WI; Washington Third Term

The obvious is that Washington does not survive. That's not really what I'd like to know.

What I'd like to know is how does this affect the presidency in the long term - does 'three terms' become the same kind of limit two terms is OTL? Or does it become an office you can serve until death, as long as you're consistently re-elected?
 
The whole "is acting President president or not? Do we hold special election?" thing could really screw around with politics. John Tyler was never considered "real" president by his contemporaries.
 

Stolengood

Banned
...except Washington probably DOES survive, because how he died was a complete fluke. It's butterflied if he does accept a third term.
 
...except Washington probably DOES survive, because how he died was a complete fluke. It's butterflied if he does accept a third term.

Really now? Interesting point... I always thought he retired because of age and health than because of intention to set a precedent.

Mind you, I'm out of my comfort zone with this. I usually only deal post-WWII.
 

Stolengood

Banned
Really now? Interesting point... I always thought he retired because of age and health than because of intention to set a precedent.

Mind you, I'm out of my comfort zone with this. I usually only deal post-WWII.
Washington died as a result of acute bacterial epiglottitis; had he not been at Mount Vernon when he was, and instead was in New York or Washington, he probably wouldn't have contracted what killed him.
 
Except he might've contracted something else instead; he didn't have the strongest constitution as President.
 

Stolengood

Banned
Except he might've contracted something else instead; he didn't have the strongest constitution as President.
Was that a pun? :D

Regardless... I still think he might've survived a third term. Probably would've stopped there; if he was reluctant for the term initially, I can't see how he'd possibly want to add yet another one onto it.
 

Japhy

Banned
Except he might've contracted something else instead; he didn't have the strongest constitution as President.

None the less its foolish to assume that its an impossibility for him to live to 1801.

Whats worth noting is that Washington's reputation probably takes a hit. What letters of his we have from his *Third Term period are focused on the necessity of curbing the "Jacobin Threat". Washington was fully supportive of the Alien and Sedition Acts as well as the Hamiltonian Federalist view on how to use them and the Army to secure the nation from the dangers of the French/Revolutionary Threat.

Not that any of that means that the US is going to be siding with Great Britain in any coalition.
 
Presidents who could have had a third term. If they wanted one. Jefferson, Monroe, Jackson, Grant, T. Roosevelt. ( do you count taking over as a term? or do you have to be elected 3 times on your own?) Coolidge, (FDR had 4) Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton. Seems pretty hard to get three terms if legal or if Washington had not started a two term tradition.
 

Japhy

Banned
The Two Term Tradition by the way, is more dependent on Jefferson citing Washington and not going for a third term then Washington himself.
 
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