Retired presidents and vice presidents, then and now

Nov. 29--There's no question that our living former presidents and vice presidents underwent transformations in the years that they served the country. But what about after their time in office?

Scroll down to see what our former presidents and vice presidents look like now and what they're up to.

George W. Bush

President George W. Bush was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2001, after a controversial win over Democrat Al Gore. Bush's presidency, however, was quickly defined by the 9/11 terror attacks that took place less than a year into his first term in office as well as the War on Terror, which led to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, the former president lives in Dallas, Texas, near Southern Methodist University. He's involved in the George W. Bush Institute at SMU and enjoys reading, golfing, biking and attending Texas Rangers games, according to the University of Virginia's Miller Center.

Dick Cheney

Shortly after the 2001 election, Dick Cheney made it clear he wasn't going to follow the usual role of modern vice presidents. Rather than focusing on a single platform, Cheney became involved in a variety of issues, both international and domestic. Giving Cheney a much more active role in his administration, President Bush once told Republican senators, "When you're talking to Dick Cheney, you're talking to me. When Dick Cheney's talking, it's me talking."

Cheney was always transparent in his intention not to run for the presidency himself in 2008. Since completing his second vice presidential term, Cheney has often been an open critic of President Barack Obama's administration. Cheney suffers from chronic cardiac issues and in 2012 underwent a heart transplant. A year later, he released "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey," a medical memoir he co-wrote with his longtime cardiologist, Dr. Jonathan Reiner.

Bill Clinton

President Bill Clinton was the first Democrat to win a second term since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Serving from 1993 to 2001, Clinton's administration achieved a budget surplus and economic prosperity, including substantially lowering the unemployment rate. But Clinton's presidency was also marred by his impeachment by the House of Representatives in 1998 on charges related to an investigation into his personal indiscretions with Monica Lewinsky. The Senate, however, found Clinton not guilty. Clinton apologized to the nation, but remained in office.

After leaving the White House, Clinton moved to Chappaqua, New York, where his wife Hillary Clinton served as U.S. senator from 2001 through 2009. The former commander-in-chief has spent the better part of the last 16 months campaigning for Hillary in her failed bid for president, often speaking at rallies and stumping on her behalf. He is also involved in the Clinton Foundation, which works to tackle a range of national and international issues, including health and climate change.

Al Gore

Al Gore served as vice president alongside President Clinton from 1993 to 2001. Early on, Gore acted as Clinton's "indisputable chief adviser," according to a biography by the U.S. Senate. While working with the president on myriad issues, Gore focused on eliminating fraud, abuse and waste in federal government, ultimately releasing a report that included 284 recommendations to cut back government bureaucracy.

Following his loss to George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election, Gore returned to life as a private citizen. He wrote "Joined at the Heart" with his wife Tipper and became a well-known advocate for climate change solutions. He's the co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management, a firm with a focus on "integrating sustainability research within a rigorous framework of traditional financial analysis." Gore, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, also continued to publish several books on climate change and was the co-recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

George H. W. Bush

With experience as vice president to President Ronald Reagan under his belt, President George H. W. Bush won the 1988 election. Bush's legacy is undoubtedly tied to the Gulf War and his ability to unite the American people, Congress and the United Nations behind his goal of pushing Iraqi forces out of Kuwait after Saddam Hussein's invasion in 1990. But high approval ratings following Desert Storm were not enough to secure Bush a second term, and in 1992 he lost his re-election bid to President Clinton.

After losing the 1992 election, Bush and his wife Barbara returned to Houston, Texas. While volunteering at their church, Bush also worked on his presidential library at Texas A&M University, which was dedicated in 1997, according to the University of Virginia's Miller Center. With two sons holding elected office, Bush never strayed far from the political sphere. When George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, the two became the first father and son to win the presidency since 1824.

Dan Quayle

Vice President Dan Quayle served under President George H. W. Bush for his four years in the White House. In 1989, Quayle was appointed the head of the Council of Competitiveness, making trips to 47 countries to ensure the U.S. remained internationally competitive in the 21st century.

Quayle has since written three books, including a memoir on his time serving as vice president. Quayle went on to start an insurance business in his home state of Indiana, and later sold it. He's the current chairman of the private investment firm Cerberus Advisory Board and voiced support for President-elect Donald Trump in his bid for the White House. On Nov. 29, Quayle was even spotted at Trump Tower, where the current president-elect's transition team has its operations.

Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter won the 1976 presidential election and called the White House home from 1977 until 1981. Although Carter worked to lower inflation and unemployment, which were near record highs when he took office, his efforts ultimately caused an economic recession. And while his presidency included several foreign and domestic achievements -- the establishment of a national energy policy and the Camp David Accords signed by Egypt and Israel, for example -- Carter's legacy was marred by several political and policy setbacks. The Iran hostage crisis, which lasted until the day Carter left office, played a part in his failed re-election bid in 1980.

After his departure from the White House, Carter founded the Carter Center in 1982. The center, which is located at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, focuses mainly on human rights issues. In addition to authoring several books, Carter has been involved in international mediation, solving disputes as a freelance ambassador and advising presidents on issues in the Middle East, per the Miller Center. In 2012, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

Walter Mondale

Carter's vice president, Walter Mondale, did not fall into the typical role that had been outlined in past administrations. He helped shape Carter's cabinet and was able to influence policy on more than one occasion, according to the Miller Center. Mondale also disagreed with some of Carter's decisions, including the president's cabinet shake-up in 1979.

After Carter lost the 1980 election, Mondale ran for president on the Democratic ticket in 1984. However, he lost to incumbent President Reagan, securing a mere 13 electoral votes. Mondale then returned to life as a private citizen until 1992, when he was made ambassador to Japan by President Clinton. He served as ambassador until 1996. Mondale has largely remained out of the public spotlight. In 2010, he published a memoir titled "The Good Fight: A Life in Liberal Politics."

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