When you think about the American presidency, the number "eight" usually sticks in your head. Two terms. Eight years. That's the deal. We basically treat it like a law of nature, something carved into the very stone of the White House. But history is messy.
Honestly, for a massive chunk of American history, there wasn't a legal limit at all. It was just a vibe. A tradition. George Washington got tired, wanted to go back to Mount Vernon, and said, "I'm done." Because he was the "Father of his Country," everyone else just followed suit because they didn't want to look like they were trying to be a king. But when we talk about presidents who served more than 2 terms, we are really talking about a singular, world-shifting figure: Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
He didn't just break the glass ceiling of the presidency; he shattered it. He won four elections. Four. He served through the Great Depression and most of World War II.
The Myth of the "Unwritten Law"
Before FDR, several guys actually tried to stick around. It wasn't for lack of trying. Ulysses S. Grant wanted a third term in 1880. He had been out of office for four years and thought the country needed him back. He didn't get the nomination. Theodore Roosevelt—FDR's distant cousin—literally ran a third-party campaign under the "Bull Moose" banner because he was bored with retirement and hated how his successor, William Howard Taft, was handling things. He won more votes than the sitting president but still lost to Woodrow Wilson.
People often forget that the two-term limit was basically a gentleman's agreement.
Washington set the precedent, but it wasn't a "rule" until 1951. If you were popular enough, you could technically run until you died. Most just weren't that popular or they were simply too exhausted. Being president ages you in dog years. You've seen the photos of Obama or Bush before and after; the gray hair happens fast.
Why FDR Actually Won Four Times
You have to look at the context of 1940. The world was on fire. Hitler was tearing through Europe, and the U.S. was still shaking off the dust of the worst economic collapse in modern history. Roosevelt argued that you don't "change horses in midstream."
It worked.
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He beat Wendell Willkie in 1940 and then Thomas Dewey in 1944. Critics called him a dictator. They called him "King Franklin." But the voters? They didn't care about the tradition. They wanted stability. FDR's New Deal had created a deep, emotional connection with the working class. They felt he was the only one looking out for them.
The Physical Toll
By the time the 1944 election rolled around, Roosevelt was a shadow of his former self. He had congestive heart failure. His doctors knew it. His inner circle knew it. But they kept it from the public. There’s this famous story about him giving a speech in the rain just to prove he was still tough. He died in Warm Springs, Georgia, just months into his fourth term.
That’s the thing about presidents who served more than 2 terms—the only one who actually did it didn’t survive it.
Enter the 22nd Amendment: Closing the Loophole
After FDR died, Congress basically said, "Never again."
Republicans were leading the charge, but plenty of Democrats were quietly terrified of another "President for Life" scenario. In 1947, they passed the 22nd Amendment. It was ratified by the states in 1951.
The wording is pretty specific. You can't be elected more than twice. Also, if you take over for another president and serve more than two years of their term, you can only be elected on your own one more time. Basically, the absolute maximum anyone can serve now is ten years.
Could it ever happen again?
Technically, no. Not without another constitutional amendment.
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Some people argue this is undemocratic. They say if the people want a leader for 12 or 16 years, they should be allowed to have them. Harry Truman actually hated the amendment. He thought it made a president a "lame duck" the moment they won their second election. If everyone knows you’re leaving in four years, why should they listen to you?
On the flip side, most historians agree the limit is a vital guardrail. It prevents the "cult of personality" from becoming a permanent fixture of the government.
Misconceptions About the Multi-Term Club
You’ll sometimes hear people say Grover Cleveland served more than two terms. He didn't. He served two non-consecutive terms. He is the 22nd and 24th president. He won, lost, and then won again. Since the 22nd Amendment counts total elections, Cleveland would still be legal under today's rules because he only served eight years total.
Then there’s the "What if?" of Lyndon B. Johnson.
LBJ took over after JFK was assassinated in 1963. He finished that term (about 14 months) and won his own in 1964. Because he served less than two years of Kennedy's term, he was technically eligible to run again in 1968. He started the campaign, but after a disastrous showing in the New Hampshire primary and the stress of the Vietnam War, he famously announced on TV: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party."
He could have been one of the very few presidents who served more than 2 terms (at least partially), but he walked away.
The International Perspective
It's weirdly American to have such a hard cap.
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In the UK or Canada, a Prime Minister can serve as long as their party keeps winning. Margaret Thatcher did 11 years. Tony Blair did 10. Angela Merkel ran Germany for 16 years.
In the U.S., we are obsessed with the idea of the "Citizen Legislator." The idea that you serve, then you go back to your farm or your law practice. We have a deep-seated fear of someone becoming too powerful for too long.
Real-World Takeaways
If you’re studying the presidency or just trying to win a trivia night, keep these specific points in mind:
- FDR is the only one. No one else has ever served more than eight years and a few months.
- The 22nd Amendment is the wall. Unless it's repealed, the "four-term president" is a relic of the 1940s.
- Term limits change behavior. Presidents in their second term often pivot to foreign policy because they don't have to worry about the next election, but they also lose leverage with Congress.
If you want to understand the modern political landscape, you have to look at how these limits affect power. The shift from FDR’s near-limitless era to the modern "eight-year-and-out" cycle changed the very DNA of the American government. It turned the presidency from a potential lifelong career into a high-stakes, short-term contract.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
Research the "Lame Duck" period between the November election and the January inauguration. Understanding how a president's power evaporates once their successor is chosen is the best way to see the 22nd Amendment in action. You can also look into the 1912 election—the "Bull Moose" year—to see how close we actually came to a three-term president before the law was even a thought.