In the 1940s, however, Temple's popularity declined, and subsequent movies were largely unsuccessful. In 1950 she retired from the movies and married Charles A. Black. She later made a brief return to entertainment with a popular television show, Shirley Temple's Storybook, in 1957–59 and the less successful Shirley Temple Show in 1960. As Shirley Temple Black she became active in civic affairs and Republican politics. In 1967 she ran unsuccessfully for the office of U.S. representative to Congress from California. From 1969 to 1970 she was a delegate to the UN General Assembly. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1972, Black was one of the first celebrities to go public about having the illness. She then served as U.S. ambassador to Ghana (1974–76), chief of protocol for President Gerald R. Ford (1976–77), and member of the U.S. Delegation on African Refugee Problems in 1981. From 1989 to 1992 she served as ambassador to Czechoslovakia. Her autobiographies include My Young Life (1945) and Child Star (1988).

At the beginning of the 21st century, Black remained active in international affairs, serving on the board of directors of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, among other organizations. In recognition of her acting career and public service, the Screen Actors Guild presented Black with a life achievement award in 2005.