So here’s how I tackled this presidential two-termer research today. Woke up thinking, "Heard folks argue about Reagan's terms at the bar last night… gonna settle this myself." Grabbed my laptop still half-asleep, coffee brewing in the background.
The Initial Mess
Started scribbling names in my notebook like a madman. Washington? Obvious. Jefferson? Yeah. Then hit my first snag. Cleveland popped into my head—knew he won twice, but forgot his terms were split. Scribbled him down then crossed it out ’cause I wasn’t sure. Memory’s fuzzy before coffee.
Punched "presidents two terms" into my browser. Immediately regretted it. Every site listed names without context, some missing Adams entirely. One trashy listicle even included Teddy Roosevelt but forgot FDR? Nope. Didn’t trust any of ’em.
Digging Deeper (And Getting Annoyed)
Cracked open Wikipedia. Man, those timelines are dense. Scrolled forever squinting at tiny text:
- Found Grant buried in Civil War stuff—almost missed him.
- Wilson’s second term? Right after "kept us outta war" promise. Irony.
- Stared at Cleveland’s entry like, "1885–1889 AND 1893–1897? Split terms count?!"
Checked dates like a detective: Jefferson (1801–1809) ✅, Jackson (1829–1837) ✅. Then stumbled on Johnson. "1865–1869… wait, he finished Lincoln’s term AND got elected?!" Nope—only served 4 years. Almost got trapped. Crossed him out hard.
The Final Tally
After an hour of cross-referencing and triple-checking start/end years against election maps, here’s the real deal:
- Washington (1789–1797)
- Jefferson (1801–1809)
- Madison (1809–1817)
- Monroe (1817–1825)
- Jackson (1829–1837)
- Grant (1869–1877)
- Cleveland (1885–1889 & 1893–1897)
- Wilson (1913–1921)
- FDR (1933–1945)
- Eisenhower (1953–1961)
- Reagan (1981–1989)
- Clinton (1993–2001)
- Bush Jr. (2001–2009)
- Obama (2009–2017)
Boom. Cleveland’s the weirdo with non-consecutive terms. FDR’s four terms still feels illegal. And lemme tell ya—my neck hurts from hunching over screens. Next time someone argues presidents at the bar? Pulling this list out like a mic drop. Might even print it on beer coasters.
