Author Description

James Clark delves deeply into the archives of our nation's presidential history to reveal that, for many former presidents, life after the White House was far from a gratifying experience and often brought poverty, despair, and the hope that somehow they might return to power. Focusing on individual presidential lives, Clark relates how Thomas Jefferson slipped into poverty and spent his final days trying to sell his beloved Monticello; how Franklin Pierce succumbed to alcoholism; how James Buchanan was suspected of being a Confederate spy, and more. Clark reveals uncharacteristic behavioral patterns of former presidents who, filled with frustration and resentment, leveled undue criticism at their successors. He also observes that those men who wished to remain in the White House, often left with great bitterness, unable to deal with the loss of power and prestige.