It was 1945, and the Democratic Party ran Franklin Delano Roosevelt for an unprecedented fourth term in the White House. It was the final months of World War II, the start of mandated term limits, and the end of Roosevelt’s life.
In 1940, FDR broke tradition, dating back to George Washington. He would run for a third term. Despite objections from some lawmakers, there was no constitutional barrier in FDR’s way. He defeated Republican Wendell Willkie in a landslide, 449 to 82.
The next four years were brutal for Roosevelt and the rest of the country, as the exhausted president led the global fight against fascism.
Ignoring doctors’ orders and pleas from his family, FDR decided to run again in 1944; he defeated Republican Thomas Dewey in another electoral blowout.
On January 20th, 1945, a frail Roosevelt was sworn into office for the fourth time. FDR’s declining health was concealed from the public.
FDR was losing his mental acuity and was blamed for the bad decisions at Yalta in February 1945.
Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met Joseph Stalin to determine the fate of post-war Europe. According to some historians, Roosevelt misread Stalin—and proved naive about communism itself.
Winston Churchill and British officials were frustrated by FDR’s approach, which they felt was too naive regarding Joseph Stalin’s post-war ambitions in Eastern Europe.
FDR had communists on his staff; so was he naïve or just in agreement? It gave Stalin land, dividing Germany and sacrificing Poland, creating a decades-long nightmare. It set off the Cold War.
Roosevelt suffered from partial paralysis, lung problems, and heart disease. He often smoked 50 cigarettes a day. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt was at his Georgia compound when he began complaining about a terrible headache; quickly, he slumped over in his chair and died from a massive stroke at the age of 63.
As the nation warned, politicians worked to formalize George Washington’s historical precedent to prevent future presidential dynasties. In 1951, the government ratified the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, barring any individual from serving more than two terms in the White House.
