Pre-1900 Three Term Presidency

I hope the title makes sense. What I'm wondering is, what would happen if a President of the United States had served three full terms as president before 1900.

Washington would likely be the best bet for this to happen, but I think he was unhealty and might have died in his third term. If not him I would consider...

Jefferson
Jackson
Lincoln (If he survives and reconstrusction is going very well...)
maybe Grant (I think he wanted another term)
Clevland?

Lets first look at the plausibility for this happening...what are the odds?
What would someone do with three terms?
Would their still be a two-term limit later on?
Or would three terms become the norm?
 
Lincoln wanted to retire and go to the west coast with Mary and explore California and the west in their golden years, so its not gonna be him.

If Grant were less incompetent with his belief in the people in his administration and his friends, he may have been able to get a third term or if he was able to clinch it when he actually tried to get the GOP nomination again in the OTL.

A favorite one of mine would be Garfield. History hints he could have been a massive reformer and sort of proto-Trust Buster had he not been killed, and his popularity with the public because of that could have warranted a third term.
 
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Lincoln wanted to retire and go to the west coast with Mary and explore California and the west in their golden years, so its not gonna be him.

I'll put that on my List-Of-Things-About-Lincoln-I-Learned-That-I-Didn't Know-But-Now-I'm-Glad-I-Do :)

Seriously, I'm amazed that you know that.

Anyway, I think Lincoln is unlikely to get elected again even if he wanted to be. But maybe I'm falling for the Live Lincoln= Johnson idea.

If not him, than who?
 
I'll put that on my List-Of-Things-About-Lincoln-I-Learned-That-I-Didn't Know-But-Now-I'm-Glad-I-Do :)

Seriously, I'm amazed that you know that.

Anyway, I think Lincoln is unlikely to get elected again even if he wanted to be. But maybe I'm falling for the Live Lincoln= Johnson idea.

If not him, than who?

It was from that PBS documentary they did on Lincoln I think. Or from some show where the Lincoln historian lady spoke. I doubt Lincoln would be a Johnson in any case. Johnson was unwilling to work with Congress. Lincoln would work with Congress. I also think Lincoln would do some of the things the so called "Radical Republicans" did such as education and troop occupation and cracking down on the Klan, and would be willing to tailor Reconstruction to the moment and what he thought was needed if something came up.

I edited some things in the above post concerning who else, btw. I'm personally a stickler for Garfield for some reason.
 
George Washington is the obvious choice. Had he sought a third term, he would have gotten it-period.

Grant came close in 1880.

So George Washington and President Grant could have been third termers.

(Washington probably dies in office though.)
 
Washington seeking a third term and dying in office would be very interesting. His second term had significant factional conflict and Washington was seen as being a pro-Hamilton Federalist. I don't think Adams would run in the election, which would put either Jefferson or Pinckney in the Vice-Presidential slot. I would guess Pinckney, since Washington-Pinckney will be the undivided Federalist ticket. With the French Revolution and the Quasi-War, the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Washington leaving the political scene half-way thorough his term (thus producing the first constitutional crisis), this should be extremely interesting.

If the ATL follows OTL roughly, then a Provisional Army will be raised in 1798 during the run-up to an expected war with France. OTL Washington was appointed to command the army, but Hamilton was in de facto control. Washington died while still the commander-in-chief of that Provisional Army. I think Hamilton would be appointed ATL, since he was Washington's choice for second in command OTL.

Imagine. Washington dies as the country is on the verge of war with France. Pinckney, a Hamilton Federalist, is Acting President, Hamilton is in command of the Provisional Army. The Federalists have control of the House and Senate. War with France and the continued existance of the Federalists as a political force?
 
The Federalists never really could have survived in the long run. They were a sectional party (after 1799) devoted to a single, small constituency. Their main advantage was their organization. Once another, more populist party achieved the same level of organization they would never have been able to compete, as IOTL.
 
For Want of a Barn Door

I read that Washington died because he tracked around a rainstorm after some of his farm animals got lose, and so caught pneumonia. He died in part because his doctor used bleeding techniques.

So... I think it is quite possible for Washington to wait until, say, March 10th 1801 to die, fulfilling his full third term.
 
Of course if Washington doesn't set the precedent of just two-terms by taking a third term even if he dies in it could change a whole lot down the road.
 
I imagine James K. Polk could have served a second and maybe third term if not for his health problems.

He would have had to face the problems regarding slavery then -especially the Compromise of 1850 that was inevtiable with California becoming a state. Any result would have pissed off a large segment of the electorate, which is partially why I now think Polk decided not to run for an another term-to avoid any difficulty regarding the slavery question and tarnishing his legacy so he could be viewed as a great conquering President who kept all his promises in one term-a sort of an American Cincinnatus.
 
Has anybody mentioned Henry Clay? He was never President, but had he become President, he might have pulled of three-terms.

yes, this is a bump ;)
 
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