# Politicians who waived their salaries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979 "2012-10-07T11:42:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/1 "2012-10-07T11:42:52Z")
On the top of my head, I am aware of two politicians who voluntarily waived the salary to which they were entitled in their office because they were independently wealthy: John F. Kennedy (as US President) Arnold Schwarzenegger (as California Governor) Who else (if any)? ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/2 "2012-10-07T12:03:58Z")
John Key - Prime Minister of New Zealand. I’m sure there are others. The thing is though, admirable as the gesture seems, people attack such politicians as being disconnected and unable to empathise with the average Joe. Can’t win. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/3 "2012-10-07T12:15:46Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > John Key - Prime Minister of New Zealand. I’m sure there are others. > > The thing is though, admirable as the gesture seems, people attack such politicians as being disconnected and unable to empathise with the average Joe. Can’t win. But at least these people can’t be bought. BTW, Michael Bloomberg (I’m assuming, haven’t done the research). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/4 "2012-10-07T12:22:59Z")
Australian politician [Ted Mack](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Mack_%28politician%29) was elected as an independent to the positions of mayor of North Sydney, then state member for the area and finally federal member. As mayor he sold the official car to buy a bus, in the other two positions he resigned days before his length of service would earn him a lifetime pension, according to Wikipedia, as a statement against the excesses of public political office. I don’t recall anyone from the major parties ever doing anything similar. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/5 "2012-10-07T12:35:37Z")
Mitt Romney took no salary when he was governor of Massachusetts (nor when he headed the 2002 Olympics, which may or may not meet the OP’s criteria as a 'politician’s job): [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563\_162-57503844/romney-on-charity-church-and-taking-a-salary/](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57503844/romney-on-charity-church-and-taking-a-salary/) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/6 "2012-10-07T13:45:53Z")
Herbert Hoover was independently wealthy and donated his presidential paychecks to charity. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/7 "2012-10-07T17:41:52Z")
> **[One-dollar salary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-dollar_salary)** > > A number of top executives in large businesses and governments have worked for a one-dollar salary. One-dollar salaries are used in situations where an executive wishes to work without direct compensation, but for legal reasons must receive a payment above zero, so as to distinguish them from a volunteer. The concept first emerged in the early 1900s, where various leaders of industry in the United States offered their services to the government during times of war. Later, in the late 199 In the... Some people served in political positions during wartime, according to this, for $1/year. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/8 "2012-10-07T22:20:54Z")
Anyone know where CA gov Jerry Brown is on this? And where he was on this during his earlier stint? IIRC, during his first stint, he rejected some of the perks – living in an apartment instead of the governors mansion, and I think he didn’t use the governors limousine service either. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/9 "2012-10-07T23:37:17Z")
Current Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, while previously serving as a US Senator, donated his salary to a program to help seniors get low-cost prescriptions (by finding bus trips to Canada, mainly). I believe he also did not accept his salary when he served as Minnesota State Auditor. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/10 "2012-10-08T00:13:48Z")
I remember reading something about Lincoln his own pay docked to make up for his crazy wife’s excessive spending. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-waived-their-salaries/636979/11 "2012-10-08T00:57:00Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Australian politician [Ted Mack](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Mack_%28politician%29) was elected as an independent to the positions of mayor of North Sydney, then state member for the area and finally federal member. > > As mayor he sold the official car to buy a bus, in the other two positions he resigned days before his length of service would earn him a lifetime pension, according to Wikipedia, as a statement against the excesses of public political office. > > I don’t recall anyone from the major parties ever doing anything similar. **[Clover Moore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clover_Moore)** was until recently both the Lord Mayor of Sydney and the State Member of Parliament for Sydney. She donated her salary for the former to charity, partially due to not wanting to be seen as double-dipping, but also because an MP is not allowed to receive “any compensation from the Crown”, which under some interpretations the Mayor’s salary counted as.