Quote Originally Posted by Behold the Void
And thus set a precedent that has been followed more or less over the years. The actual law didn't come into place much later, though I don't quite remember the date.
I think it was during Truman's administration. The previous president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, had died near the end of his fourth consecutive term. In fact, FDR was the only American president to serve more than two terms, if I remember correctly.