Franklin Roosevelt defeated Hoover in 1932, and was elected for a record four terms. He died shortly after beginning his fourth term, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Harry Truman. Truman went on to be re-elected to a full term of his own in the election of 1948. He declined to run for another term in 1952, and retired to his home in Independence, Missouri. He remained active in Democratic politics, campaigning for Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956 (even though he had supported Missouri Senator Stuart Symington for the nomination in 1956) and John Kennedy in 1960 (in spite of misgivings about his inexperience). In 1964, he represented the United States at the funeral of King Paul I of Greece. In 1965, he welcomed President Lyndon Johnson to Independence, Missouri, for the signing of the Medicare Act. Johnson went to Independence for the signing to honor Truman, who had been an early advocate of national health insurance. Truman’s health began to decline in 1966, necessitating numerous hospital visits. He died on December 26, 1972 of “organic failures causing a collapse of the cardiovascular system.”
Dwight Eisenhower followed Truman in the White House. After serving two terms (he was the first President limited to two terms by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution), he retired to his farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He wrote several books, the most popular being his best-selling “Crusades in Europe” about World War II. In spite of arthritis, he continued to play golf regularly. He scored a hole-in-one in 1968. “Ike,” as he was called, continued to be active in Republican councils. He reluctantly supported Goldwater in 1964, and broke his own rule about supporting candidates for the nomination by endorsing Nixon for the nomination in 1968. He also supported the war in Vietnam. Eisenhower had survived a heart attack while he was President, and his heart trouble grew progressively worse. He suffered two heart attacks in November 1965, one in March 1968, another in June 1968, and two more in August 1968. Each time, he recovered, but with a progressively weaker heart. In February 1969, he contracted pneumonia after surgery. From March 1965, he declined steadily with congestive heart failure and died on March 28, 1969.
In the last article in this series, we will review the retirement years of the most recent Presidents.
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