of Wilmington — a city of a little more than 70,000 residents. Carney became the first sitting governor in United States history to step down from office to become a mayor.

Background

Carney was born in Wilmington, the second of nine children. His parents worked in education: His father oversaw the local school district’s educational programs, and his mother taught French. He earned his master’s in public administration from the University of Delaware. In 1993, while serving as a local official in New Castle County, Delaware, Carney got married. His wife’s family was a well-known name in Delaware politics; his father-in-law served as Delaware’s Secretary of State, and his wife was a special assistant to then-Senator Joe Biden.

Career

Carney got his start in politics from the bottom up: answering a senator’s mail. “I started off as a constituent response person for then-Senator Biden,” he said in a recent interview. He soon moved on to more prominent positions, earning his first statewide appointment as Delaware’s secretary of finance in 1996.

His first elected position was Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, and he served from 2001 to 2009. After two terms, he was considered a favorite for the state’s top job, yet lost the Democratic primary in a nail-biter that was decided by less than two thousand votes.

That loss wasn’t enough to deter Carney from trying again for public office. In 2010, he ran for and won Delaware’s sole congressional seat, becoming the only Democrat of that midterm cycle to flip a congressional district. He held that seat until 2016, when he decided to make another run for governor. This time around he triumphed handily. In 2020, he easily won reelection to a second term.

Mayor

When he entered the race for mayor, Carney didn’t take anything for granted. During the course of the campaign, 11,000 Wilmington residents — about 15 percent of the city’s population — found the governor at their doorstep asking for their vote. He had been caught off guard in the 2008 gubernatorial race, and was determined to ensure that history would not repeat itself.

That concentrated effort turned out to be a vital investment. Carney eked out a narrow win in the primary, claiming victory with a 743-vote margin. After receiving the Democratic nomination, however, the general election result was a foregone conclusion in solidly blue Wilmington.

While campaigning, Carney met voters who were confused. “The main thing they would say was, ‘Isn’t this a step down?’ ” Carney said in an interview with the New York Times regarding his decision to seek local office after the governor’s mansion. “I would say, ‘I don’t think so.’ On a given day [it is] a harder job. In that sense, it’s a step up.”

From US Senator to Real Estate Agent — John Walsh

Year: 2017

Job: Real Estate Agent

“I’ll look back on it as an experience. Not many average Americans get to serve in the US Senate”

(John Walsh, speaking to a reporter after ending his reelection campaign to represent Montana in the Senate)

When he took the oath of office to represent Montana in the US Senate, John Walsh must have been as surprised as anyone. As a young boy, Walsh dreamed about getting an education, a job, and enjoying Montana’s great outdoors. A career in public service wasn’t in the cards. Walsh’s meteoric rise and fall is a fascinating political story.

Background

Walsh was born into a blue-collar family in the small mining city of Butte, Montana. Growing up, the family’s flimsy house would shake from the blasts of the copper mine nearby. When he received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of the State of New York, he became the first person in his family to graduate college.

Career

Walsh wasn’t looking for a military career when he enlisted in the army. He enrolled in Montana’s National Guard primarily as a way to help pay for college. But he climbed the ranks, becoming an officer in 1987. During the War on Terror, he deployed to Iraq, serving with distinction as a battalion leader for 700 troops.

When he returned from overseas action, Walsh joined the United States Army War College, a military facility that prepares senior officers for leadership positions in the military. Its most famous graduates include former President Dwight Eisenhower, former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, and former CIA director David Petraeus. Soon after graduating, Walsh was promoted to Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard, the commanding military officer of Montana’s military.

Although Walsh seemed to be the quintessential career military man, in 2012, he resigned his commission to run for office. Montana’s governor’s mansion was up for grabs that November, and the Democratic candidate, Steve Bullock, asked Walsh to be his running mate. He won the close election to become Montana’s Lieutenant Governor.

Political opportunity came again for Walsh a year later. Montana’s senior Democratic senator, Max Baucus, was retiring, and party leaders saw Walsh as someone capable of fending off the GOP in deep-red Montana. Walsh announced his candidacy for the Senate on October 3, 2013. When Baucus vacated his seat early to accept an ambassadorship, Governor Bullock appointed his lieutenant to the Senate, boosting his profile ahead of a contentious election race.

Real Estate Sales

Most home sales in the United States are facilitated by a real estate agent. There’s a reason that over 360,000 real estate brokerage firms operate nationwide. It’s safe to assume, however, that none of those firms employ a former US Senator as an agent. For a while, John Walsh was an exception to that presumption.

As the 2014 election for US Senate in Montana reached the home stretch, it had every sign of being a marquee race. Incumbent Democratic Senator John Walsh faced off against a strong challenger in Republican Congressman Steve Daines in a contest that the GOP hoped would help them recapture the Senate majority. However, despite Montana’s red tilt, the election was not a foregone conclusion. Walsh was considered a formidable candidate, boosting Democrats’ chances of holding the seat. Until he wasn’t.

In July 2014, the New York Times reported that Walsh had plagiarized major portions of the thesis that he had written in the US Army War College. The story hit the Walsh campaign hard, tainting his career and forcing him to drop out of the race. Later that year, the War College revoked his degree.

Three years later, Walsh was hired as a real estate agent at Big Sky Brokers based in Helena, Montana, where he worked until his recent retirement. In response to a local reporter who inquired about his change of career, Walsh said that real estate was something he’d always been interested in. “They [clients] know they’ve seen my face somewhere, but not exactly where. Then I tell them what I’ve done.” For Walsh, it was an unlikely cap to an unlikely career.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1086)