Although he never actually attended law school, Abraham Lincoln may well be one of the most famous lawyer-presidents. Lincoln was a self-taught attorney who learned all he needed to successfully practice by reading the law books and legal codes of the times. Another famous early president, Andrew Jackson,...
In practical terms, a legal career can set the stage for a political career by permitting a person to build a powerful reputation and make the right contacts — people who can help fund political campaigns down the line. However, successful lawyers must also master certain skills that can be invaluable to the difficult job of US president.
Truman studied law at the University of Missouri-Kansas School of Law, then called Kansas City Law School, but never earned a degree, while Roosevelt studied law at Columbia without ever completing his degree. Many other presidents have come from a political background — for example, formerly holding a state office.
Barack Obama follows in the footsteps of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president, as the second Harvard law graduate to make his way to the Oval Office. The Wall Street Journal provides a complete list of US presidents who came from a legal background.
Edwards is now a personal injury lawyer in Pitt County, North Carolina.
On the morning of July 6, 2004, Kerry announced the selection of John Edwards as his running mate.
Elizabeth EdwardsJohn Edwards / Wife (m. 1977–2010)Mary Elizabeth Anania Edwards was an American attorney, author, and health care activist. She was married to John Edwards, the former U.S. Senator from North Carolina who was the 2004 United States Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Wikipedia
78 years (December 11, 1943)John Kerry / Age
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry won the 2004 Democratic nomination for President of the United States, and chose North Carolina Senator John Edwards as his running mate on July 6, 2000. The Kerry–Edwards ticket would go on to lose the 2004 election to the Bush–Cheney ticket.
Mr EdwardsOn Bacon's death in 1992, at the age of 82, he left his entire estate to Mr Edwards.
Edwards gradually came to believe that the profession required for admission to full communion should be understood to imply genuine faith, not merely doctrinal knowledge and good moral behaviour. The public announcement of his position in 1749 precipitated a violent controversy that resulted in his dismissal.
Frances Quinn HunterCate EdwardsEmma Claire EdwardsJohn Edwards/Daughters
60 years (August 4, 1961)Barack Obama / Age
75 years (March 12, 1947)Mitt Romney / Age
74 years (October 26, 1947)Hillary Clinton / Age
Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. He also was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.
After law school, Edwards clerked for federal judge Franklin Dupree in North Carolina, and in 1978 became an associate at the Nashville law firm of Dearborn & Ewing, doing primarily trial work, defending a Nashville bank and other corporate clients. Lamar Alexander, a Republican and future governor of and U.S. Senator from Tennessee, was among Edwards's co-workers. The Edwards family returned to North Carolina in 1981, settling in the capital of Raleigh, where he joined the fir…
While at UNC, he met Elizabeth Anania. They married in 1977 and had four children (Wade in 1979, Cate in 1982, Emma Claire in 1998, and Jack in 2000). Edwards also has a child out of wedlock, born in 2008, named Frances Quinn Hunter, conceived with his former mistress Rielle Hunter. Edwards denied being the father for over two years before finally admitting to it in 2010.
Wade was killed in a car accident when strong winds swept his Jeep off a North Carolina highw…
After his political career ended, Edwards, along with attorneys David Kirby and William Bystrynski, founded the law firm Edwards Kirby in Raleigh, specializing in medical malpractice cases. In 2015, his daughter Cate was the managing attorney of the San Diego office of the firm.
• Four Trials (with John Auchard) (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0-7432-4497-4
• Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives (New York: Collins, 2006) ISBN 0-06-088454-1
• Ending Poverty in America: How to Restore the American Dream, co-editor (New Press, 2007) ISBN 1-59558-176-6