TERM LIMITS ON U.S. PRESIDENTS
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Our neighbor has a child who is in the 2nd grade. I asked him the other day which U.S. Presidents he could name. He immediately answered George Washington and then paused for a while before adding Donald Trump.
One difference between these two POTUS is the former was not limited by the U.S. Constitution to the number of 4 year terms he could serve while the latter is limited to two. The 22nd Amendment stipulated that "No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice...." It was ratified on February 27, 1951.
Washington set the precedent of serving no more than two terms, but no law or amendment restricted the number of terms or years a president could serve until passage of the 22nd amendment.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first incumbent President to seek a third term in 1940 and was also the first to win a third term. FDR would go on to run for and be elected to a fourth term in 1944. After President Roosevelt's death in April 1945, there was a move in Congress to place a limit on the length of presidential service.
While there have been presidents since the 22nd amendment was ratified who spoke out in favor of its repeal, (Ronald Reagan for example) Congressman John F. Kennedy voted for the proposed law and supported it as president.
In a televised interview in December, 1962, President Kennedy was reminded of his vote and asked if he would be in favor of the amendment as a sitting president. JFK laughed and said that although he had not served a second term yet he believed "two terms are enough."
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Our neighbor has a child who is in the 2nd grade. I asked him the other day which U.S. Presidents he could name. He immediately answered George Washington and then paused for a while before adding Donald Trump.
One difference between these two POTUS is the former was not limited by the U.S. Constitution to the number of 4 year terms he could serve while the latter is limited to two. The 22nd Amendment stipulated that "No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice...." It was ratified on February 27, 1951.
Washington set the precedent of serving no more than two terms, but no law or amendment restricted the number of terms or years a president could serve until passage of the 22nd amendment.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first incumbent President to seek a third term in 1940 and was also the first to win a third term. FDR would go on to run for and be elected to a fourth term in 1944. After President Roosevelt's death in April 1945, there was a move in Congress to place a limit on the length of presidential service.
In a televised interview in December, 1962, President Kennedy was reminded of his vote and asked if he would be in favor of the amendment as a sitting president. JFK laughed and said that although he had not served a second term yet he believed "two terms are enough."
The White House
Post Tour Photo
by John White (2017)
