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Franklin D. Roosevelt Wins Fourth Term

1944

In the midst of World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt runs for an unprecedented fourth term. New York Gov. Thomas Dewey runs against Roosevelt, choosing not to criticize the president’s handling of the war, but instead criticizing his ability to lead the nation given his age and health. He calls Roosevelt “a tired old man.” The strategy does not work, and Roosevelt is returned to office one last time. He will die in April 1945, only four months into his fourth term.