George Washington set a precedent for the office of the president that was followed by almost every president that was elected after him. George Washington chose to only serve two terms in office. He did this because he believed that if he were to die in office Americans would view presidency as a lifetime appointment. Due to this, he decided to step down after only two terms. The only president to have served more than two terms was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served four terms from 1933 to 1945. Due to this, in 1947 Congress passed the 22nd amendment which stated that a president could not serve more than two terms in office.
