Alternate Careers

[WestVegeta]

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

1917-1992

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA-11)

1947-1953

United States Senator (D-MA)

1953-1960

35th President of the United States

1961-1965

Chairman of the National Organization for Rare Diseases

1982-1984

41st President of the United States

1985-1989

Secretary of State

1989-1992

POD is Jackie is killed instead, prompting JFK to retire, until returning to public life as an advocate for rare disease research.

[WestVegeta]

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

1917-1992

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA-11)

1947-1953

United States Senator (D-MA)

1953-1960

35th President of the United States

1961-1965

Chairman of the National Organization for Rare Diseases

1982-1984

41st President of the United States

1985-1989

Secretary of State

1989-1992

POD is Jackie is killed instead, prompting JFK to retire, until returning to public life as an advocate for rare disease research.

I seriously doubt JFK would live into the 1970's, nevermind the 1990's.

I'm not super familiar on how Addison's works, but I know the average life expectancy for a victim is 77.5 years. I feel that if JFK ended up leaving the stress of political life behind, and his family pressures him to get the whole Addison's ordeal dealt with for fear of his kids becoming orphans, he could very well survive.   

[WestVegeta]

Well, it's based off a TL of my own that I'm writing, so I guess it looks kind of stupid out of context.

The idea is that JFK bends down in the car in Dallas to pick something up, and the bullet hits (and kills) Jackie instead. Jack survives the assassination attempt, but cancels his reelection bid in order to raise his children. From there on out, he's more or less a recluse. Things go almost the same as they do in our timeline from Johnson till Ford, except JFK's final legislative effort is the successful passage of the Civil Rights Act. Without the "martyr effect", however, Johnson isn't able to pass as much of the Great Society as he intended/did in OTL. This leads to an angry LBJ deciding not to run for re-election as well, and Nixon becomes POTUS.

He makes all the same mistakes, and Ford becomes president here as well. Carter succeeds him, but instead of Reagan running in 1980 (Ronny stays with acting, and ends up in a similar position to Pierce Brosnan before being cast as Bond. After Alec Guiness turns down a film written by some "George Lucas" fellow, the producers turn to Reagan to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars".) Alexander Haig does, with Donald Rumsfeld as his VP. They end up winning, and life under a Haig/Rumsfeld ticket goes as well as you'd expect.

Meanwhile, JFK has decided to undergo regular hormone therapy for his Addison's, out of fear of orphaning his kids. Somewhere along the line, he meets the founder of NORD, and realizing that there are many Americans suffering from equally deadly conditions without the ability to afford treatment, they end up creating the organization about a year before its OTL creation. JFK, in his first major public appearance since LBJ's inauguration, gives a fiery speech, lobbying for some drug subsidy act similar to the Orphan Drugs Act. The public gets nostalgic for the Kennedy Administration.

A pollster notices the reaction, and realizes that the former president may be America's best chance of recovering from Haig's policies. In response to the economic woes of the country, Haig and Rumsfeld have engaged in extreme austerity measures, hurting the pocketbooks of the people more than stagflation ever did. The administration has gone harder on the offensive of the War on Drugs than Reagan did, and their even more drastic actions against the Soviet Union have ballooned the national debt and taken the nation to the brink of war.

Kennedy is convinced to run, effectively shutting down any other contenders for the 1984 Democratic nomination. Despite the obvious issue of him only being able to preside for one term, he assures the nation that his purpose is to get America back on track (luckily, a democratic comeback in '82 puts them only one or two seats away from a senate majority, and a similar proportion in the house), and then leave his capable successor to move the country forward. In Colorado, Congresswoman Schroeder and Senator Hart are discussing the latter's inevitable concession, as "there's only room for one widower in this race." 

When Hart calls Kennedy, the senator brings up his conversation with Pat, and a lightbulb switches on above Kennedy's (and his campaign manager's) head: As a former president running against an unpopular incumbent, his VP is essentially his hand-picked successor. Understanding the chance he has to make some incredibly tangible progress, Kennedy chooses Pat Schroeder to be his Vice President.

The Kennedy/Schroeder ticket routs Haig/Rumsfeld, and after the successful repair of all the wounds Haig inflicted, Kennedy sets the foundation for a public option of health insurance and a proto-NAFTA, which President Schroeder, the first female president (along with VP Mario Cuomo), see to fruition. However, what the winners of the 1988 Election need is someone with the diplomatic know-how to oversee the fall of the USSR and the transition into the new world order. Who better to do that than the man who (according to the public perception) prevented Armageddon with diplomacy? Kennedy accepts the nomination for Secretary of State, where he serves until he dies.

[WestVegeta]

It's not great, but it's my first.

[WestVegeta]

Nice taste my dude

[WestVegeta]

Colin K. Jost

Writer, Saturday Night Live - 2005 to 2014

29th Press Secretary, under Pres. Barack Obama - 2014 to 2017

United States Representative for New York's 11th Congressional District - 2018 to 2021

Junior United States Senator from New York - 2021 to 2037

Vice President of the United States - 2037 to 2045

[WestVegeta]

The juxtaposition of the previous two posts makes it seem like Colin Jost and Pete Davidson are married. Cute.

They're in a polygamous marriage with Leslie Jones in that TL

[WestVegeta]

Bryan Lee Cranston

1956-

Actor, Malcolm in the Middle, 2000-2002

U.S. Representative for the 28th Congressional District of California, 2003-2011

39th Governor of California, 2011-2017

46th President of the United States, 2017-2025*

*For reference, in this TL, MitM only gets two seasons, and John Kerry won in 2004 but lost re-election to Mitt Romney in 2008.

[WestVegeta]

Hillary Diane Romney
-Staffer on "Rockefeller '68" campaign, 1968 GOP Presidential Nominee
-Editor of the Harvard Law Review, 1971-1972
-Harvard Law Research Fellow, 1973-1975
-Attorney with Arrowood-Peters LLP, 1975-1984
-General Counsel of Bain Capital, 1994-2004
-First Lady of the United States, 2005-2013 (m. 1975 to President Willard Mitt Romney, former U.S. Senator from Massachussetts)
-Governor of Massachussettts, 2015-2021
-45th President of the United States, 2021-2029

[WestVegeta]

Hillary Diane Romney
-Staffer on "Rockefeller '68" campaign, 1968 GOP Presidential Nominee
-Editor of the Harvard Law Review, 1971-1972
-Harvard Law Research Fellow, 1973-1975
-Attorney with Arrowood-Peters LLP, 1975-1994
-General Counsel of Bain Capital, 1994-2004
-First Lady of the United States, 2005-2013 (m. 1975 to President Willard Mitt Romney, former U.S. Senator from Massachussetts)
-Governor of Massachussettts, 2015-2021
-45th President of the United States, 2021-2029

Fixed

[WestVegeta]

Eric Greitens:

United States Navy (2001-2017)
White House Fellow, working under Department of Housing and Urban Development (2005-2007)
Author (2007-2017)
CEO, The Mission Continues (2007-2014)
Governor of Missouri (2017-2025)
46th President of the United States (2025-2033)

I could have seen a Greitens presidency, but that's not going to happen now.

[WestVegeta]

Sally Quillian Yates

Assistant U.S. Attorney: GA Northern District: 1994 to 2010
U.S. Attorney: GA Northern District: 2010 to 2015
Deputy U.S. Attorney General: 2015 to 2017
Acting U.S. Attorney General: Jan. 20, 2017 to Jan. 30, 2017
Governor of Georgia: 2019 to 2025
46th President of the United States (D-GA): 2025 to 2033

Jeffrey Alan Merkley

Member of Oregon House of Representatives: 1998 to 2003
Oregon House Majority Leader: 2003 to 2007
Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives: 2007 to 2009
U.S. Senator from Oregon: 2009 to 2025
Candidate for the Democratic Nomination for the President of the United States: 2020, 2024
49th Vice President of the United States (D-OR): 2025 to 2033

[WestVegeta]

Adm. Joseph Ambrose Sestak Jr.

-U.S. Navy Rear Admiral: 1974-2005
-Director of Defense Policy: 1994-1997
-Commander of Destroyer Squadron 14: 1997-2001
-Policy Adviser and Administrator, U.S. Navy: 2001-2005
-U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania's 7th District: 2006-2011
-Governor of Pennsylvania: 2015-2021
-46th President of the United States (Succeeding President Romney) 2021-2029

[WestVegeta]

Richard Nixon:

Member of the US House of Representatives: 1947-1950
United States Senator from California: 1950-1953
36th Vice President of the United States: 1953-1961
33rd Governor of California: 1963-1969
37th President of the United States: 1969-1977

2nd God: 1977-The End of Days, and Beyond

[WestVegeta]

James Henry Webb, Jr.

United States Marine Corps
Years of Service: 1968-1972

Political Career

Carter Administration
Staff; House Committee on Veterans' Affairs: 1977-1981

Reagan Administration
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs; 1984-1987
Secretary of the Navy; 1987-1989

Bush Administration/Caperton Administration
Secretary of Defense; 1989-1993
Governor of Virginia; 1994-1998

Richards Administration
United States Senator from Virginia; 2001-2005

Watts Administration
Vice President; 2009-2017

[WestVegeta]

Bryan Lee Cranston

1956-

Actor, Malcolm in the Middle, 2000-2002

U.S. Representative for the 28th Congressional District of California, 2003-2011

39th Governor of California, 2011-2017

46th President of the United States, 2017-2025*

*For reference, in this TL, MitM only gets two seasons, and John Kerry won in 2004 but lost re-election to Mitt Romney in 2008.

It’s a bit late but can someone make this into a timeline highlighting his time as congressman through his presidency?

Ahh  it, I might as well

[WestVegeta]

Alan Alda, born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo

43rd President of the United States, 2005-2013

Class 1 U.S. Senator from New Jersey, 2001-2005

Representative from New Jersey's 1st Congressional District, 1991-2001

Private Citizen, Activist, 1983-1991

Portrayed Hawkeye Pierce on "M*A*S*H" 1972-1983

[WestVegeta]

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Partner at the Rose Law Firm; 1979-1992
First Lady of Arkansas; 1979-1981, 1983-1992
Member of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart; 1986-1992
First Lady of the United States; 1993-2001
United States Senator from New York; 2001-2008
44th President of the United States; 2009-2017

Barack Hussein Obama
Member of the Illinois Senate; 1993-2004
United States Senator from Illinois; 2004-2009
Unsuccessful Candidate for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination; 2008
82nd United States Attorney General; 2009-2015
42nd Governor of Illinois; 2015-2023

Martin Joseph O'Malley
47th Mayor of Baltimore; 1999-2007
61st Governor of Maryland; 2007-2015
45th President of the United States; 2017-2021
Democratic Nominee for the Presidency of the United States; 2020

Sally Quillian Yates
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia; 2010-2015
United States Attorney General; 2015-2017
48th Vice President of the United States; 2017-2021
Democratic Nominee for the Vice Presidency of the United States; 2020

Willard Mitt Romney
70th Governor of Massachussetts; 2003-2007
Unsuccessful Candidate for the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination; 2008
Republican Nominee for the Presidency of the United States; 2012
40th United States Secretary of Commerce; 2021-2025

Rafael Eduardo Cruz
3rd Solicitor General of Texas; 2003-2008
United States Senator from Texas; 2013-2037
Republican Nominee for the Presidency of the United States; 2016

John Randolph Thune
Congressman from South Dakota's At-Large District; 1997-2003
United States Senator from South Dakota; 2005-2021
United States Senate Majority Leader; 2015-2021
46th President of the United States; 2021-2029

Brian Edward Sandoval
Member of the Nevada Assembly; 1994-1998
Member of the Nevada Gaming Commission; 1998-2001
Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission; 1999-2001
Attorney General of Nevada; 2003-2005
United States Judge for the District of Nevada; 2005-2009
Governor of Nevada; 2011-2019
Chair of the National Governor's Association; 2017-2018
49th Vice President of the United States; 2021-2029