Can the President Get an Extra 3 Years

On November 5, 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt broke a long-held precedent—one that started with George Washington—when he became the first president elected to a 3rd term. Roosevelt would keep to vie for, and win, notwithstanding a quaternary term, taking office once again on January 20, 1945.

FDR was the first, and last, president to win more than two consecutive presidential elections and his exclusive four terms were in part a consequence of timing. His election for a third term took place every bit the United states of america remained in the throes of the Groovy Depression and World War Ii had just begun. While multiple presidents had sought third terms before, the instability of the times allowed FDR to brand a strong instance for stability.

"Y'all take economic-domestic issues and you have strange policy with the outbreak of Globe War Two in 1939," says Barbara Perry, professor and director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. "And then you have his own political viability—he had won the 1936 election with more than two-thirds of the popular vote."

Eventually U.S. lawmakers pushed back, arguing that term limits were necessary to keep abuse of ability in check. Two years after FDR's expiry, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, limiting presidents to two terms. Then subpoena was then ratified in 1951.

At the fourth dimension of FDR'south third presidential run, however, "There was nothing but precedent continuing in his style," says Perry. "But, still, precedent, especially every bit information technology relates to the presidency, can be pretty powerful."

Other U.Due south. Presidents Who Tried and Failed to Win a Consecutive Third Term

According to the National Constitution Heart, most of the framers of the Constitution were confronting term limits, and, although amendments seeking to enforce them were proposed some 200 times between 1796 and 1940 without being adopted, almost two-term presidents followed Washington'due south precedent in non seeking reelection for a third time.

Still, some had tried. Ulysses S. Grant lost a third entrada in 1880, when James Garfield clinched the Republican nomination. Theodore Roosevelt lost his bid at a tertiary nonconsecutive term in 1912 to William Howard Taft (he had previously served out the remainder of President William McKinley'due south term and so won reelection). And Woodrow Wilson lost the Autonomous nomination in 1920. Harry Truman, who succeeded FDR after his death, was president when the 22nd Amendment passed and then was exempt from the new rule. Truman campaigned for a third term in 1952, only withdrew after losing in the New Hampshire primary.

Roosevelt'southward entrada for a third term took place as the United States had not yet entered Earth War II, and the president was still trying to hold the line in an isolationist pattern.

"He was trying to guide u.s.a. along to effort to keep Britain afloat with things similar lend-lease," Perry says. "That evidently was preying on his mind and he didn't retrieve that the U.South. should 'change horses in midstream' every bit this war was building towards what he knew would somewhen be our full-fledged intervention in both the European and Pacific theaters."

Roosevelt's defeat of Republican challenger Governor Alf Landon of Kansas was a rout—the fourth-largest electoral vote margin ever. His 1940 win against Republican businessman Wendell Willkie wasn't quite as impressive, simply he still won 55 pct of the pop vote, and took the electoral vote 449 to 82.

Republicans Led the Drive for Presidential Term Limits

This photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt seated at his desk was the terminal color epitome of him earlier the announcement of his death.

Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Of grade, not everyone was on Roosevelt's side. The National Constitution Heart notes that his decision to run for a third term resulted in central Democratic supporters and advisors leaving his campaign.

Some political buttons from the fourth dimension read "FDR Out at Third," and Perry notes that despite his popularity, ane-third of Americans, especially concern people and those with means, still voted against him. They argued he was taking America down the road of socialism.

"Famously, there were people who would refuse to speak of him past name and would telephone call him 'That Human,'" Perry says. "But he knew the pop vote and the electoral vote were on his side. He wanted to see us through the two greatest catastrophes of the 20th century and he succeeded."

Term Limits Were Set to Guard Confronting Tyrannical Rule

In 1944, co-ordinate to the National Constitution Middle, term-limit talk once again came into focus. Republicans were at the forefront of the movement, though many Democrats agreed with the eight-year precedent set by Washington to guard against tyrannical rule.

"Four terms or 16 years is the nearly dangerous threat to our freedom ever proposed," Thomas Dewey, Roosevelt'southward Republican opponent, said in a 1944 voice communication.

Roosevelt won his fourth term when he defeated Dewey with 54 percentage of the popular vote, taking the Balloter College 432 to 99. He died April 12, 1945, 11 weeks into his term, and the call for a constitutional term-limit amendment was answered two years later, with a two-thirds bulk voting in favor of the 22nd Subpoena.

The amendment reads: "No person shall exist elected to the function of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."

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Source: https://www.history.com/news/fdr-four-term-president-22-amendment

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