# When was the last time Dems held the White House for three terms in a row? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080 "2016-11-08T17:11:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/1 "2016-11-08T17:11:33Z")
Title says it all. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/2 "2016-11-08T17:18:22Z")
[FDR/Truman.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States) JFK did not serve a full term. ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/3 "2016-11-08T17:19:09Z")
FDR-Truman; 1933-1953. Ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/4 "2016-11-08T17:19:11Z")
1933 - 1953 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/5 "2016-11-08T17:29:39Z")
Five terms in a row is going to be tough to beat, especially with term limits. The only longer run for a party was six terms for Republicans between 1861-1885 (although technically Lincoln ran on the National Union ticket in 1864). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/6 "2016-11-08T17:35:29Z")
Honestly, I think the alternation of parties has been a good thing, but I’m speaking of the days when there was one party in the administration and a loyal opposition outside of it. Not a game of king-of-the-hill with machetes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/7 "2016-11-08T17:47:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Five terms in a row is going to be tough to beat, especially with term limits. > > The only longer run for a party was six terms for Republicans between 1861-1885 (although technically Lincoln ran on the National Union ticket in 1864). I am gonna argue the party of Lincoln was not the Republican party, things have changed quite a bit in the last seven score years and some. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/8 "2016-11-08T18:01:37Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Honestly, I think the alternation of parties has been a good thing, but I’m speaking of the days when there was one party in the administration and a loyal opposition outside of it. Not a game of king-of-the-hill with machetes. > [@DrDeth](#): > > I am gonna argue the party of Lincoln was not the Republican party, things have changed quite a bit in the last seven score years and some. **Moderating** This is not the place for political discussions of this nature. Start another thread in an appropriate forum if you want to discuss whether alternation of parties is a good thing, or how the parties have changed. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/9 "2016-11-08T18:12:03Z")
And in any event, the point being made was the length of time under a single party’s control, and aside from whether the party of Lincoln is the same as the party of Trump, it probably was the same as the party of Benjamin Harrison. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/10 "2016-11-08T18:15:21Z")
Interesting, the only other time a Democrats held the White House three terms was Andrew Jackson/Martin Van Buren from 1829 - 1841 … ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/11 "2016-11-08T18:22:56Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Interesting, the only other time a Democrats held the White House three terms was Andrew Jackson/Martin Van Buren from 1829 - 1841 … Unless you count the Democrats as being the same party as the Democratic-Republicans, in which case they held the presidency for 10 terms (1801-1841), and in any case the Democratic-Republicans held it for seven terms. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/12 "2016-11-08T18:45:22Z")
Hmm, whyever do you ask that now? 😉 [The wink to notify the mods.] ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/13 "2016-11-08T19:05:50Z")
Why is this night different from every other night? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/14 "2016-11-08T19:42:37Z")
**Guys this is election day duh.** :rolleyes:🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/15 "2016-11-08T20:12:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderating** > > This is not the place for political discussions of this nature. Start another thread in an appropriate forum if you want to discuss whether alternation of parties is a good thing, or how the parties have changed. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator **Colibri** , since the question has already been answered, if you’d like to move this to another forum, I’m okay with that. Thanks for the responses guys. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/16 "2016-11-09T00:47:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Five terms in a row is going to be tough to beat, especially with term limits. > > The only longer run for a party was six terms for Republicans between 1861-1885 (although technically Lincoln ran on the National Union ticket in 1864). That streak is phony. We should never forget the election of 1876, because it was the worst, most corrupt, rigged election in our country’s history. Very short version: three Southern states sent two slates of electors to the Electoral College, one Democratic, one Republican. Historians agree that the Democrats had the numbers but they withdrew their electors in return for the end of Reconstruction. It’s actually worse than that summary indicates. Here’s a [still brief explanation](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_election.html). Nothing we do in modern times comes within miles of that level of corruption. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/17 "2016-11-09T02:32:33Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > **When was the last time Dems held the White House for three terms in a row?** If only there were some magical machine from which you could obtain this info. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-dems-held-the-white-house-for-three-terms-in-a-row/771080/18 "2016-11-09T03:55:38Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > **Colibri** , since the question has already been answered, if you’d like to move this to another forum, I’m okay with that. No reason to. People can open a new thread if they want.