George W. Bush (76) - New Haven, Connecticut
George W. Bush, the former 46th governor of Texas, rose through the ranks of politics to become the country's 43rd president. He served as the Republican president from 2001 until 2009, handing over the office to Barack Obama, a Democrat. During his time in office, he oversaw countless projects.
Perhaps his most notable achievement was the long-awaited capture of Osama bin Laden in his quest to dismantle the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. Bush is also the son of the 41st president of the United States and reportedly keeps busy painting at his Texas ranch since stepping back from politics.
Al Gore (75) - Washington, D.C.
Under President Bill Clinton, Albert Arnold Gore Jr., better known as Al Gore, served as the 45th Vice President of the United States. He launched the Climate Reality Project in 2005 as an outspoken environmentalist. In 2000, he ran for office but lost to the Republican candidate George W. Bush.
Gore's non-profit organization, formerly known as the Alliance for Climate Protection, is dedicated to resolving the global climate crisis. The institution uses leadership training, internet communication, and worldwide media events to raise awareness. Gore regularly makes appearances on TV talk shows and was spotted on "Frontline" and "CBS Mornings" in 2022.
Susan Rice (58) - Washington, D.C.
Susan Rice is a diplomat, government employee, and policy adviser who has been the US Domestic Policy Council director since 2021. She's the 24th US National Security Advisor and previously served as the 27th US Ambassador to the United Nations. Rice has worked under the administrations of three presidents, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Her appointment as the assistant secretary of state for African affairs in 1997 made her the youngest diplomat to hold that office at 32. She's most known for shepherding the African Growth and Opportunity Act through Congress in favor of democratic transitions and increased attention to the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Henry Kissinger (99) - Fürth, Germany
Former American Secretary of State Henry Alfred Kissinger, KCMG, is a well-known person worldwide, noted for being a firm believer in and practitioner of Realpolitik. He's arguably most famous for negotiating a cease-fire in Vietnam, an act for which he even won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. The former politician and diplomat is also a geopolitical consultant and held the position of national security adviser.
Kissinger, who has been retired for a long time now, is rarely seen in public. However, he still makes the occasional on-screen appearance, like in an episode of "Fareed Zakaria GPS" in 2021.
Ethel Kennedy (95) - Chicago, Illinois
Ethel Kennedy, an American human rights campaigner, is the widow of US Senator Robert F. Kennedy. She's the late former President John F. Kennedy's sister-in-law and founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights after her husband's assassination in 1968.
Ethel founded this non-profit organization focusing on humanitarian work to realize her late husband's aim of a peaceful and just society.
Though rarely seen in public, Ethel appeared as a human rights campaigner in the 2021 docuseries "Reel South." She remains a strong advocate for environmental and social issues.
John Neely Kennedy (71) - Centreville, Mississippi
John Neely Kennedy, a Democrat who later became a Republican, is the junior senator representing Louisiana, where he has served since 2017. A lawyer and politician, he's the former Louisiana state treasurer hoping to run for re-election in 2022 for a second term.
Kennedy has sponsored several laws in the Senate, but the 2019 Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act is likely his most important one. It went into effect in December 2020, making it illegal for corporations to list on American stock markets without three years of audits. Moreover, every internationally owned corporation must also declare foreign government ownership since then.
Marsha Blackburn (70) - Laurel, Mississippi
Mary Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee's senior senator, has been in office since 2019, making history as the state's first female senator. The Tea Party's leaning Republican is well-known for her unwavering support for former President Donald Trump. She has served as a state senator and a member of Congress from Tennessee's 7th congressional district.
Blackburn is a founding member of the Young Republicans of Williamson County. She headed the Williamson County Republican Party from 1989 until 1991. After the former senator Lamar Alexander retired from the post in January 2021, she became Tennessee's senior senator.
Thom Tillis (62) - Jacksonville, Florida
Thom Tillis, a Republican politician from North Carolina, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006. In 2011, he was elected House Speaker and later to the Senate in 2014. Tillis also successfully defended his seat in 2020.
As a member and speaker of Congress, he led efforts to prevent Medicaid expansion and backed abortion restrictions and changes to gay marriage prohibition. Tillis has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act many times and introduced legislation to cover those with pre-existing diseases. In 2022, he attended the "Judge Katanji Brown Jackson Confirmation Hearing."
Tim Scott (57) - North Charleston, South Carolina
Tim Scott served as South Carolina's junior senator after being appointed to the Senate by Governor Nikki Haley. Following his 2014 win in a special election to keep his seat, he later won the office for a full term in 2016. The Republican legislator has also represented South Carolina's 1st congressional district.
Scott is a man of many firsts, especially for an African-American politician. He spearheaded the drafting of the Justice Act, a measure dealing with racism and police reform. In 2021, he was among those who voted against forming an independent panel to investigate the attack on the Capitol.
Patrick Leahy (83) - Montpelier, Vermont
American Senator Patrick Leahy is a political veteran who began serving in the government in the early ‘70s. In January 2021, he assumed the role of President pro Tempore of the U.S. and as the senior senator of Vermont. This congressman is also the chair of the Senate Appropriation Committee.
Leahy introduced the Restoring Statutory Rights Act in 2016. The Act aimed to stop businesses from using forced arbitration in consumer protection cases. Though he announced in November 2021 that he might not run for re-election in 2022, Leahy made sure that he raised the issue of job discrimination, among other civil rights concerns.
John Cornyn (71) - Houston, Texas
John Cornyn III, a senior senator from Texas, was the Republican Senate majority whip in the 114th and 115th Congresses. Between 2009 and 2013, he was the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman. He has previously served as a judge in Texas' 37th District Court from 1985 to 1991 and as the state's attorney general from 1999 to 2002.
In January 2014, Cornyn III introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which requires all States to provide concealed firearm licenses under the bill. In 2022, the politician appeared on several talk shows, including "America Reports" and "Fox News Sunday.''
Lindsey Graham (67) - Central, South Carolina
Senior Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is an American politician and lawyer. Since January 2003, he has served in the Senate. But not many know that Graham also served in the military, rising to the rank of colonel, before entering politics.
Graham is best known for sponsoring the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in the Senate in 2015. The legislation proposed prohibiting abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy unless there were exceptional circumstances. The $2 million worth legislator made appearances on "Hannity," "America Reports," and "Jesse Watters Primetime" in 2022.
Charles Grassley (89) - New Hartford, Iowa
Chuck Grassley is an experienced American politician who has served as the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate since January 2021. He's also Iowa's senior senator, having been elected to the Senate in 1980 and serving his seventh term. The eight-term Iowa House of Representatives member is also a three-term member of the US House of Representatives.
Grassley presented the American Innovation and Choice Online Act in October 2021 alongside Senator Amy Klobuchar. It aimed to limit the ability of giant tech businesses to engage in anti-competitive activities. Under the statute, they were also prohibited from "self-preferencing" their services and products.
Ron Johnson (68) - Mankato, Minnesota
Ronald Johnson is the perennially contentious Wisconsin senior senator. This politician began his career as the chief executive officer of his brother-in-law's polyester and plastics firm. A vital part of the Senate since 2010, he was re-elected in 2016. Johnson is also a well-known businessman and accountant.
Like most of his Republican colleagues, he has voted against legislation that his party opposes. In 0217, the ardent Trump supporter voted in favor of the former president's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. He also voted against the formation of the January 6 commission in May 2021, as many had predicted.
Ted Cruz (52) - Calgary, Canada
Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz is a Republican politician, an attorney, and junior senator from Texas. During George W. Bush's presidency, he worked as a policy advisor before becoming the state's solicitor general. Although he was the first Hispanic-American senator to run for president in 2016, he placed second to Donald Trump in the Republican primaries.
Cruz, the producer of the 2022 television series "Verdict with Ted Cruz," has sponsored around 105 pieces of legislation in the Senate. Most notably, the restriction on employing drones to eliminate Americans. The law, proposed in March 2013, aimed to safeguard American citizens living within the United States' boundaries.
Bill Clinton (76) - Hope, Arkansas
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton, America's 42nd president, governed from 1993 to 2001. He had previously served as governor of Arkansas on two separate occasions and served as Attorney General of Arkansas from 1977 until 1979. At 46, he became the third-youngest US president and the first president from the Baby Boomer generation.
Many dubbed Clinton a "New Democrat" after many of his programs reflected a centrist "Third Way" political outlook. Among his many successes while in office, the former president most notably presided over America's most prolonged peacetime economic upswing. He starred in the film "Big Crow" in 2022.
Dick Cheney (82) - Lincoln, Nebraska
It's remarkable how Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney, widely regarded as the most influential American vice president in history, completed his term as one of the country's most unpopular politicians. One of the notable figures featured in the 2021 documentary "9/11: Inside the President's War Room," he played a vital role behind the scenes in response to the September 11 attacks during George W. Bush's presidency.
Cheney was responsible for coordinating the war on terror, which included the subsequent invasion of Iraq. Following the death of Walter Mondale in 2021, he became America's oldest living former vice president.
Barack Obama (61) - Honolulu, Hawaii
In 2009, Barrack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American president of the United States. This Democratic Party member formerly served as a United States Senator from Illinois. During his time in office, he frequently faced difficulties from the Republicans when trying to pass new legislation.
Nevertheless, Obama oversaw the signing of some genuinely significant agreements shortly after his victory, including the Affordable Care Act, sometimes known as "Obamacare." He also won the highly coveted Nobel Peace Prize nine months into his administration. In 2020, the former president released his memoir, "A Promised Land," and strongly supported President Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
Condoleezza Rice (68) - Birmingham, Alabama
Condoleezza Rice is an American diplomat, widely regarded as one of the country's most outstanding political scientists. After serving as the country's 66th Secretary of State from 2005 until 2009, she now spends her time as the acting director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
Rice has solidified her reputation as one of the most extraordinary African-American women in the United States. She served as head of the National Security Council for President Jimmy Carter and as an advisor to former President George H.W. Bush, where she created the Transformational Diplomacy Policy. Rice earned a Doctor of Humane Letters from Sienna College in New York in 2021.
Donald Trump (76) - New York, New York
Donald Trump is a popular and divisive former president of the United States. He's well known not just for his political stance and vocal views but also as one of the wealthiest people in business globally. President Trump was the 45th president of the United States until he lost to President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
He faced multiple problems throughout his tenure in government, especially the storming of the U.S. Capitol in 2021, which resulted in several deaths. Among the many headline-making actions Trump took during his presidency, the construction of the US-Mexico border wall particularly stands out.
Jimmy Carter (98) - Plains, Georgia
Former American politician Jimmy Carter always gave his best and gained some of the top positions in the U.S. government. This famed Democrat even became the 39th president of the United States. After leaving the government, Carter maintained his political and humanitarian social endeavors, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
He is the oldest and longest-living former president of the United States who established the national energy policy for conservation, innovative technology, and price control throughout his term. Carter went viral online in 2021 when an old report about his effective crisis prevention during a nuclear meltdown at an Ottawa power station resurfaced.
Joe Biden (80) - Scranton, Pennsylvania
Joe Biden is a revered politician who first entered politics in the early '70s and served in the United States Senate as a Delaware state representative until 2009. He then served as the United States' Vice President under President Barack Obama until 2017. During Obama's presidency, he was in charge of several programs, including the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
In 2020, Biden campaigned for the presidency and won, becoming the United States' 46th leader; he swore his oaths in 2021. Following Russia's invasion of 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he promised billions of dollars in aid to Ukrainian citizens to assist with arms supplies.
Anthony Fauci (82) - Brooklyn, New York
Anthony Stephen Fauci, OMRI, the prominent American scientist, is chairman of the NIAID and the U.S. president's top medical advisor. He has also worked in the American healthcare system for over 50 years. His role as an advisor began during President Ronald Reagan's administration, and many other notable figures have served in that position under subsequent U.S. administrations.
After his outstanding devotion to HIV research through the relief project PEPFAR, former President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2022 he led President Biden's response team to the global health concerns.
Nancy Pelosi (83) - Baltimore, Maryland
One of America's most popular and influential women, Nancy Pelosi, was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for an incredible fourth time in January 2021. She's also a vital member of the Democratic Party and the country's first and only female speaker of the House.
Pelosi has presided over the passing of various bills under the administrations of President Obama and President Biden. The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act" and the "American Rescue Plan Act" are two of them. In January 2022, she once again stated her desire to run for Speaker of the House.
Kamala Harris (58) - Oakland, California
After being instated as the 49th Vice President of the United States in 2020, Kamala Harris became an internationally prominent figure. Despite her warm personality, she's a powerful and outspoken Democrat who formerly worked as California's attorney general.
Harris is widely considered one of the most powerful women globally and one of the highest-ranking female leaders in American history. In 2021, she resigned from the California Senate. She has advocated for many changes and initiatives among her many accomplishments, including the DREAM Act, health care, and progressive income tax reforms.
Penny Pritzker (64) - Chicago, Illinois
The Pritzker name is a famous one in the United States. We doubt if anyone doesn't know them. After all, they are one of America's most prominent and wealthiest families. Penny Pritzker is a billionaire entrepreneur who served in the Obama administration as the 38th United States Secretary of Commerce.
Pritzker had already established herself as a successful entrepreneur before being named the successor to her uncle's massive financial company. She's a Microsoft board member and the creator of several successful enterprises. As of April 2022, she has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion.
Bill Haslam (64) - Knoxville, Tennessee
Bill Haslam is one of the United States' wealthiest politicians. This American billionaire businessman served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019 and is a notable Republican Party member. Despite expectations that he would run for the United States Senate seat in Tennessee, Haslam confirmed in 2019 that he was not interested.
From 2003 through 2011, he was the 67th Mayor of Knoxville. During his governorship, he championed education reforms, including free higher education tuition. As of April 2022, Haslam has a mind-blowing fortune of $2.1 billion.
Mark Dayton (76) - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mark Dayton began his political career in the early '70s as a legislative aide to a United States senator and later as the governor of Minnesota. Later, he was named Minnesota's Commissioner of Economic Development. From 2011 until 2019, he served in office as the state's 40th governor for two terms.
The construction of the U.S. Bank Stadium for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings was one of Dayton's most significant projects. He's also responsible for establishing the United States Department of Peace through legislation. As of 2022, he has been concentrating on his personal life since leaving office.
Betsy DeVos (65) - Holland, Michigan
Betsy DeVos is a famous American politician who served as the U.S. secretary of education under President Trump's administration until 2021. She's also known for her passionate support and contribution to expanding school choices, programs, and charter schools.
DeVos came from Michigan, where during the mid-'90s, she was the Republican Party chair in Michigan. After the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol, this American diplomat resigned from her government position. This happened exactly 12 days before her term would come to an end. She, however, continues with her passion for supporting schools.
Michael Bloomberg (81) - Boston, Massachusetts
Michael Bloomberg is a famous American businessman, author, philanthropist, and politician. He's the former "Big Apple" mayor. This outstanding leader has shown such flair in his career that Bloomberg has accumulated a fortune of $70 billion. He has also faced some failures, including his failed interest in running to become the U.S. president in 2020.
Nonetheless, he's the CEO and co-founder of one of the most popular companies, Bloomberg L.P., a company that carries many different businesses. These include ventures ranging from producing financial software to radio stations, sports, research, and magazines. Bloomberg starred in the 2021 TV series "The Good Fight."
Tom Steyer (65) - New York, New York
Tom Steyer is an accomplished businessman from the United States. He's also a hedge fund manager, a liberal activist, a philanthropist, and an environmentalist. Steyer has been a member and partner of the Hellman & Friedman executive committee, a private equity firm in San Francisco, since 1986.
In 2021, he appeared in the popular docuseries "Carterland." Steyer's well known for his political and social endeavors and has received numerous honors for his environmental initiatives. For example, in 2008, he and Taylor donated $14 million to Stanford University's TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy.
John Delaney (60) - Waterford, Ireland
John Delaney is a former attorney, American politician, and businessman who served as the United States' sixth representative for the congressional district of Maryland. He was also the first Democrat to show his interest in running for the presidency in 2020. He later suspended that aim and endorsed President Biden's campaign instead.
Though frequently described as a "moderate," Delaney doesn't view himself as one. He introduced the Open Our Democracy Act of 2017, which sought to put an end to partisan gerrymandering. As of 2022, he's been quietly focusing on his business.
John Kerry (79) – Aurora, Colorado
John Kerry is a veteran American politician and diplomat who started serving in the government in 1985. He was the U.S. senator of Massachusetts and later tried to vie for the U.S. presidency in 2004 under the Democratic Party. In 2022, he became the first-ever U.S. official to hold office as a special presidential envoy for the climate.
Although Kerry has had many political successes, perhaps his most significant achievement was enlisting in the country's Naval Reserve, where he was actively on duty aboard the USS Gridley. Despite a smear campaign discrediting his war efforts, the 68th U.S. secretary's selfless service in the armed forces won him many more supporters.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (75) - Thal, Austria
Arnold Schwarzenegger had already become a world-famous figure years before becoming a politician. He was a heavyweight lifter at 15 years old, and, in the '70s, his physical prowess and jaw-dropping form landed him a role in the 1977 bodybuilding documentary "Pumping Iron."
Fast forward to the '80s, when Hollywood came calling, Schwarzenegger starred in multiple blockbuster films like "Conan the Barbarian" and the ''The Terminator," which brought him international prominence. Since becoming the Governor of California in 2003, he's one of the few people who've had a successful career in entertainment and politics. Although no longer Governor, he remains the most recent Republican to have served in that position.
Bernie Sanders (81) - Brooklyn, New York
Bernie Sanders is an American political veteran who began his career in the mid-'60s, serving in Vermont. In fact, he has been serving as the U.S. senator for that state since 2007. This outstanding leader is considered the first congressman to serve as an independent leader for a long time, even though he has close ties with Democrats.
In 2021, Sanders got a new position as Charmain of the Senate Budget Commission to recognize his invaluable services to the Senate stretching over a decade. One of his most celebrated achievements is creating the veteran-sponsoring bill, which aims to improve healthcare access for all war veterans.
Elizabeth Warren (73) - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Massachusetts' senior Senator, Elizabeth Warren, is a household name in American politics. Before becoming the first female senator of Massachusetts in 2013, she was a respected law professor at many universities, including Harvard. She has also authored over 100 articles and 12 best-selling books.
Warren's leadership focuses on social safety, economic opportunity for all, and other consumer protections. One of her most outstanding achievements throughout her career was establishing and becoming the special advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Between 2013 and 2021, this merited leader has served in several committees ranging from health to labor, pensions, and education.
Ben Carson (71) - Detroit, Michigan
Ben Carson began his career by fulfilling his desire to become a neurosurgeon. He's considered one of the most prominent in that field, a best-selling author of several books, and the most popular African-American U.S. conservative. After leaving wrapping up his practice, he ventured into politics, where from 2017 to 2021, he served as the 17th U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Even though he failed in his 2016 presidential aspiration, he has always kept his political fires burning. Still, most of Carson's achievements came from the medical field, as he received many honors, including more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees and numerous national merit awards.