If all things remain unchanged, Barack Obama will complete something that hasn't happened since 1825

[Algernon Moncrieff]

The first time three consecutive Presidents were each elected to two terms and completed both terms was 1801-1825 (Jefferson, Madison, Monroe). It has not happened since then. However Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama will, if all goes well, become the second trio of Presidents to pull this off since the Presidency started in 1789.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

[dchill]

1. Random Chance, meet great Secret Service protection.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

2. ...and better medical care

No William Henry Harrisons, FDRs, or Warren Hardings.

That said, better Secret Service protection has been a big help.

[dchill]

3. MUCH better medical care.

No leeches. For the rich and powerful, that is. Oh, they ARE often the leeches.

[Hortensis]

12. Knock wood for our current president.

Back in the early "trolling for assassins" days of his first term, I was definitely anxious and would have liked to know then that he made it safely through.

Thanks for the little historical note, Algernon. I guess we've gotten used to presidents serving and retiring or moving on to something else, and it just never occurred to me this wasn't completely normal.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

13. It never really hit me until I looked -- one-termers were the norm in the 19th century

..several didn't even make it through 1 term.

[jberryhill]

4. Good to hear that he has achieved a remarkable distinction as president

I'd just hate it if his portrait became just another one in the lineup like, "oh is that one Millard Fillmore or Franklin Pierce?"

[Gman]

5. Of course Bush gets an asterisk

Because he never won an election.

[lonestarnot]

6. From me all he gets is the middle finger.

No he never won one.

[Cresent City Kid]

10. Did you know?

We've had left handed presidents for 20 of the last 28 years, W screwed up that streak too.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

14. In fairness, 19th Century elections were pretty dubious

...but Madison, Monroe, and Jefferson were all greats. Bush...not so much.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

7. it seems that the ones that support the MIC and wall street do just fine

...

[Algernon Moncrieff]

15. JFK was quite the friend to the MIC and Wall Street

...he just didn't invade Cuba.

[rpannier]

8. Sad

That Dumbya squatted there for two terms


Could not resist

on edit: That is really interesting though
Thanks for that share

[malaise]

9. Fascinating

Thanks

[Algernon Moncrieff]

17. Between Andrew Jackson and Ulysses Grant, most everyone is a one-termer

Van Buren, W.H. Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln, A. Johnson.

Lincoln is the only one in the bunch who is reelected, and he barely gets into his second term when he dies.

1837-1869: 10 Presidents

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Though FDR, Truman and Eisenhower did serve 28 years between them

with Truman serving almost 8 years.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

16. Everyone talks about FDR being the four term President

...and though he was elected four times, he only serves a little more than three terms (as you point out) prior to his death and Truman taking over. Stephen Ambrose, in The Wild Blue, relates George McGovern's account of an officer in his bomber group insisting that "we'd lost the war" as a result of FDR's death. His comrades eventually convinced him that the US would continue on.

Teddy Roosevelt has a similar "near two term" Presidency, although not quite as early as Truman. TR takes over from the fallen William McKinley in September 1901 and goes on to re-election in 1904. Lyndon Johnson and Calvin Coolidge both take over late in the first term of their predecessors (August and November, respectively) prior to being elected for single subsequent terms.