For almost two and a half centuries, the United States has been governed by a presidential system. Throughout that time, there have been 45 presidents, many of whom have been so popular that they served more than one term.
The Presidential System
The system for voting in the US head of state hasn’t always been the same. The president has always, however, not been elected by popular vote, but rather by a designated number of electors or “delegates” from each state. Early on in US history, the system of the popular vote determining the vote of the electors was adopted. As the United States has changed geographically, and politically, the number of electors from each state has changed. The first election had 69 electors, while today the number stands at a total of 538.
The first person to be elected president was, of course, George Washington, in 1789. He served until 1792 when he was re-elected. He was the first of 21 presidents who served a second term. Many of them, however, would not end up finishing their second term in office!
Two Full Terms
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterA total of 14 presidents have served two full terms. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have all served two terms and each spent a total of 2,922 days in office. George Washington also served two terms. After he was elected, however, there were issues which delayed the official start of his term in office, and so he only served 2,865 days in office—slightly fewer than other presidents who served two full terms.
Only one president has served more than two full terms in office. Franklin D. Roosevelt proved so popular that he was elected for a third and even a fourth term in office. Grover Cleveland’s two terms were not consecutive; thus, he is considered the 22nd and 24th president.
More Than One Term
Not all the presidents elected for a second term completed their term in office. Many of them had their presidency terminated due to unforeseen disasters and unfortunate events. Some of those who served out the remainder of these terms, went on to be elected afterwards.
Harry S. Truman took over as president after Roosevelt died in office, and was later elected. Likewise, Theodore Roosevelt was vice president when President William McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt took the reins of the presidency and was subsequently elected to another term. Lyndon Johnson’s presidency was similar. He took over when John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963, and then was elected in 1964 after a landslide victory. Calvin Coolidge also became president after the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding in 1923. Coolidge was then elected to the position of president the following year.
Richard Nixon completed a term in office and was re-elected in 1972, only to have his second term cut short after he resigned following the Watergate Scandal. Meanwhile, William McKinley and Abraham Lincoln had their second terms cut short by being assassinated
Conclusion
Serving more than two terms is currently not possible after term limits were set following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fourth presidential election victory. Nevertheless, it’s almost certain that the future will bring more presidents that will prove so popular that they serve two terms.
