Before-and-after photos show dramatic differences in presidents and first families after time spent in White House

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Before-and-after photos show dramatic differences in presidents and first families after time spent in White House

obama family before and after

Official White House Photos via Flickr

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  • Presidencies are notoriously stressful jobs, aging leaders to look beyond their years.
  • The punishing schedules and general stress often trigger accelerated aging that takes over world leaders' appearances by the time they leave office.
  • First families are close to the action and often have to balance raising teenage or young children while also focusing on life in the White House.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Presidencies are notoriously stressful jobs and often translate into accelerated aging that means leaders look much older on their way out of office than they did at the start.

Punishing schedules and never-ending stress can punish leaders' appearances, but their time in the White House also affects their families.

See how several first families looked before and after their time in the executive mansion:

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Though President Jimmy Carter had four children in all, only his nine-year-old daughter Amy moved into the White House in 1977.

Though President Jimmy Carter had four children in all, only his nine-year-old daughter Amy moved into the White House in 1977.

The family was the first in more than 10 years to bring young children to the White House.

Carter faced massive challenges posed by rising energy costs, mounting economic inflation, and continuing international tensions during his one term.

Amy was 14, and apparently not too pleased when the family left the White House.

Amy was 14, and apparently not too pleased when the family left the White House.
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Ronald and Nancy Reagan moved into the White House in 1981 after his star had risen over two terms as governor of California.

Ronald and Nancy Reagan moved into the White House in 1981 after his star had risen over two terms as governor of California.

Reagan left a legacy as a wildly popular president that was built on victories such as surviving an assassination attempt, cutting taxes and federal spending, and successfully negotiating peace deals including a treaty with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

Though Reagan is still lauded by conservative politicians, the administration's legacy is still marred by several policy failures decades after Reagan left office, including the administration's dismissal of the HIV/AIDS crisis, which Reagan only mentioned in public in 1985, years after the beginning of the epidemic, before adding to his agenda in 1986, when more than 400,000 Americans were already living with HIV.

Another point of contention includes the November 1986 Iran Contra Affair, in which Reagan admitted that the US had sold weapons to Iran in hopes to secure the release of six US hostages and some of the money was secretly funneled to the right-wing Contras, who were seeking to overthrow Nicaragua's socialist Sandinista government.

After eight years and two terms, the president said they were excited to go back home to California, but felt the goodbye with "such sweet sorrow."

After eight years and two terms, the president said they were excited to go back home to California, but felt the goodbye with "such sweet sorrow."

Source: The New York Times

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After serving as vice president for eight years, President George H.W. Bush made history when he became president in 1989.

After serving as vice president for eight years, President George H.W. Bush made history when he became president in 1989.

Bush was the first incumbent vice president to be elected president in more than 150 years, when Martin Van Buren replaced Andrew Jackson.

His term in office included the military and diplomatic victory of Desert Storm, which defeated the Iraqi Army after President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, but voters were still discouraged by the weak economy, rising violence in inner cities, and ongoing national debt.

After his foreign policy initiatives couldn't eclipse the economic recession, Bush was defeated in 1992.

After his foreign policy initiatives couldn't eclipse the economic recession, Bush was defeated in 1992.

Source: University of Virginia Miller Center

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President Bill Clinton moved into the White House with his wife Hillary and 13-year-old daughter, Chelsea in 1993.

President Bill Clinton moved into the White House with his wife Hillary and 13-year-old daughter, Chelsea in 1993.

Clinton, a former Arkansas politician, handily defeated Bush despite accusations he dodged the Vietnam War draft and rumors of infidelity that plagued his campaign.

Clinton was not only the first baby boomer president but also the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term.

His two terms in office began amid several positive rates in American life, including the "lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country's history," and falling crime rates. Clinton also achieved a budget surplus.

In 1998, Clinton's sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, caused him to become the second US president to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges.

Despite the personal controversies that plagued his public image, Clinton enjoyed unprecedented popularity rates among voters.

Despite the personal controversies that plagued his public image, Clinton enjoyed unprecedented popularity rates among voters.

The Clintons remained in the public eye for years after the presidency, as Hillary would later serve as a senator, Secretary of State, and the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate.

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When George W. Bush reached the White House in January 2001, his twin daughters were 20.

When George W. Bush reached the White House in January 2001, his twin daughters were 20.

Months after his inauguration, fallout from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon dominated Bush's presidency.

Bush promised a massive US response to quash organized terror, and formed the Department of Homeland Security before sending American forces into Afghanistan, where they successfully broke up the Taliban.

Another counterterrorism effort saw American forces invade Iraq, where they captured Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The conflict caused great disruption in the region, which Bush promised his second term would focus on solving.

However, by 2004 the Senate Intelligence Committee had concluded that the US invasion and Iraq War were founded on false and exaggerated intelligence.

After two terms and eight years, the twins are fully grown and have remained in the public eye alongside their parents.

After two terms and eight years, the twins are fully grown and have remained in the public eye alongside their parents.

Though much of the blame for the Iraq War was initially pointed at the CIA, Bush's popularity and public image nosedived in the final years of his presidency.

At the start of the war, 23% of Americans said sending troops to Iraq was a mistake, a rate that rocketed to 40% after six months in the war. As of June 2015, 51% of Americans said the mission was a mistake.

In his first term, Bush's approval ratings spiked to around 90% after the 9/11 attacks and fell to around 30% amid the fallout for the causes in Iraq he championed.

Bush's controversial reputation has since softened as the former president and first lady made appearances at large Washington events. Jenna Bush Hager has since become a prominent television personality in her role as a host on NBC's "Today."

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President Barack Obama was elected to much fanfare from voters across the country and his home city of Chicago, Illinois in 2008.

President Barack Obama was elected to much fanfare from voters across the country and his home city of Chicago, Illinois in 2008.

Obama moved into the White House with his young family, which included 9-year-old Malia and 6-year-old Sasha.

Aside from achieving the title of the first African-American president in US history, Obama's legacy is largely outlined by policy victories including the Paris climate change agreement, the Affordable Care Act or 'Obamacare,' and immigration's Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals policy.

After two terms that included consistent popularity and various domestic and international victories, President Donald Trump targeted his predecessor's legacy, unwinding his signature policies in climate change, healthcare, and immigration.

Two dogs and a Harvard acceptance for Malia later, the Obamas left the White House as a fully grown family.

Two dogs and a Harvard acceptance for Malia later, the Obamas left the White House as a fully grown family.

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider

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