U.S. Presidents who did not win a second term in office.
John Adams (1797-1801):
Lost to Thomas Jefferson in 1800
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829):
Lost to Andrew Jackson in 1828
Martin Van Buren (1837-1841):
Lost to William Henry Harrison in 1840.
James K. Polk (1845-1849):
Chose not to seek a second term.
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857):
Lost to James Buchanan in 1856.
James Buchanan (1857-1861):
Served one term and did not seek reelection
Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881):
Did not seek reelection in 1880
Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893):
Lost to Grover Cleveland in 1892
William H. Taft (1909-1913): Finished third in the 1912 election
Herbert Hoover (1929-1933):
Lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981):
Lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980
George H.W. Bush (1989-1993): Lost to Bill Clinton in 1992.
Donald J. Trump (2017-2021):
Lost to Joe Biden in 2020.