umer
A U.S. president typically serves a maximum of eight years before stepping down and leaving office. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt?? He shattered that tradition and stayed for four terms. It wasn’t because he was power-hungry — the world around him was in chaos, and voters kept calling him back.
The Country Was in Bad Shape
America was in the midst of the Great Depression when FDR ran for office in 1932. Banks were failing, people were losing their jobs, and everything seemed to be falling apart. Desperate Americans were willing to attempt anything after Roosevelt promised significant reforms through what he called the New Deal. People were hopeful during his first few years in power, and by the conclusion of his second term, many were not prepared to turn the reins over to a new leader.
Then Came the War
World War II burst onto the scene just as the economy was beginning to stabilise. The United States entered the war immediately after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour. With so much on the line, Americans concluded it was best to remain loyal to the same leader. FDR was regarded as competent of leading the war effort and the domestic front and as remaining composed under duress.
Breaking Tradition Without Breaking the Rules
Before Roosevelt, no president had stayed longer than two terms — but that was more of a handshake agreement than an actual law. George Washington had set the example, and everyone just followed it. But in the middle of a war and a fragile recovery, voters didn’t care about tradition as much as they cared about stability. They wanted the same steady voice guiding them.
The End of an Era
Shortly before World War II ended and a few months into his fourth term, Roosevelt passed away in April 1945. Because of how extraordinary his tenure was, the 22nd Amendment formally limited presidents to two terms in 1951.
FDR’s record-breaking run wasn’t about clinging to power — it was about a nation facing back-to-back crises and choosing the leader they trusted most to get them through.
