Congress passed the 22nd Amendment on March 21, 1947, and the states ratified it on February 27, 1951, when Minnesota became the 36th state to approve it. The formal certification followed two days later, on March 1, 1951, locking the two-term limit on the presidency into the Constitution.
Congressional Passage in 1947
House Joint Resolution 27 was introduced on January 3, 1947, the first day of the 80th Congress.1Library of Congress. Ratification Anniversary The House passed it a month later, on February 6, 1947, by a vote of 285 to 122. The split fell along sharp partisan lines: every Republican who voted said yes, while Democrats opposed it 121 to 47.2GovTrack.us. H J Res 27 – Proposing an Amend. to the Constitution Relating to the Terms of Office of President – Passage
The Senate rewrote parts of the language before passing its own version, with a unified Republican caucus joined by nine southern Democrats. The House then accepted the Senate’s revisions. The final joint resolution cleared Congress on March 21, 1947, sending the proposed amendment to the state legislatures.1Library of Congress. Ratification Anniversary
Article V of the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers to propose an amendment.3Constitution Annotated. ArtV.3.1 Overview of Proposing Amendments The resolution cleared that bar, but the partisan character of the vote signaled that ratification would not be quick.
A Nearly Four-Year Ratification
Ratification required approval from three-fourths of the states, which in 1947 meant 36 of 48.3Constitution Annotated. ArtV.3.1 Overview of Proposing Amendments The resolution carried no ratification deadline, so states were free to take their time. Some acted within weeks. Others deliberated for years.
The count reached the constitutional threshold on February 27, 1951, when Minnesota became the 36th state to ratify.4National Archives. Running for Office – Cartoons of Clifford K. Berryman A handful of states ratified later, but at least seven never did, including Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The slow pace reflected genuine disagreement about whether a permanent term limit was sound governance or a partisan reaction to a single presidency.
Final Certification on March 1, 1951
Two days after Minnesota’s vote, on March 1, 1951, Jess Larson, the Administrator of General Services, signed the formal certification declaring the 22nd Amendment part of the Constitution.5GovInfo. Twenty-Second Amendment – Certification That administrative step converted the ratified resolution into enforceable constitutional law. The duty sat with the General Services Administration rather than the State Department because of a 1950 reorganization that had moved the certification function.
Why It Took Almost Four Years
The amendment was a direct response to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four consecutive presidential victories. No law had ever required presidents to step aside after two terms. George Washington simply chose not to run a third time in 1796, and every president after him followed that example for nearly 150 years until Roosevelt broke it in 1940 and again in 1944.6FDR Presidential Library & Museum. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Presidency Roosevelt died in office in April 1945 after more than twelve years as president.
When Republicans took control of the 80th Congress in the 1946 midterms, writing that informal norm into the Constitution was a priority. Democrats controlled many state legislatures and viewed the proposal as an attack on Roosevelt’s legacy, which is why ratification stretched across four calendar years instead of moving quickly through the states.
What the Amendment Did Once Ratified
The core rule is that no person can be elected president more than twice. A successor who serves more than two years of another president’s term can be elected only once on their own. A successor who serves two years or less can still be elected twice. The practical ceiling is roughly ten years in office.7Congress.gov. U.S. Constitution – Twenty-Second Amendment
The amendment carried a narrow grandfather clause exempting whoever was president when Congress proposed it. That was Harry Truman, who had succeeded Roosevelt in 1945 and won his own full term in 1948. Truman was legally free to run again in 1952 and initially planned to, but he lost the New Hampshire Democratic primary to Senator Estes Kefauver and withdrew from the race. Every president elected since has been bound by the two-term ceiling that took effect on February 27, 1951.