The Quadrennial Quartet: a Presidential Trivia Rabbit Hole
Presidential elections, leap years, the Summer Olympics, and years that are divisible by 4 always go together.*
*Technically, George Washington was elected to his first term in 1789, not 1788, because everyone was too busy ratifying the Constitution in 1788. Except for North Carolina and Rhode Island, which were late. Anyway, the Constitution is very specific about how long terms are and when they end. Because both President Washington and the 1st Congress took office in 1789,** the terms of all Representatives and a third of Senators had to end in 1791 (after 2 years), and Washington’s first term had to end in 1793 (after 4 years). Pursuant to its constitutional powers, Congress set the date for subsequent elections to take place in the year prior to each new Congressional and Presidential term, so the 2nd Congress was elected in 1790, and Washington was reelected in 1792 (with the election of the 3rd Congress).
**They took office later that year than the Constitution prescribed for terms to start. The election was delayed, travel was slow, and the national government was brand new. As a result, George Washington’s first term started almost two months late.***
***Washington was the only president who served two full terms but less than eight full years. Twelve presidents served longer than he did. Franklin D. Roosevelt served three full terms and died during his fourth. Presidents Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Grant, Wilson, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush each served eight consecutive years to the day.**** President Cleveland served eight years to the day, but not consecutively.
****President Obama will join that list on January 20, 2017. As of Thanksgiving Day 2016, he will have served longer than President Washington.
*****I mention the 29th President (Harding, by the way) because Leap Day is February 29th. That’s the joke.
