With the November presidential election quicklyapproaching, outgoing president Barack Obama is facing the sametransition thousands of his fellow baby boomers are facing each day— retirement.

At 54, Obama is one of the youngest outgoing presidents inhistory. He is at the tail end of the baby boomergeneration and is a decade younger than the traditional age ofretirees in the United States. He may well choose to continuecareer pursuits for years before settling into retirement.

Several other presidents have continued working after theirpresidential terms, while others withdrew from the spotlight.Following his presidency, Franklin Pierce publicly denouncedAbraham Lincoln, but by the end of the Civil War he was all butforgotten by the American public, and little was written about himwhen he died in 1869.

Most former presidents have remained visible in politics andcommunity service. Jimmy Carter worked with Habitat for Humanityfollowing his presidency, and he founded the CarterPresidential Center at Emory University to shine a light onissues related to democracy and human rights. Carter has alsoremained active in foreign affairs as a freelance ambassador anddispute mediator.

Today's presidents earn an annual salary of $400,000, plus a$50,000 nontaxable expense account, and a pension ofnearly $200,000 per year. But for early presidents, the White Housewas often a financial drain, leaving them worse off financially inretirement than when they took office. Early presidents such asThomas Jefferson were expected to pay for their own travel,diplomatic entertainment and staff salaries.

Still, those who retired with financial challenges were luckierthan the eight presidents who never had the chance to retire atall. Eight presidents have died in office: William Henry Harrison,Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley,Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Harrisonhad the unfortunate distinction of dying penniless after a term ofonly 31 days in office. Congress mercifully granted his widow, whohadn't even arrived at the White House before he died, an annualpension equal to the presidential salary. She was the first formerfirst lady to receive such a benefit.

Most former presidents returned to their home states to enjoy aretirement of family time, writing their memoirs, designing theirpresidential library, occasional public appearances and work ontheir favorite community service or social programs.

However, a few former presidents were not content to enjoy aquiet retirement after escaping from the demands of thepresidency. The Miller Center, an affiliate of the Universityof Virginia, dedicated to presidential scholarship, providesdetails about all U.S. presidents, including how they chose tospend their time following their presidency.

Here are 10 presidents that had noteworthy retirements:

GeorgeWashington

Political party: None.

Born: Feb. 22, 1732.

Died: Dec. 14, 1799.

Presidential term: 1789-1797.

Nickname: Father of His Country.

Retirement facts: After working as aplanter, then a soldier and finally the first president of theUnited States, Washington spent what remained of his life trying torestore his plantation home, Mount Vernon, which had been neglectedfor decades. Two years after leaving office, Washington was pressedinto a largely symbolic role as commander of the American Army, butunable to perform any significant functions because of old age, heceded control of the army and returned home. That same year,Washington became ill and died after spending several hours onhorseback inspecting his property during a winter storm.

Thomas Jefferson

Politicalparty: Democratic-Republican.

Born: April 13, 1743.

Died: July 4, 1826.

Presidential term: 1801-1809.

Nickname: Man of the People.

Retirement facts: Jefferson left thepresidency and returned to his plantation home, Monticello, inVirginia. He spent his retirement researching science and naturalhistory and tinkering with experiments and inventions. His majorachievement during his retirement was founding the University ofVirginia, including designing the campus, developing its curriculumand selecting faculty. Jefferson struggled financially followinghis presidency, which left him $10,000 in debt. He devised alottery scheme with his estate as the prize in an attempt to payoff his debts and help his heirs. Private citizens intervened andurged Jefferson to raise the money in other ways. But before hecould pay off his debts, Jefferson died while visiting Washingtonfor Fourth of July festivities in 1826, the 50th anniversary of thepresentation of the Declaration of Independence.

JamesMonroe

Politicalparty: Democratic-Republican.

Born: April 28, 1758.

Died: July 4, 1831.

Presidential term: 1817-1825.

Nickname: The Last Cocked Hat.

Retirement facts: Monroe left thepresidency in debt after spending years in low-paying publicservice positions that required expenditures for entertaining andprotocol. He spent several years seeking payment from the federalgovernment of funds due to him for his past service. The governmenteventually did repay Monroe a portion of the funds he sought, whichallowed him to pay off his debts. He attempted to write two booksduring his retirement, including an autobiography, but he completedneither. After the death of his wife, he moved to New York City tolive with his daughter until his death on July 4, 1831. He wasthird president to die on the Fourth of July.

John QuincyAdams

Political party: Federalist,Democratic-Republican, Whig.

Born: July 11, 1767.

Died: Feb. 23, 1848.

Presidential term: 1825-1829.

Nickname: Old Man Eloquent.

Retirement facts: Adams was disheartenedby his defeat by Andrew Jackson for a second term as president andreturned to his home in Quincy, Mass. However, retirement bored himand politics continued to intrigue him, so at the suggestion ofneighbors (and against his family's wishes) he ran for Congress. Hewould serve nine terms in Congress following his presidency,supporting notable initiatives including the annexation of Texas.He was one of the House's most outspoken critics of slavery andsuccessfully argued for the release of slave mutineers aboard theSpanish ship Amistad. He suffered a stroke after casting a vote onthe House floor in the Capitol, and he died two days later.

Millard Fillmore

Political party: Whig.

Born: Jan. 7, 1800.

Died: March 8, 1874.

Presidential term: 1850-1853.

Nickname: The American Louis Philippe.

Retirement facts: After suffering thedeaths of both his wife and daughter shortly after leaving thepresidency, Fillmore searched for distractions. Like many formerpresidents, he found himself re-engaged in politics during hisretirement. With his Whig party in decline, he became involved inthe formative stages of a new political party called theKnow-Nothings, made up primarily of former Whigs, that targetednative-born Americans who were unhappy about massive immigration.The Know-Nothings tapped Fillmore to be their presidentialcandidate in 1856. His bid for the presidency was unsuccessful, buthis candidacy diverted votes away from the Republican candidate,allowing the Democratic candidate, James Buchanan, to prevail. Heretired to Buffalo, New York, remarried and became a staunchUnionist during the Civil War who supported the Fugitive SlaveLaw.

Andrew Johnson

Political party: Democrat, Unionist.

Born: Dec. 29, 1808.

Died: July 31, 1875.

Presidential term: 1865-1869.

Nickname: None.

Retirement facts: After losing theDemocratic Party nomination for the 1868 presidential election,Johnson remained active in politics. He ran unsuccessfully for theSenate and House of Representatives, but was undeterred. In 1875,he won his candidacy for the Senate and became the only presidentto serve in the Senate after his presidential term. His tenure as apost-presidency senator was short. He died the same year he waselected after suffering a stroke.

Ulysses S. Grant

Political party: Republican.

Born: April 27, 1822.

Died: July 23, 1885.

Presidential term: 1869-1877.

Nickname: Hero of Appomattox.

Retirement facts: After two terms inoffice, Grant had had enough. He renounced any interest in servinga third term, and he took little interest in the election until itwas disputed. Grant played an important role as the country'ssteady leader during the resolution of the election. Following hispresidency, he and his wife, Julia, embarked on a two-year journeyaround the world during which time they visited Europe, Africa, theMiddle East and Asia, and met with political leaders, royalty andartists. Upon his return the United States, Grant decided to runagain for the presidency, but was defeated for the Republican Partynomination by James A. Garfield. Suffering a further setback, Grantlost most of his assets after investing them in a partnershipheaded by his son. He began writing articles for CenturyMagazine and eventually penned his memoirs, which Mark Twainoffered to publish for him. Grant was dying of throat cancer, butspent his remaining days writing his memoirs in hopes they wouldgenerate enough income to sustain his heirs. Just days before hisdeath, he completed the book, which was wildly successful andprovided for his family as he had hoped.

TheodoreRoosevelt

Political party: Republican.

Born: Oct. 27, 1858.

Died: Jan. 6, 1919.

Presidential term: 1901-1909.

Nickname: Teddy.

Retirement facts: Following his defeat in1912 by Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt and his son, Kermit, embarked ona journey into Brazil's jungles, exploring the River of Doubt inthe Amazon. The 15,000-mile expedition took seven months and endedwhen Roosevelt contracted malaria and became ill with a seriousinfection after a boat accident left him with an injured leg. Uponhis return to the United States, he began writing essays and bookson history and science. He advocated for the United States to enterWorld War I, and was disappointed when Wilson initially choseneutrality. When the country finally entered the war in 1917,Roosevelt offered to organize a volunteer division, but wasrejected by the War Department. All four of his sons, however,volunteered to fight. His youngest son, Quentin, died when he wasshot down during a mission over Germany in 1918, leaving Rooseveltdespondent, although he continued a lackluster public campaign insupport of the war. He died in his sleep shortly after Quentin'sdeath.

William Taft

Political party: Republican.

Born: Sept. 15, 1857.

Died: March 8, 1930.

Presidential term: 1909-1913.

Nickname: None.

Retirement facts: Taft taught at YaleUniversity Law School following his presidency. In 1921, PresidentWarren Harding appointed Taft chief justice of the Supreme Court,making him the only person in history to serve in that role and aspresident. During his nine-year term on the Supreme Court, he wrote253 opinions, most of which were conservative and favoredconstraints on the government. He notably struck down a provisionof the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, which prohibited injunctions againstlabor picketing, saying peaceful picketing could deprive businessowners of property and due process. When he died in 1930, his wasthe first presidential funeral to be broadcast on the radio.

Herbert Hoover

Political party: Republican.

Born: Aug. 10, 1874.

Died: Oct. 20, 1964.

Presidential term: 1929-1933.

Nickname: None.

Retirement facts: Herbert Hoover wasdefeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. At 58 years old, he hada long post-presidency retirement in front of him. Initially apublic outcast as a scapegoat for the Great Depression, heretreated to his Palo Alto, Calif., home. But politics drew himback in, and he launched public criticisms of several ofRoosevelt's decisions and policies. In 1938, Hoover traveled toEurope and met with Adolf Hitler where he castigated the dictator.Despite his irritation with Hitler, he opposed U.S. involvement inWorld War II until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt put asideany previous bad blood with Hoover and tapped him to organizeinternational relief efforts. Following the war, Hoover publiclydenounced the use of the atomic bomb in Japan. He continued to beactive in party politics and frequently offered commentary on ColdWar policies until his death in 1964 at the age of 90.