Op-Ed
What’s wrong with one-term presidents? Nothing
By David Magnusson
Following the death of President George H.W. Bush plenty of praise, and rightfully so, has been heaped upon him. It is unfortunate that we, as Americans, tend to downplay the greatness of a given president because he failed to capture a second term.
Quite frankly, with the exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s three full terms and four election wins, most re-elected presidents seem to see their luster fade from their presidencies by year seven, if not six. Most two-term presidents appear to have had their most success in the first term, not the other way around. Why the stigma?
And if there is in fact a stigma, will half of their first term deal with trying to secure a second term thus doing nothing that could seemingly mess up the works for re-election.
There have been 12-one term presidents who were elected in their own right. This does not include those who came to power via presidential deaths or resignations such as John Tyler, Lyndon B. Johnson, Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge. Of those 12 pure one-termers, only three chose not to run for re-election:
▪ James Polk kept a promise that he would only serve for one term, being that he accomplished that which he set out to do in four years. He strengthened the military, he expanded this nation greatly acquiring the Oregon territory and California, he reduced tariffs, and established, or more aptly, re-established the Treasury system. Polk kept his word.
He did not run for re-election. Undoubtedly, he would have won. Sadly, he died of cholera only 100 days after leaving office.
▪ James Buchanan, saw the country coming to a boiling point just before the outbreak of the Civil War chose not to run. Buchanan, doing his best Nero, seemingly fiddled (and did nothing) while this country was set to burn. Perhaps the most qualified man ever to run for, and win the presidency, he consistently ranks as the worst president this nation ever had. He told incoming President Lincoln “Mr. Lincoln, if you are as happy to enter this house as I am to leave it, you are the happiest man in America.”
▪ Rutherford B. Hayes, like Polk, also gave his word he would only serve one term. He came into office after Republican operatives did some closed door wheeling and dealing thus successfully stealing the election from Samuel Tilden in 1876, and right here in Florida. Go figure. For his entire term, his was known as “Rutherfraud.” Still, he did embrace civil service reform as well as a strong Latin America policy. He was a decent man and fair president. A fellow Ohioan, James Garfield, followed Hayes into the White House.
On a side note, there is a fourth person who did not run for re-election, technically speaking. Franklin Pierce had the dubious distinction of being the only elected (in his own right) one-term president who did not win the nomination of his party though he sought re-election. In any case, the winner that election was Buchanan, our worst aforementioned president.
So where does George H,W. Bush stand as a one term president? As a historian, I place him ahead of at least two- two term presidents such as Ulysses S. Grant and Wilson. It is far too early to compare him to Bill Clinton, George Bush 43 or Barack Obama.
Regarding one term presidents, I place only Polk and Adams, ahead of Bush. The fathers apparently do a better job than the sons. I keep telling my boys the same thing; If only they would listen to the warnings that history gracefully serves up, often in hushed tones. They need to listen for it and to it. It ultimately is the reality.
David Magnusson is a retired Miami Police Department major and former Chief of Police of the Havelock Police in North Carolina.He’s researched and written extensively on presidential history.
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