Presidential Term Trivia

Presidential trivia:

Assuming George W. Bush completes his second term as president, we will have had two presidents in a row serving two four-year terms each. When was the last time this happened? The answer is below.

The answer:

The last two presidents in a row to serve two four-year terms each were James Madison and James Monroe, from 1809-1817 and 1817-1825. And before Madison, Jefferson served two terms from 1801-1809.

Going backward from the present:

Bush will have served two terms.

Clinton served two terms.

George Herbert Walker Bush was voted out of office.

Reagan served two terms.

Carter was voted out of office.

Ford was voted out of office.

Nixon resigned.

Johnson chose not to run for re-election because his popularity was battered by Vietnam.

Kennedy was assassinated.

Eisenhower served two terms.

Truman chose not to run for re-election (he could have, because he was unaffected by the 22nd Amendment), and therefore was only officially elected to the presidency once (though he served most of FDR’s last term).

FDR died in his fourth term.

Hoover was voted out of office.

Coolidge chose not to run for a second full term.

Harding died in office.

Wilson served two terms.

Taft was voted out of office.

Teddy Roosevelt served two terms.

McKinley died in office.

Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms.

Benjamin Harrison served one term.

Arthur served most of Garfield’s term.

Garfield was assassinated.

Hayes served one term.

Grant served two terms.

Andrew Johnson served most of Lincoln’s second term.

Lincoln was assassinated.

Buchanan served one term.

Pierce served one term.

Fillmore served the second half of Taylor’s term.

Taylor died in office.

Polk served one term.

Tyler served most of W.H. Harrison’s term.

William Henry Harrison died in office.

Van Buren served one term.

Jackson served two terms.

John Quincy Adams served one term.

Monroe served two terms.

Madison served two terms.

Jefferson served two terms.

John Adams lost re-election after one term.

Washington served two terms.