Random Notable Presidential Election Loser Ended Up Doing With Their Life (57 items)

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  (#44) John C. Fremont

  Campaign: 1856

  Party: Republican

  Platform: He was the first candidate of the newly reformed Republican Party.

  What He Did Next: Fremont was appointed a major general of Union troops in Missouri during the Civil War, but was fired after trying to confiscate property and ordering the emancipation of the state's slaves. He was given another leadership position in the Appalachian region but resigned after losing his command. In 1864, he received a Presidential nomination from the Republican Party, but withdrew his candidacy because it would have divided the party during the election. He then lost his fortune in various railroad projects and became governor of the Arizona Territory until 1883. He died in 1890.
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  (#16) Hubert Humphrey

  • Dec. at 67 (1911-1978)

  Campaign: 1968 (lost as a democratic nominee), 1972 (lost in the primaries)

  Party: Democrat

  Platform: As assistant majority leader in the US Senate, Hubert Humphrey helped push the Civil Rights Act through Congress. As Lyndon B. Johnson's Vice President, he was the voice of the administration's Vietnam War policy. If elected, he vowed to end the US's bombing campaign in South Vietnam.

  What He Did Next: After losing the presidency to Richard M. Nixon, Humphrey returned to the Senate. He made a brief bid as the Democratic presidential nominee in 1972 but lost in the primaries. He died from cancer in 1978.
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  (#46) Winfield Scott

  • Dec. at 80 (1786-1866)

  Campaign: 1852

  Party: Whig

  Platform:  Winfield Scott was a prominent military figure between the Revolution and the Civil War and remained loyal to the Union throughout his service.

  What He Did Next: Scott was promoted to lieutenant general in 1855 and became the first man since George Washington to hold such a high rank. He angrily retired in 1861 after being ridiculed over his plan to split the Confederacy. He published a memoir in 1864 and died two years later.
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  (#5) John Kerry

  • 75

  Campaign: 2004

  Party: Democrat

  Platform: Kerry vowed to make the country "safer, stronger and more secure." He supported legal abortion, advocated repealing tax cuts for the wealthy, and planned to offer a new tax cut for employers who created jobs. He also wanted to implement the 9/11 Commission's anti-terrorism blueprint.

  What He Did Next: In 2013, Kerry became Secretary of State after Obama's nomination. He retired in 2017 and is considering the idea of a 2020 presidential run.
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  (#8) Bob Dole

  • 95

  Campaign: 1996

  Party: Republican

  Platform: Bob Dole aimed to stop deficit spending and affirmative action, expand clean and renewable energy, and tighten immigration restrictions.

  What He Did Next: After losing the presidency to Bill Clinton, Dole focused on political activism, philanthropy, and his booming career in law. He endorsed Mitt Romney for president in 2012 and lobbied for the Convention of Persons with Disabilities legislation.  Dole is also an author and wrote a number of books including the memoir One Soldier's Story.
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  (#22) Strom Thurmond

  • Dec. at 101 (1902-2003)

  Campaign: 1948

  Party: Independent

  Platform: Thurmond won a whopping 39 electoral votes while aggressively campaigning for segregation.

  What He Did Next: Thurmond was appointed to the Senate as a Democrat in 1954 during a write-in campaign. He later moved to the Republican party and served in Congress until he died at age 100.

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