The Presidential Libraries Act of 1955 and the Former Presidents Act of 1958 fundamentally changed the way in which the government treated former presidents.
The Former Presidents Act was in large part a response to Truman’s meager means when he left office. It established and funded a pension ($201,000 in 2014), a transition office, ongoing staff needs, health benefits and lifetime Secret Service protection. The act was fitting and appropriate. Its mechanisms and compensation were adequate for the protection and compensation of former presidents in private life.
By the 1970s, this compensation proved inadequate for some. [[[[[[[[[[Gerald Ford began the trend of cashing in on the office of the presidency]]]]]]]] through speech making, book deals and other methods. Ford, Reagan and George H.W. Bush proved capable in the effort by earning a few million dollars each, but President William Jefferson Clinton was in a class by himself.
Former President Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton contended they were without substantive assets when they left the White House. With their combined personal net worth now estimated to be in excess of $100 million the Clintons have set a very high bar for future former presidents wishing to cash in on the prestige of the presidency.
The Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, a well-intended law, was to create a mechanism by which the personal papers, documents and communications of presidents could be properly archived for posterity. The “presidential foundation” is the organizational structure by which presidents build the private funds for their library and convey the archives of their presidency to government.
The modern day “presidential foundation” has morphed far beyond establishing an archival presidential library. These foundations state lofty goals. The recently formed Obama foundation is to “inspire active citizenship, expand economic opportunity, and promote peace and justice throughout the world.” Richard Nixon used his foundation to successfully alter the public’s perception of him. The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, with assets of approximately $300 million, sets a new bar in expanding the purpose of these foundations.
COMMON THEME ON ALL SITES [[[[DONATE]]]]
Welcome to the Obama Foundation
www.obama.org
George W. Bush Presidential Center
www.bushcenter.org
The Clinton Foundation
https:// www.clintonfoundation.org
President George H. W. Bush | Points of Light
www.pointsoflight.org
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
www.reaganfoundation.org
The (Jimmy) Carter Center
www.cartercenter.org
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation
geraldrfordfoundation.org
Richard Nixon Foundation
www.nixonfoundation.org
The LBJ Foundation
www.lbjlibrary.org/page/foundation
JFK Library Foundation
www.jfklibrary.org
Eisenhower Foundation, KS | Official Website
www.eisenhowerfoundation.net
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
www.truman.gov
FDR Foundation
www.fdrfoundation.org
Herbert W Hoover Foundation
www.hwhfoundation.org
Warren G. Harding | Miller Center
millercenter.org/president/harding
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation |
www.woodrow.org
Q asked for politicians , that could take a looooong time