Sacked, jailed, purged or beaten at the polls, and back in office regardless. The gap between the fall and the return runs from two years to twenty-seven.
1Nelson MandelaWent from prisoner number 46664 to head of state in four years.1000pts
2Winston ChurchillLost a landslide in July 1945 weeks after victory in Europe, then walked back into Downing Street in 1951 aged 76.560pts
3Theodore RooseveltLeft the presidency, fell out with his successor and outpolled him running as a third-party candidate.503pts
4Andrew JacksonWon the popular vote in 1824, lost the presidency in the House, and came back to take it in 1828.502pts
5Indira GandhiVoted out and briefly jailed in 1977, back as prime minister in 1980.435pts
6Grover ClevelandThe only US president to lose the White House and then win it back four years later.435pts
7Charles de GaulleRetired to write his memoirs in 1946 and was recalled to found a new republic in 1958.356pts
8Abraham LincolnLost a Senate race in 1858 to the man he beat for the presidency two years later.356pts
9Robert the BruceBeaten, excommunicated and in hiding before Bannockburn settled the argument.356pts
10AlcibiadesAthenian general who defected to Sparta, then to Persia, then got his Athenian command back.261pts
11Richard NixonTold the press in 1962 they would not have him to kick around any more, and won the presidency six years later.261pts
12Franklin D. RooseveltParalysed by polio in 1921 and elected governor, then president, in the decade that followed.261pts
13Konrad AdenauerSacked as mayor of Cologne, arrested twice, then chancellor at 73 and in office for fourteen years.0pts
14Deng XiaopingPurged twice, then returned to run the reforms that rebuilt China's economy.0pts
Comments 1
Voters handed Labour a 146-seat majority in July 1945 while his personal approval sat above eighty per cent; he was back in office by 1951: https://youpick.best/articles/winston-churchill-ranked-many-ways
YP
ypb-teamAug 21
