List of United States Presidents by time in office

This is a list of United States Presidents by time in office. The basis of the list is the difference between "dates"; if counted by number of "calendar days" all the figures would be one greater, with the exception of Grover Cleveland who would receive two days.

Rank by time in office

{| class="wikitable"
-! # in
office !! President !! Length
in days !! Rank by
length
of term !! Explanation
-
32 || Franklin D. Roosevelt || 4,422 || 1 || Served three full terms, died early in his fourth term. His first term in office (1933-1937) was the shortest term for an elected President who did not die in office or resign. This is because in 1937, Inauguration Day for the U.S. Presidency was moved to January 20 from March 4. So, Roosevelt's first term lasted from March 4, 1933 until January 20, 1937. He was consequently the first President to be inaugurated on January 20.
-
3 || Thomas Jefferson || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
4 || James Madison || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
5 || James Monroe || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
7 || Andrew Jackson || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland each won the popular or electoral vote in three different elections, but only served two terms. In Jackson's first presidential bid in 1824, he won the electoral vote—and perhaps the popular vote as well—but was denied the presidency after the election was thrown into the House of Representatives. Cleveland won the popular vote 1888 election, but not the electoral vote.]
-
18 || Ulysses S. Grant || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms. Ulysses S. Grant's name was entered into nomination at the 1880 Republican National Convention, which would have resulted in him running for a third term had he been nominated. Grant was the frontrunner through most of the balloting, but compromise candidate James A. Garfield was eventually nominated on the thirty-sixth ballot.]
-
22/24 || Grover Cleveland || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms, not consecutively. Not reelected on first try for a second term.
-
28 || Woodrow Wilson || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
34 || Dwight David Eisenhower || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
40 || Ronald Reagan || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
42 || Bill Clinton || 2,922 || 2 || Served two full terms.
-
1 || George Washington || 2,865 || 12 || Served two full terms, but the first-term inaugural was postponed because the U.S. Congress had not properly convened.
-
33 || Harry S. Truman || 2,840 || 13 || Served the remainder of Franklin Roosevelt's term, elected to a full term.
-bgcolor="ccccff"
43 || George W. Bush || formatnum:#expr:CURRENTJULIANDAY-2451930 round 0 || 14 || Currently serving his second term.George W. Bush, if he serves out his full second term, could tie
*Truman on October 30 2008
*Washington on November 24 2008His time in office would tie or surpass that of all other presidents, except FDR, on January 20 2009.]
-
26 || Theodore Roosevelt || 2,728 || 15 || Served the remainder of McKinley's term, elected to a full term. Four years after leaving office, ran again and lost.
-
30 || Calvin Coolidge || 2,040 || 16 || Served the remainder of Harding's term, elected to a full term.
-
37 || Richard Nixon || 2,027 || 17 || Resigned during his second term.
-
36 || Lyndon B. Johnson || 1,886 || 18 || Served the remainder of Kennedy's term, elected to a full term.
-
25 || William McKinley || 1,654 || 19 || Assassinated early in his second term; his first term was without a leap year, as years that are a multiple of 100, but not 400 are not leap years. The skipped leap year in this case was 1900.
-
16 || Abraham Lincoln || 1,503 || 20 || Assassinated early in his second term.
-
6 || John Quincy Adams || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.
-
8 || Martin Van Buren || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.
-
11 || James Knox Polk || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Did not seek a second term.
-
14 || Franklin Pierce || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Was denied nomination for second term.
-
15 || James Buchanan || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Did not seek a second term.
-
19 || Rutherford B. Hayes || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Did not seek a second term.
-
23 || Benjamin Harrison || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.
-
27 || William Howard Taft || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.
-
31 || Herbert Hoover || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.
-
39 || Jimmy Carter || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.
-
41 || George H. W. Bush || 1,461 || 21 || Served one full term. Not reelected for second term.George H. W. Bush and Dick Cheney each served as Acting President for a fraction of a day while a President underwent a medical procedure; this time is not counted.]
-
2 || John Adams || 1,460 || 32 || Served one full term without a leap year (years that are a multiple of 100, but not 400 are not leap years). The skipped leap year in this case is 1800. Not reelected for second term.
-
10 || John Tyler || 1,430 || 33 || Served the remainder of William Harrison's term. Denied renomination by the Whigs, Tyler flirted with the Liberty Party, but was persuaded not to run by the Democrats (his former party).Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Arthur, and Ford are the only presidents never to have been elected to that office in their own right, having acceded to it from the Vice presidency upon the death or resignation of their predecessor. Ford is the only President to have never been elected President or Vice President, having been appointed by Richard Nixon according to the terms of the 25th Amendment.]
-
17 || Andrew Johnson || 1,419 || 34 || Served the remainder of Lincoln's term. Sought the Democratic nomination in 1868, but was unsuccessful.
-
21 || Chester A. Arthur || 1,262 || 35 || Served the remainder of Garfield's term. Sought a full term, but was not re-nominated.
-
35 || John F. Kennedy || 1,036 || 36 || Assassinated in his first term.
-
13 || Millard Fillmore || 969 || 37 || Served the remainder of Taylor's term. Sought the Whig nomination in 1852, but lost to Winfield Scott. Four years later, ran again (as a Know Nothing) and came in third.
-
38 || Gerald Ford || 895 || 38 || Served the remainder of Nixon's term. Not elected for full term.
-
29 || Warren G. Harding || 881 || 39 || Died in his first term.
-
12 || Zachary Taylor || 491 || 40 || Died in his first term. Did not take the oath of office until March 5, 1849, because March 4th fell on a Sunday and Taylor declined to take the oath on Sunday because of his religious beliefs.
-
20 || James A. Garfield || 199 || 41 || Assassinated within less than a year of his first term.
-
9 || William Henry Harrison || 31 || 42 || Died within a month of his first term.

Notes

According to the 22nd Amendment, no President may serve longer than a decade (period of ten years) (2 terms plus a maximum of 2 years having acceded as President under some other President's term). This means that Franklin Delano Roosevelt will always be the number one in the record unless the 22nd Amendment is changed or repealed.