Draft:List of US Presidents who did not seek reelection
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The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States,[1] indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College.[2] Since 1951 under the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States no person may serve more than two full terms as president (or one term if they have served over two years of a partial term).[3][4] Prior to the term limit, all presidents (except Ulysses S. Grant[5] and Theodore Roosevelt[6] non-consecutively, and Franklin D. Roosevelt[7] consecutively) followed an informal two-term tradition set by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.[4] The following presidents were eligible for a second or third full term but chose not to run:
Before 22nd amendment
[edit]- George Washington[4] (in office 1789–1797).
- Thomas Jefferson[4] (in office 1801–1809).
- James Madison[8] (in office 1809–1817).
- James Monroe[9] (in office 1817–1825).
- Andrew Jackson[10][11] (in office 1829–1837).
- James Buchanan (in office 1857–1861): kept campaign promise to serve only one term.[12]
- Rutherford B. Hayes (in office 1877–1881): kept campaign promise to serve only one term.[a][13]
- Grover Cleveland[b][14] (in office 1885–1889 / 1893–1897).
- James K. Polk (in office 1845–1849): kept campaign promise to serve only one term.[15]
- Woodrow Wilson[16] (in office 1913–1921): Wilson hoped for a nomination at the 1920 Democratic National Convention, but ultimately didn't, and decided not to run.[17]
- Calvin Coolidge (in office 1923–1929): chose not to run after serving one partial term and one full term.[18]
After 22nd amendment
[edit]- Harry S. Truman (in office 1945–1953[c]): withdrew from the race after serving one partial term and one full term.[19]
- Lyndon B. Johnson (in office 1963–1969[d]): withdrew from the race after serving one partial term and one full term.[19]
- Joe Biden (in office 2021–2025): withdrew from the race after serving one full term.[19]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Unless he had unanimous support.
- ^ Non consecutive third term.
- ^ A grandfather clause exemption was made for the president serving when the 22nd amendment was passed (during Truman's presidency) by Congress.[3]
- ^ Johnson was eligible for a third term because his first term, in which he replaced John F. Kennedy after the latter's assassination, lasted less than two years.
References
[edit]- ^ Rossiter (1962), p. 86.
- ^ Shugart (2004), pp. 633–636.
- ^ a b "U.S. Constitution – Twenty-Second Amendment". Library of Congress. Resources: Constitution Annotated.
- ^ a b c d "FDR's third-term election and the 22nd amendment". National Constitution Center.
- ^ ""If Any Outsider is Taken, I Hope it Will be Garfield": The 1880 Republican Convention". U.S. National Park Service.
- ^ "United States presidential election of 1912". Britannica. Taft, Roosevelt, Wilson, Campaigns, & Results.
- ^ "Franklin D. Roosevelt's Presidency". FDR Presidential Library & Museum.
- ^ "1816". The American Presidency Project.
- ^ "1824". The American Presidency Project.
- ^ "1836". The American Presidency Project.
- ^ "Andrew Jackson's Third Term". Last Best Hope of Earth. May 17, 2016.
- ^ "James Buchanan: Passive". Voice of America. June 3, 2023.
- ^ "Rutherford B. Hayes: Campaigns and Elections". Miller Center. October 4, 2016.
- ^ "1896". The American Presidency Project.
- ^ Digital, Muletown. "James K. Polk". James K. Polk Museum. Columbia, TN.
- ^ "1920". The American Presidency Project.
- ^ "Historically, odds were stacked against any President seeking a third term". National Constitution Center.
- ^ "Coolidge Chronology". coolidgefoundation.org.
- ^ a b c Somasundaram, Praveena (July 23, 2024). "Before Biden, Truman and LBJ withdrew from races as support waned". The Washington Post. Retropolis.
Works cited
[edit]- Rossiter, Clinton (1962). "Powers of the United States President and Congress". Pakistan Horizon. 15 (2). Pakistan Institute of International Affairs: 85–92. JSTOR 41392704.
- Shugart, Matthew S. (2004). "Elections: The American Process of Selecting a President: A Comparative Perspective". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 34 (3). Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies: 632–655. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2004.00216.x. JSTOR 27552617.