There is no dishonor in serving a single term in US’s highest office. There are quite a number of US presidents who had the job for just four years or fewer. One of the major questions about one-term presidents is whether their fates are shaped mainly by their actions and political failings, or primarily by conditions beyond their control. There are some traits one-term presidents seem to share – a bad economy, poor leadership – but it’s hard to know how much any of those factors are actually within their control.
Here are the US presidents who served only one term.
No. | Name | Presidential term |
1. | Donald Trump1 | 2016-2020 |
2. | George H.W. Bush1 | 1989-1993 |
3. | Jimmy Carter1 | 1977-1981 |
4. | Gerald Ford3 | 1974-1977 |
5. | John F. Kennedy5 | 1961-1963 |
6. | Herbert Hoover1 | 1929-1933 |
7. | Warren Harding4 | 1921-1923 |
8. | William Taft1 | 1909-1913 |
9. | Benjamin Harrison1 | 1889-1893 |
10. | Chester A. Arthur3 | 1881-1885 |
11. | James A. Garfield5 | 1881-1881 |
12. | Rutherford Hayes2 | 1877-1881 |
13. | Andrew Johnson2 | 1865-1869 |
14. | James Buchanan2 | 1857-1861 |
15. | Franklin Pierce2 | 1853-1857 |
16. | Millard Fillmore3 | 1850-1853 |
17. | Zachary Taylor4 | 1849-1850 |
18. | James K. Polk2 | 1845-1849 |
19. | John Tyler3 | 1841-1845 |
20. | William Henry Harrison4 | 1841-1841 |
21. | Martin Van Buren1 | 1837-1841 |
Notes:
- 1Lost re-election bid
- 2Didn’t stand for reelection
- 3Never elected president, serving just partial term
- 4Died in office
- 5Assassinated
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