Observance Daily What day is today, and why are we celebrating it?
On November 5, 1940, Franklin Roosevelt did something no American president had ever done: he was reelected for an unprecedented third term as president of the United States. The victory broke a two-term tradition that had stood since George Washington and set a record that no one has matched since.
Breaking the two-term tradition
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided to seek a third term in 1940, he was stepping into uncharted territory. No president before him had ever sought a third term, let alone won one. The idea that a president should serve no more than two terms was not yet law, but it was a powerful tradition dating back to George Washington, who voluntarily stepped down after his second term. Every president since had followed his example.
The 1940 campaign unfolded against a dark backdrop. Europe was at war, and much of the debate in the United States centered on the country’s role in the conflict. Roosevelt argued that continuity of leadership mattered in dangerous times, and voters agreed. On November 5, he defeated the Republican candidate, Wendell Willkie, winning reelection by a comfortable margin.
Willkie, the unexpected challenger
Wendell Willkie had been an unlikely nominee. A businessman and political newcomer, he had not held elected office before winning the Republican nomination. He campaigned energetically and pressed Roosevelt hard on the question of American involvement in the growing war overseas. But the president’s record — his long stewardship through the Great Depression and his promise of steady leadership — proved too much to overcome. Roosevelt carried the election and returned to the White House for a third term.
A fourth term, and then the amendment
Roosevelt’s record-breaking did not stop in 1940. He went on to win a fourth term in 1944, the only president ever to do so, guiding the country through the Second World War until his death in 1945. His death, coming so soon after that fourth inauguration, forced the country to confront the question of how long one person should hold the presidency.
The answer came in the form of the 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, which limited presidents to two terms. The tradition that Roosevelt had broken — the unwritten rule that began with George Washington — was finally written into the Constitution. The amendment was, in a sense, a direct response to Roosevelt’s unprecedented tenure.
Key facts about Franklin Roosevelt’s third term
The essentials: on November 5, 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was reelected for an unprecedented third term as president of the United States. No president before him had sought, let alone won, a third term, breaking a two-term tradition that dated back to George Washington. He defeated Republican Wendell Willkie. Roosevelt later won a fourth term in 1944 and died in 1945, after which the 22nd Amendment of 1951 limited presidents to two terms.
Frequently asked questions
When did Franklin Roosevelt win a third term? On November 5, 1940, when he defeated Republican Wendell Willkie.
Had any president served three terms before? No. No president before Roosevelt had even sought a third term.
Why did he seek a third term? The world was in turmoil, with Europe at war, and Roosevelt argued that experienced leadership mattered in such times.
What happened after his third term? He won a fourth term in 1944, died in 1945, and the 22nd Amendment of 1951 limited all future presidents to two terms.
Did he serve out the fourth term? No. He died in 1945, early in the fourth term.
Why Roosevelt’s third term matters
The election of November 5, 1940, changed the presidency itself. By breaking the two-term tradition, Roosevelt showed that the unwritten rules of American politics could be rewritten — and the country responded by writing a new rule into the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment stands today as the direct legacy of that election. November 5, 1940, is the day the presidency was tested, and the day its limits were ultimately defined.
Read more about November 5 on November 5 Holidays, Observances and History.