Here's What 10 Former First Kids Of The U.S. Are Up To Today

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Here's What 10 Former First Kids Of The U.S. Are Up To Today

Over the last few decades, the White House has been home to several "first kids."

While their parents tried to keep them out of the spotlight as much as possible, the public can't help but be invested in their lives.

From what they wear to who they're friends with, nothing is off-limits.

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After spending a few years growing up in the public eye, the first families try to lay low and protect their privacy once their time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is up.

As we become fascinated with the incoming President and their family, we tend to forget about the former first kids.

Here's what some of the most popular first kids are up to today.

1. Caroline Bouvier Kennedy

When the beloved John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, he left behind a young daughter, Caroline, and a son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Jr.

Three months before his death, President Kennedy and Jackie O's youngest child, Patrick, was born premature, then died after 39 hours.

In 1999, 38-year-old JFK Jr. was hit by the Kennedy curse and the small plane he was piloting crashed on the way to Martha's Vineyard, killing him instantly.

His older sister Caroline is the only surviving member of JFK's immediate family.

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After the death of her father, six-year-old Caroline had to move multiple times. Her family first moved to their home in Georgetown then to New York's Upper East Side.

Following her high school graduation in 1975, she worked for a bit then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University five years later. She then considered becoming a photojournalist.

Having previously worked as a photographer's assistant at the 1975 Olympics in Austria as well as a summer intern at the New York Daily News, Caroline realized that she couldn't take photos of other people "because they were too busy watching her."

She eventually earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, and was hired as a research assistant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That's where she met her husband, Edwin Schlossberg.

JFK Library

Caroline and Edwin wed in 1986, and have since welcomed three children: Rose, Tatiana Celia, and John Bouvier, also known as Jack.

Over the years, she has worked as an attorney as well as the director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships for the NYC Department of Education.

From 2013 to 2017, she served as the United States Ambassador to Japan under the Obama administration. She resigned shortly before Donald Trump was sworn in as president.

Caroline is also a published author. She has co-written two books, edited four New York Times best-sellers, as well as two collections of poetry and personal notes from her family's collection.

huffingtonpost.com

2. Chelsea Clinton

Chelsea Clinton was just shy of 13 when she and her parents, former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, moved into the White House.

Due to her young age, her parents were strict about limiting her media exposure.

Despite all of their efforts, tabloids still put a lot of focus on her during her formative years. Her appearance was constantly mocked, but that didn't seem to phase Chelsea.

She put all her energy into her studies, playing sports and studying ballet at the Washington School of Ballet.

Chelsea graduated from high school in 1997, then enrolled at Stanford University, where she started as a chemistry major, but then switched to history.

ABC News

After finishing her studies at Stanford in 2001, she went to England and earned a Master's degree in international relations from Oxford University. She also holds a Doctorate from Columbia University.

Chelsea entered the workforce by landing a job at McKinsey & Company. She later worked a number of different companies including NBC, Avenue Capital Group, and New York University.

During her mother's first bid for presidency, Chelsea joined the campaign team, and spoke at college campuses across the country.

While at Stanford, Chelsea rekindled her friendship with her Marc Mezvinksky, and they eventually got married in 2010.

KQED

Chelsea, now 37, is mom to daughter Charlotte and son Aidan.

The former first child is also known for her activism. She has traveled to many countries around the world to raise awareness for certain issues.

She now works with the family's $2 billion Clinton Foundation and Clinton Global Initiative.

Chelsea also doesn't shy away from using her Twitter account to advocate for things like youth privacy, especially when it comes to her fellow first kids club members.

Since 2015, Chelsea has published two children's books. In 2017, she was named to the Board of Directors of Expedia Group.

Medium

3. Lynda Bird and Luci Baines Johnson

Former president Lyndon B. Johnson's daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines, were much older than the aforementioned first kids when they made it to the White House in 1963.

Lynda, who was 19 when her dad was sworn in, stole the spotlight from the rest of the family members when she started a relationship with actor George Hamilton.

Their relationship eventually ended, and she later married U.S. Marine Corps Captain Charles S. Robb in 1967.

The couple had three children, and Charles ultimately became the governor of Virginia and as well as a U.S. senator.

History.com

As for Luci, she became the subject of controversy when she got married to Patrick Nugent at 19 in a high-profile Catholic wedding.

At the time, she was attending Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, but was forced to drop out after the nuptials because married students were not allowed.

They had four children, then they surprised everyone when they announced their divorce. The marriage ended in an annulment in 1979.

In 1984, she married Canadian financier Ian Turpin, and became a step mom to his son.

History.com

Despite their complicated private lives, both Lynda and Luci have been professionally successful.

Lynda holds an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Washington and Lee University and Norwich University.

She also served as a contributing editor for Ladies Home Journal. She is an active advocate for children's literacy.  

Nowadays, she serves on the board of Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She's also an outspoken supporter of universal healthcare.

AP News

Luci, on the other hand, holds a BLS in Communication from St. Edward's University.

She has been the Chairman of the Board and manager of LBJ Asset Management Partners as well as Chairman of the Board of Business Suites since 1993.

Like her sister, she also serves on the Board of Directors of the LBJ Foundation.

In April 2010, she was diagnosed with Guillain"“Barré syndrome, also known as Landry's paralysis, an autoimmune condition that affects the peripheral nervous system.

She underwent treatment at the Mayo Clinic, where she was told that she is expected to recover fast.

4. Patricia and Julie Nixon

By the time Richard Nixon was inaugurated in 1969, Patricia, also known as Tricia, had already graduated college.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Boston College.

The oldest of two sisters, Tricia was timid, but that didn't stop her from accompanying her father to events and state trips all over the world.

Cox married Edward Finch Cox, a Harvard Law student, at the White House in the summer of 1971.

A few years later, they welcomed a son, Christopher Nixon Cox.

Pinterest

Julie, who was a lot more outgoing than her sister, showed a lot of interest in politics early on.

She received a Master's degree in education from The Catholic University of America in 1971, and was named among the "Ten Most Admired Women in America" for four years by the readers of Good Housekeeping magazine.

She worked as assistant managing editor of The Saturday Evening Post, and was well known for being her father's most vocal supporter.

As a first daughter, Julie took on the role of a spokesperson for the elderly, environment, children's issues.

Along with her husband, David Eisenhower, Julie embarked on a press tour when the Watergate scandal broke out.

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After wrapping up her first daughter duties, Julie wrote several books, including Pat Nixon: The Untold Story and Going Home to Glory: A memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The mom of three is continuing her family's legacy by sitting on the board of the Richard Nixon foundation alongside her Tricia.

Tricia is still very private, and lives a quite life in New York.

She's passionate about healthcare and is a board member in several medical-research groups.

Lawrence Journal World

5. Malia and Natasha Obama

Malia and Natasha "Sasha" Obama, the daughters of Barack and Michelle Obama, were little girls running through the white house when their father was elected in 2008.

All eyes were on them as they transformed from pre-teens to college-aged young women.

The girls were often spotted accompanying their parents on trips and some official duties across the country.  

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In 2016, after graduating high school the eldest of the two, Malia, decided to take a gap year before starting her degree at Harvard.

Shortly before leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Av., she got an internship working in film production and development at the NYC office of Harvey Weinstein's company.

In November, a media frenzy ensued after a video of Malia kissing a fellow Harvard student was leaked online. Not too long after that, another video of her smoking and blowing rings emerged.

The breach of her privacy prompted Chelsea Clinton and current first daughter Ivanka Trump to tweet their support for Malia while calling out the media for not respecting a young person's privacy.

Elite Daily

Sasha, who nearly lost her life to a meningitis infection when she was just three months old, will soon be 17 and has been studying at the prestigious Sidwell Friends School.

In 2016, she landed a summer job at Nancy's, a seafood restaurant in Martha's Vineyard, and that's when it was revealed to the public that her actual name is Natasha.

She hasn't been spotted as much as her sister, but she was part of the Christmas photo her father posted back in December 2017,

She was also recently seen at the Broccoli City Festival in Washington, DC, rubbing shoulders with celebrities like rapper Cardi B.

CNN

6. Barbara Pierce and Jenna Welch Bush

Barbara Pierce and Jenna Welch, the daughters of former president George W. Bush and granddaughters of the 41st president George H.W. Bush, were the only twins to have lived in the White House.

The sisters were almost 20 years old when their father became president, and were both in school.

Barbara graduated from Yale University, and Jenna obtained an English degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Daily Mail

Just a few months into their father's term, the twins were caught up in a scandal after they were both arrested for alcohol-related charges twice in five weeks.

Jenna faced misdemeanor charges, including possession of alcohol under the age of 21 and for attempting to use a fake ID with her sister's name. She later pleaded no contest to both charges.

Barbara and Jenna helped with their father's 2004 presidential election campaign by making several public and media appearances as well as giving a speech at a Republican Convention.

Jenna left Washington D.C. in 2006 to work as a teacher's aide for a year and a half. She later took a leave of absence to work as an intern for UNICEF in Panama.

Her sister worked with AIDS patients in Africa for a while before joining the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

NBC News

Now, Jenna worked was a part-time reading coordinator at a school in Baltimore, MD, but she is mostly known as a correspondent for the Today Show.

She has written four books, three of which were in conjunction with her mom and sister.

Jenna married Henry Chase Hager in 2008, and the couple now have two daughters.

As for her sister, she co-founded a nonprofit called Global Health Corps, which provides young professionals from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to fight for global health equity.

In 2017, Barbara co-wrote a book with Jenna titled Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.

As a CEO, Barbara, who now lives in New York City, has been travelling the world and speaking at global conferences.

New York Times

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Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.