If you’re scrolling through history trivia, you might assume that George Washington’s decision to walk away after eight years was a hard rule from day one. It wasn't. For nearly 150 years, the U.S. Constitution said absolutely nothing about how many times a person could be elected to the White House.
So, how many presidents served more than two terms in the end?
Just one.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR, is the only man to ever pull it off. He didn’t just serve three terms; he was elected to four. While others tried to break the "gentleman's agreement" set by Washington, Roosevelt was the only one who actually had the political muscle—and the national crises—to make it happen.
The Unspoken Rule That Lasted a Century
Before we get into FDR’s massive four-term run, we have to look at why everyone else stopped at two. George Washington was exhausted by 1796. He wanted to go back to Mount Vernon. By stepping down, he basically told the country, "This isn't a monarchy."
Thomas Jefferson made it even more official. He argued that if a president stayed too long, the office would basically become a "inheritance." Most presidents after him followed suit because it was the "patriotic" thing to do.
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But "patriotic" doesn't mean "required."
Several presidents actually toyed with the idea of a third term long before the 1940s. Ulysses S. Grant wanted one. He served from 1869 to 1877, took a break, and then tried to get the Republican nomination again in 1880. He failed. The party just wasn't feeling it.
Then there was Teddy Roosevelt. He’s a fascinating case. He served nearly two full terms after McKinley was assassinated, then "retired." But he got bored. In 1912, he ran again under the "Bull Moose" party. He actually beat the sitting Republican president, William Howard Taft, in the popular vote, but he lost the whole thing to Woodrow Wilson.
How FDR Changed Everything
By 1940, the world was a mess. The Great Depression was still stinging, and World War II was exploding in Europe. FDR had already served two terms. People expected him to pack his bags.
Instead, he stayed.
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He basically told the American people that you don't change horses in midstream. It worked. He won a third term in a landslide against Wendell Willkie. Then, in 1944, even though his health was clearly failing, he ran for a fourth term and won again.
FDR died just 11 weeks into that fourth term. His 12 years in office (and the three months of the fourth) changed the country forever. But it also terrified a lot of people.
The 22nd Amendment: Closing the Loophole
After FDR passed away, Congress decided they never wanted a "President for Life" scenario again. They didn't want to rely on a "gentleman’s agreement" anymore.
In 1947, they proposed the 22nd Amendment. It was ratified in 1951. Basically, it says:
- You can only be elected twice.
- If you took over for another president and served more than two years of their term, you can only be elected once on your own.
This means the absolute maximum anyone can serve now is ten years (two years of someone else’s term plus two full terms of their own).
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Who Else Tried?
Aside from Grant and Teddy Roosevelt, few others made serious plays for a third term. Woodrow Wilson sort of hoped he’d be asked to run again in 1920 despite his massive stroke, but his party knew it was a non-starter. Harry Truman was actually exempt from the 22nd Amendment because he was the sitting president when it was written, but after losing the New Hampshire primary in 1952, he realized the country was ready for someone new.
Since then, it's been a hard cap. Reagan talked about wanting to repeal it because he thought it was undemocratic to tell voters they couldn't pick someone they liked, but nothing ever came of it.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you're looking to dive deeper into how this impacts politics today, here’s what you should keep in mind:
- Check the math: If a Vice President takes over after the two-year mark of a term, they can still serve two full terms of their own. This is the "LBJ Rule."
- Study the 1912 Election: If you want to see what happens when a popular ex-president tries to come back, the Bull Moose campaign is the ultimate case study.
- Watch the "Lame Duck" period: Because of the 22nd Amendment, every second-term president eventually loses some power because everyone knows they are leaving. This is a deliberate part of the U.S. system now.
FDR remains the outlier. One man, four elections, and a legacy that forced the country to rewrite its most important document.