Man, this question about US presidents with extra terms came up today while I was browsing, and I figured, why not dig in? Gotta admit, I wasn’t 100% solid on the name myself right off the bat. Felt like a little project.
How I Started Off Pretty Clueless
First thing, I sat at my desk scratching my head. Knew the rule was usually two terms, thanks to Washington and that whole tradition thing. But who broke it? Tried thinking of presidents… Roosevelt? Was it Teddy or Franklin? Then Lincoln popped into mind but nah, his tragic ending stopped him way short. Felt kinda stuck just relying on memory.
Grabbed my laptop. Figured Google was the friend here. Typed straight in: “us president more than two terms”. Boom. Results hit fast. Even before clicking anything, that one name kept popping up everywhere right there on the first page. Couldn’t miss it. Google basically screamed it at me.
Diving a Tiny Bit Deeper for the Facts
Just knowing the name wasn’t quite enough, y’know? I get curious. Clicked on a couple of the top results – mainly Wikipedia, ’cause it always has the deets laid out plain. Found the real meat:
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – That’s the guy. Plain as day.
- He pulled off four whole terms! Yeah, four. Won elections in 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944.
- Didn’t retire peacefully though. Passed away early into that last term, in 1945.
- His long run actually scared everyone so much they made a law about it later. The 22nd Amendment? That came right after to stop anyone from trying that again.
Why This Actually Matters Now
So, found the answer easy: FDR. But it got me thinking beyond just the trivia night fact. Him staying president basically forever led directly to that amendment we hear about sometimes. It’s a big deal! Shows how one person kinda changing the rules can make everyone else go “Whoa, hang on, let’s not do that again,” and actually change the Constitution. Makes his whole story way more interesting than just the number of terms. Pretty wild how that worked out.
