[Sasparilla]

Lincoln was in a business partnership in a law firm before he entered politics. He had bills to meet in running it.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

The Zero has business skills, emptying waterless urinals.

[txhurl]

The Business of America is Business.

[Cecily]

Harry Truman = Haberdashery business; vice president when FDR died

Jimmy Carter = Peanut farmer; governor of Georgia

[Conscience of a Conservative]

Not sure this fully answers the question, but Wikipedia has a list showing each President and the last several job(s) he held before being elected President.

[Jane Long]

As in Who Has Signed the FRONT of the Payroll Checks?

Great question...also a great question for the current 16 candidates.

[Ingtar]

I cannot recall anyone who went straight to President. Odd, that, as politicians are held accountable for their contradictory statements made two years ago, and apparently, businessmen are not.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Herbert Hoover: engineer
Ronald Reagan: actor

[GeronL]

Government is not a business. Not even close.

[SamAdams76]

Here's a link showing 7 presidents that ran their own business before taking office (all of them small businesses by the way).

When I was a boy, I read that Harry Truman ran a haberdashery but I did not know what that was at the time and figured it was some sort of restaurant. In actuality, a haberdashery used to sell sewing supplies and simple articles of clothing like ties, hats and umbrellas.

Men in Truman's era did not go outside without a hat and a proper umbrella.

[blueunicorn6]

Lawyers are trained to argue.

What do we all do about politics?

We argue.

The trained people win.

Can’t govern worth a damn, though.

Look at Obama. Can’t figure out a light switch, but he’ll argue with you all day about how you don’t need light anyway.

[bert]

Herbert Hoover was an engineer

[Skepolitic]

Herbert Hoover was a successful businessman.

Truman was a failed haberdasher.

GHWB was in the oil and oil field supply business.

GWB was a failed oilman and a fairly successful, though privileged, baseball team owner.

[C Lee Tolindo]

Warren Harding ran a newspaper...”Marion (OHIO) Star”

Ronald Reagan Actor, labor rep.

[familyop]

"In modern time, say 1900 to present, what presidents were businessmen?"

How many of them have been false gods?

Donald Trump kicks over the money changer tables in the temple in Jerusalem.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3322350/posts

Bat Trump Is The Hero America Needs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3325792/posts

Firestorm erupts over Trump's 'Bible connection'
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3323403/posts

CNN ANDERSON COOPER GRILLS DONALD TRUMP ON HIS FAITH - JULY 22, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFH1ghoMmg0

After 46 seconds, Donald Trump said the following in answer to the question about repentance.

https://youtu.be/IFH1ghoMmg0?t=46s

"Well, I, I like to work where I don't really have to ask for...I like to do the right thing where I don't have to actually ask for forgiveness, does that make sense to you, you know, where you don't make such bad things, that you don't have to ask for forgiveness, I mean, I try and lead a life where I don't have to ask G[-]d for forgiveness..."

After 1 minute, 20 seconds,...

https://youtu.be/IFH1ghoMmg0?t=1m20s

"Well, I try not to make mistakes, where I have to ask for forgiveness, for one thing. So when I'm asked a question like that, it's like, you know, I don't like to make a lot of mistakes

After 1 minute, 52 seconds,...

https://youtu.be/IFH1ghoMmg0?t=1m52s

"Why do I have to ask for forgiveness, if you're not making mistakes, I work hard, I'm an honorable person, I have thousands of people that work for me, I've employed tens of thousands of people over the years..."