Which presidents sought a third full term and what years did they run?

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt — ran for a third full term in 1940 (and a fourth in 1944)

Franklin D. Roosevelt broke the long-standing two‑term precedent by accepting the Democratic nomination and winning a third term in the 1940 presidential election, taking office for that third term on January 20, 1941, and later winning a fourth term in 1944 before his death in 1945; his multiple terms directly drove Congress and the states to ratify the 22nd Amendment in 1951 to bar future third-term candidacies ^{[1] [7] [8]}.

2. Theodore Roosevelt — sought a non‑consecutive third term in 1912

After serving two terms (1901–1909) and declining to run in 1908, Theodore Roosevelt returned to seek the presidency again in 1912 as the Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party candidate, an explicit attempt at a third (non‑consecutive) term that split the Republican vote and resulted in his finishing behind the Democratic and Republican nominees ^{[2] [6]}.

3. Ulysses S. Grant — sought the Republican nomination as a third-term bid in 1880

Ulysses S. Grant, president from 1869–1877, was urged back into the political arena and did mount a campaign for a third (non‑consecutive) presidential run by seeking the Republican nomination at the 1880 convention; he led much of the early balloting but ultimately failed to secure the nomination, an episode documented as one of the notable pre‑22nd Amendment third‑term attempts ^{[3] [9]}.

4. Woodrow Wilson — intended a third-term bid in 1920 but was incapacitated

Woodrow Wilson was reportedly preparing to seek another term in 1920, effectively aiming for a third consecutive term after 1916, but a severe stroke in late 1919 left him physically and politically unable to press a campaign; therefore his intent is recorded in contemporary accounts and later synopses, even though he did not actively campaign ^[4].

5. Harry S. Truman — considered a 1952 run during the amendment’s ratification phase

Because the language of the 22nd Amendment left certain transitional questions, Harry S. Truman explored a 1952 run after having succeeded FDR and won in 1948, and contemporaneous reporting and later summaries note that Truman at one point considered running in 1952 but faltered in early primary contests (notably New Hampshire) and withdrew ^{[5] [7]}.

6. Ambiguities and contested entries — Grover Cleveland and others

Some secondary lists and popular histories include Grover Cleveland among presidents who “attempted” third terms, reflecting the complexity of what counts as a third term when non‑consecutive service and multiple candidacies are involved: Cleveland was elected in 1884, lost in 1888, and won in 1892—his 1892 victory is sometimes described as a return attempt that could be framed as seeking a third separate term in a broader sense, though sources vary on labeling and emphasis ^{[6] [9]}. Scholarly treatments caution that definitions matter: did a president “seek a third term” only when running for election to a third four‑year term, or also when pursuing a non‑consecutive return? Different sources answer differently ^{[2] [6]}.

Conclusion — narrow set of clear cases, wider set of near‑misses

The clearest, indisputable third‑term seeker and winner is Franklin D. Roosevelt ; Theodore Roosevelt and Ulysses S. Grant are the best‑documented pre‑22nd Amendment attempts, with Woodrow Wilson’s thwarted plans and Harry Truman’s brief 1952 effort illustrating near‑misses; additional names appear in some compilations depending on how historians and journalists count non‑consecutive returns or aborted campaigns, and contemporary sources emphasize that the 22nd Amendment was a direct institutional reaction to FDR’s unprecedented multi‑term presidency ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [7]}.