Statehouse Experience a Boon to Many White House Hopefuls.

• Author: Griffin, Kelley

Former State Legislators in the White House

Twenty-two former state legislators have become U.S. president, but only two since World War II, and 22 former legislators have become vice president, but none since 1941.

Almost half of U.S. presidents also served in their state legislatures. But for current legislators eyeing the White House, history indicates the road probably will be a long one.

Most presidents who were state lawmakers had decades between the statehouse and the White House. The one with the shortest gap is also the most recent: Barack Obama became president just four years after leaving the Illinois Senate.

Before ascending to the nation's highest office, some legislators fought or led in wars, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, among others. Some ran family businesses: Andrew Johnson had been a tailor's apprentice from age 14 and ran a successful tailoring business in Tennessee; Jimmy Carter returned from service as a naval nuclear engineer to manage the family peanut farm after his father's death.

Some were aiming for the presidency early in their careers and thought of the statehouse as a good place to test their ideas and build political alliances. Others got a taste of success on issues they cared about at the state level and sought bigger platforms.

Several who served in statehouses were considered dark horse candidates. James Polk, who had served in the Tennessee General Assembly, was the first presidential candidate to earn that title, followed over the years by Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, James Garfield of Ohio, Warren G. Harding, also of Ohio, Jimmy Carter of Georgia and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Persistence Pays Off

George Washington didn't even win his first campaign in 1755 for the House of Burgesses in Virginia, the pre-independence version of the state's governing body. But he won the second time, serving from 1758 to 1775. At that time, the voters-male landholders only-cast their votes at a gathering, out loud, so the sheriff could record them. It was common for candidates to supply food and liquor to the voters, making for some rowdy elections.

"Washington, in fact, paid for food and drinks to be provided for voters during at least some of his winning elections," researcher Maria Kimberly noted on the Mount Vernon website.

The Virginia House of Burgesses was founded in July 1619, making it the first democratically elected legislative body in the British...