Alexander Hamilton proposed that US Presidents should serve for life, subject to removal for misconduct. This was completely ignored by the Constitutional Convention, but what if it was adopted? Just as a theoretical exercise, I've gone through the list of US Presidents and extended their terms to their death, then replaced them with whoever was the last President that year. I understand that after a few decades the actual men would be completely different, but think of it as a plausible equivalent of what generation gets into the White House and how long they last. In some cases there's surprisingly little change, since Presidents tended to die not long after leaving office.
George Washington 1789-1799 Washington never wanted to hold office for life, so he may have resigned earlier. But John Adams would still follow him.
John Adams 1799-1826
John Quincy Adams 1826-1848 A son immediately following his father might be seen as too monarchical.
James Polk 1848-1849
Zachary Taylor 1849-1850 Died in office.
Millard Fillmore 1850-1874
Ulysses Grant 1874-1885 Yes, I'm skipping over Lincoln, so it doesn't really make sense for Grant to be President. Work with me here.
Grover Cleveland 1885-1908
Theodore Roosevelt 1908-1919
Woodrow Wilson 1919-1924 Incapacitated in office. Maybe Congress removes him if there's no other way to get rid of him.
Calvin Coolidge 1924-1933
Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945 Died in office.
Harry Truman 1945-1972
Richard Nixon 1972-1974 Yes, I'm assuming there's an equivalent of Watergate, so he resigns or is impeached and removed.
Gerald Ford 1974-2006 Longest-serving President in this scenario at 32 years.
George W. Bush 2006-2040? He'd be the President now, and his father lived to 94.
Of course there was a strong tradition in OTL, completely separate from the actual law, of only standing for two terms. Who knows how this would play out if Presidents were elected for life. Any other thoughts?
George Washington 1789-1799 Washington never wanted to hold office for life, so he may have resigned earlier. But John Adams would still follow him.
John Adams 1799-1826
John Quincy Adams 1826-1848 A son immediately following his father might be seen as too monarchical.
James Polk 1848-1849
Zachary Taylor 1849-1850 Died in office.
Millard Fillmore 1850-1874
Ulysses Grant 1874-1885 Yes, I'm skipping over Lincoln, so it doesn't really make sense for Grant to be President. Work with me here.
Grover Cleveland 1885-1908
Theodore Roosevelt 1908-1919
Woodrow Wilson 1919-1924 Incapacitated in office. Maybe Congress removes him if there's no other way to get rid of him.
Calvin Coolidge 1924-1933
Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945 Died in office.
Harry Truman 1945-1972
Richard Nixon 1972-1974 Yes, I'm assuming there's an equivalent of Watergate, so he resigns or is impeached and removed.
Gerald Ford 1974-2006 Longest-serving President in this scenario at 32 years.
George W. Bush 2006-2040? He'd be the President now, and his father lived to 94.
Of course there was a strong tradition in OTL, completely separate from the actual law, of only standing for two terms. Who knows how this would play out if Presidents were elected for life. Any other thoughts?
Personally I think that any definition of "republican government" that excludes the longest-lasting republic is in need of revision.
