You probably grew up hearing that American presidents get four years in the Oval Office, maybe eight if they're lucky or liked enough, and then they're out. It's the law. But for a long time, it actually wasn't. It was just a vibe—a tradition started by George Washington because he was tired and wanted to go back to his farm. Then came Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He didn't just break the tradition; he shattered it. FDR is the only president who served more than 2 terms, winning four consecutive elections and staying in power for twelve years until his death.
It's wild to think about now.
In a modern political climate where we argue over every tiny thing, imagining a guy winning four times in a row feels like science fiction. But Roosevelt wasn't living in normal times. He had the Great Depression on one side and Adolf Hitler on the other. People were scared. When people are terrified of losing their homes or losing a world war, they don't usually trade in the guy they know for a "maybe."
The Unwritten Rule That FDR Ignored
Before 1940, there was no 22nd Amendment. There was nothing in the Constitution saying you couldn't run for a third, fourth, or even a tenth term. If you could get the votes, the job was yours. But Washington’s ghost loomed large over the White House. He had stepped down after two terms, basically telling the country that the presidency shouldn't be a kingship. Most guys followed that lead.
Jefferson did it. Madison did it. Monroe did it.
Even Ulysses S. Grant tried to get a third term later on, but his own party basically told him "no thanks." Theodore Roosevelt—FDR’s distant cousin—actually ran for a third term under the "Bull Moose" party after sitting out a few years, but he lost. So, the idea of a president who served more than 2 terms was seen as a bit of a power grab or, at the very least, bad manners.
Then 1940 rolled around. The world was on fire. France had fallen to the Nazis. Britain was getting hammered. Roosevelt looked at the situation and decided he was the only one who could steer the ship. Was it ego? Maybe. Was it necessity? A lot of voters thought so. He beat Wendell Willkie in a landslide. Then, four years later, with the end of the war in sight but not quite there, he beat Thomas Dewey.
He was essentially the "President for Life" by the time he died in Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1945.
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Why Nobody Else Can Do It Today
The shock of Roosevelt’s long reign actually terrified the political establishment. Republicans were annoyed they’d been out of power for over a decade, and even some Democrats were worried about what might happen if a less-than-stellar leader decided to stay forever. So, they passed the 22nd Amendment in 1947, and it was ratified by 1951.
The rule is simple: Two terms max.
If you're a Vice President and you take over for someone else, you can only run for two terms of your own if you served less than two years of the previous person's term. It’s a bit of a math game. The absolute maximum anyone could ever serve now is ten years, but even that is a rare "edge case" scenario.
The "What If" Factor and Other Close Calls
We often forget that FDR wasn't the only one who wanted to be a president who served more than 2 terms.
Harry Truman was actually exempt from the 22nd Amendment because he was the sitting president when it was written. He could have technically run again in 1952. He even toyed with the idea. But his approval ratings were underwater, the Korean War was a mess, and after losing the New Hampshire primary to Estes Kefauver, he decided to pack it in.
LBJ was also technically eligible to run for another full term in 1968. Because he had only served roughly 14 months of JFK’s term, the 22nd Amendment didn't bar him from seeking a second full term of his own. But Vietnam was a nightmare. Protesters were chanting "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" outside his window. He went on national television and told the world he wouldn't accept the nomination.
It was a shocker.
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The Global Context: Why the U.S. is Different
If you look at the rest of the world, term limits are a messy subject. In places like Russia or China, leaders have basically scrubbed their versions of the 22nd Amendment to stay in power indefinitely. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are the modern examples of what happens when you don't have a hard "two and done" rule.
In the U.S., we view the lack of term limits as a slide toward autocracy.
But there’s a flip side. Some political scientists argue that term limits make presidents "lame ducks" too early. Once you hit your second term, everyone knows you're leaving, so your leverage in Congress starts to evaporate. You become a ghost in your own house. FDR never had that problem. He had the "power of the future" until his very last breath.
Misconceptions About the 22nd Amendment
People often ask if a president can serve two terms, take a break, and then come back for a third.
The answer is a hard no.
The Constitution says you cannot be "elected to the office of the President more than twice." It doesn't say "consecutively." Whether you take a four-year break or a forty-year break, once you've been elected twice, you're finished. This came up a lot during the 2024 cycle regarding Donald Trump, who was seeking a second term. If he wins, he is legally barred from ever running again in 2028. There's no loophole. There's no "backdoor" through the Vice Presidency either, as the 12th Amendment says you can't be VP if you aren't eligible to be President.
The Legacy of the 12-Year Presidency
Roosevelt’s long tenure changed America forever. Because he was a president who served more than 2 terms, he was able to appoint eight Supreme Court Justices. That’s insane. Most presidents get one or two. FDR basically remade the entire judicial branch in his image.
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He also built the modern bureaucracy. The "alphabet soup" of agencies like the SEC, the TVA, and Social Security happened because he had the time to see them through. A four-year or eight-year president might have seen these programs dismantled by the next guy. FDR stayed long enough to bake them into the fabric of American life.
It’s a legacy that is both admired and feared.
On one hand, he saved the country from the brink of collapse. On the other, he set a precedent that many felt was dangerous. If he hadn't died in office, would he have run for a fifth term in 1948? Probably. He liked the job. He was good at it. And in a time of crisis, the American people seemed happy to keep checking his name on the ballot.
Practical Insights and Next Steps
Understanding how we ended up with the two-term limit helps make sense of the current political gridlock. We trade stability for the prevention of tyranny. It’s a conscious choice the U.S. made in the wake of the FDR era.
If you're interested in how this affects today's politics, here is what you should look into next:
- Read the 22nd Amendment: It’s surprisingly short. Reading the actual text helps you see why there aren't many loopholes for former presidents.
- Study the 1940 Election: Look at the internal polling from that year. It shows how divided the country was on the idea of a third term before the Pearl Harbor attack simplified the narrative.
- Research the "Lame Duck" Period: Observe how a president's power shifts in the final two years of their second term. It’s a direct consequence of the rules put in place because of FDR.
- Compare Global Term Limits: Look at Mexico, where presidents get one six-year term (the sexenio) and can never run again. It provides a fascinating contrast to the U.S. system.
The era of the president who served more than 2 terms is over, but the shadow FDR cast over the White House is still there. We live in a system designed specifically to make sure a "new FDR" never happens again. Whether that makes us safer or just more chaotic is a debate that won't end anytime soon.
Source References:
- National Archives: The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
- FDR Presidential Library and Museum: Records of the 1940 and 1944 elections.
- "The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency" by James Tobin.
- U.S. Senate Historical Office: Records on the ratification of Presidential Term Limits.