--Shall the President hold office for a
term of three years, of seven years, or during good behavior? These
were questions of great interest in the Constitutional Convention.
A term of seven years with no re-election was agreed upon, but
toward the end of the convention the clause as given was adopted.
Re-election of a President.--The Constitution does not limit
the number of terms for which a President may be chosen, but the
"third-term tradition" has now made it practically impossible for
the same man to be elected for more than two terms. This custom was
inaugurated by the refusal of President Washington to accept a
third term. President Jefferson was also urged to stand for a third
term, but he, too, preferred to retire to private life as
Washington had done. The adherents of General Grant strove to break
down this precedent in 1880 but were defeated. Although President
Roosevelt had served a part of a term and one full term the
argument of a third term was brought against him.
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