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Cool history fact you may not know

On September 20, 1881, Chester Arthur was inaugurated, making him the third person to serve as president that year.

The year 1881 commenced with Republican Rutherford B. Hayes in office. He served out his first and only term and officially handed the reins of government to his friend James A. Garfield in March.

Just four months into his term, on July 2, Garfield was shot by a deranged assassin named Charles Guiteau, who claimed to have killed Garfield because he failed to grant him a a political appointment. Garfield sustained wounds to his abdomen and back and struggled to recover that summer. Though it seemed he'd pull through in early September, the autopsy report showed that the internal bullet wound contributed to an aneurysm that ultimately killed Garfield on September 19.

The next day, Vice President Chester Arthur was sworn in as president. Garfield’s assassin wrote to the new president from jail, taking credit for propelling Arthur into the White House. Arthur served only one term from 1881 to 1885.

This was only the second time in American history that three men served as president in one year. A similar situation took place in 1841, when Martin Van Buren; William Henry Harrison, who died a month into his presidency; and John Tyler all held the office.

It's interesting how some presidents have served less than one year in office, while others have served eight. Franklin Roosevelt was the longest serving president in American History. He died three months into his fourth term. The 22nd Amendment, passed by Congress in 1947, limits an elected president to two terms in office, a total of eight years.

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