US Presidents with the Most Vetoes

A veto is referred to as the power of the leader of the executive, mainly the president, to reject proposals or decisions that the legislature make or pass. Vetoes could be categorized as either absolute or limited. It could also be regular or pocket veto. In the United States, a pocket veto is exercised when the president fails to sign a bill and does not return it to Congress and within the 10-day period the bill fails to become a law. President Roosevelt vetoed a total of 635 times while in office.

US President with Most Vetoes

Franklin D Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt led the United States as its 32nd president and was in office from 1933 to 1945, becoming the only president to be elected four times. President Roosevelt used his veto power a record of 635 times. A more significant percentage of the vetoes numbering 372 were regular while 263 of them were pocket vetoes. His vetoes would have numbered higher, but nine of them were overridden. Franklin Roosevelt vetoed a tax bill that according to him would have only benefitted the greedy, thus going against a tradition of not turning down revenue measures.

Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland is famed as the first and only person to run the office of the president for non-consecutive two terms. He became president in the years 1885 through 1889 becoming the 22nd president and later in 1893 through 1897 as the 24th president. Grover Cleveland is known for his strong stance against corruption. In line with his honesty in the face of corruption, he vetoed 584 times and is the president with the second highest amount of vetoes. His regular vetoes stand at 346 while 238 of them were pocket vetoes. President Cleveland’s seven vetoes were overridden. Cleveland was vehemently against the abuse of the pension system that Congress attempted. This move saved taxpayers huge sums of money from wastage through false claims.

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was in power from 1945 to 1953, directly following Franklin D. Roosevelt. His presidency began during World War II. President Truman comes in third with 250 vetoes, 180 of them being regular vetoes and 70 being pocket vetoes, while 12 of his vetoes were overridden. One of his vetoes that was overridden by the Congress was an act that supported the strict restriction of organized labor in 1947.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower led the United States as its 34th president, after retiring from the American Army following his success in the WWII. President Eisenhower was a five-star general in the American Army before joining politics. He served two terms between 1953 and 1961. During his presidency, he vetoed 181 times and is the fourth president with most vetoes in the US. Out of his 181 vetoes, 73 of them were regular while 108 were pocket vetoes. Two of Dwight Eisenhower’s vetoes were overridden by the Congress. Some of President Eisenhower’s vetoes stopped overspending of Congress on domestic issues.

Vetoes by the United States Presidents

Veto power has been used to check on the actions of the Congress in formulating laws. Some presidents used their powers overwhelmingly while some used their veto power sparingly. There are some of the presidents who ignored the existence of the veto power and instead never used them.