Beyond the White House — Look through the Homes of Former US Presidents after Their Terms

Before US Presidents end up at the White House, they already have their own homes. A lot of them return to these abodes after serving their terms and we get to know more about them below.

HARRY TRUMAN

Former President Harry Truman married his wife Bess in 1919. When they finished their term as US President and First Lady in 1953, they returned to their home at 219 North Delaware Street in Independence, Missouri.

The home boasted fourteen rooms and it was bought in 1867 by Bess's grandfather, George Porterfield Gates. The house is now being maintained by the National Park Service as a National Historic Site.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

After serving the US as its 34th president, Eisenhower settled at a farm in Pennsylvania near the Gettysburg Battlefield. The house is now a National Historic Site that has been open to the public since 1980.

In the early 1950s, the farm was renovated and in 1967 it was donated to the National Parks Service. The spacious land has a teahouse, a putting green, a skeet range, and Angus cattle barns.

JOHN F. KENNEDY

After John died, his wife Jackie Kennedy moved out of the White House and back to their summer home in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The couple also owned an estate in Virginia called Wexford.

The home was completed shortly before John’s sudden death. The house was listed for sale for around $10 million and in 2017 it sold for a fraction of the price at a mere $2.85 million.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

Lyndon and his wife Bird returned to their ranch in Johnson City, Texas after leaving office. The home happened to be where the former president was born and he was also buried there.

The property, which is now a museum, was nicknamed the Texas White House. It started offering tours in 2007, after the death of the former first lady and it still boasts its 1960s design style.

RICHARD NIXON

In 1974, Richard resigned as the US president and he and his wife, Pat, left the White House for good. They moved back to their San Clemente, California 15,000-square-foot home.

The fourteen-bathroom, nine-bedroom home has stunning octagonal living spaces fit for a huge family and large windows. The house was for sale for a whopping $57.5 million in 2019.

GERALD FORD

Gerald and his wife Betty left the White House in 1977 and moved back to their Thunderbird Country Club home in Rancho Mirage, California. The house was designed for them by Welton Becket & Associates.

The 1970s-style interior design for the midcentury house was done by famous designer Laura Mako. The former president sadly passed away at the home on December 26, 2006.

JIMMY CARTER

Jimmy and his wife, Rosalynn, settled back to the house he’d built in 1961 when they left the White House. The oldest living president, who was 96 in early 2021, lived a quiet life with his wife there.

They both grew up in Plains, Georgia, and have dedicated their lives to service and humanitarian work. Their home is a modest one that costs around $167,000 and only has two bedrooms.

RONALD REAGAN

Ronald and his former first lady wife Nancy went back to Los Angeles after he served two terms as the president. They bought themselves a 1954-built, 7,192-square-foot, and three-bedroom estate.

The home sat on 1.29 acres of land and in 2016 it was sold for $15 million. Before he joined politics and became the US president, Ronald was actually a famous Hollywood actor.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH

After leaving office, George and his wife Barbara spent their time between two homes. Sometimes they stayed at their summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, or their Houston, Texas estate.

The 41st president’s homes served as a shelter for their extended family. Sadly George passed away on November 30, 2018, and he joined his wife who died a few months earlier on April 17, 2018.

BILL CLINTON

Bill and Hillary moved into a $1.7 million Dutch Colonial estate in Chappaqua, New York in 2001. Three years later the couple gave Oprah Winfrey a tour of the eleven-room home.

The house features four bathrooms, five bedrooms, a pool, a barn, and the former president’s collection of rocking chairs. In 2021, he and his wife still lived happily on the estate.

GEORGE W. BUSH

George served two terms in the White House before returning to his Crawford, Texas ranch. The former president and his wife, Laura, often vacationed at the house throughout their terms.

The residence even earned the nicknamed the Western White House. The three-bedroom Prairie Chapel home was completed in 2001 and three years later “Architectural Digest” got a tour of it.

BARACK OBAMA

Barack and his wife Michelle stepped down from the presidency in 2017. They started off by renting an 8,200-square-foot brick mansion in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood of Washington D.C.

The couple eventually purchased the eight-and-a-half bath and nine-bedroom home. The house previously belonged to Joe Lockhart, the former White House Press Secretary for President Bill Clinton.

DONALD TRUMP

After serving one term, Donald and Melania Trump moved back to their Mar-a-Lago private club. The home is situated in West Palm Beach, Florida and his staff started preparing for his return ahead of time.

The 2,000-square-foot residence at the club was renovated. Donald bought the estate in the 1980s. The mansion boasts 128 rooms and it was built by American cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1927.