On this day in history, Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to run for the presidency by the Progressive Party, a group of Republicans unsatisfied with the renomination of President William Howard Taft. Better known as the Bull Moose Party, the Progressive Manifesto called for the direct election of U.S. Senators, tariff reduction, woman suffrage, and many social reforms. Roosevelt entered a rigorous course of action as the party’s presidential candidate. A central point in his platform was the “Square Deal” – Roosevelt’s idea of a society based on fair business competition and increased welfare for needy Americans.
History Daily: 365 Fascinating Happenings Volume 1 & Volume 2 – August 7, 1912
Theodore Roosevelt’s terms as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt was initially elected vice president on the same ticket as William McKinley in 1900, but in September 1901, McKinley was assassinated, and Roosevelt finished McKinley’s term. He then ran for and was successful in the presidential campaign of 1904.
By 1908, Roosevelt had decided not to re-offer, urging his ally and personal friend William Howard Taft to run instead of him. Taft was picked to run and then won the presidency for the Republican Party. Roosevelt became unhappy with Taft because he was not following progressive policies.
At first, Theodore Roosevelt seemed an improbable candidate for the 1912 presidential election. After choosing his dear friend William Howard Taft to act as his successor, he went on an extended hunting trip to Africa. But Roosevelt became increasingly disenchanted with Taft and finally decided to challenge him for the next Republican presidential nomination. “My hat is in the ring,” Roosevelt stated in February 1912. “The fight is on, and I am stripped to the buff.”
Mostly, candidates in prior elections had primarily refrained from overt campaigning. Roosevelt changed this by giving speeches nationwide, especially in the dozen states that held direct primaries. He referred to Taft as a “fathead” with “the brains of a guinea pig,” and Taft responded by calling Roosevelt’s followers “radicals” and “neurotics.” Roosevelt felt it was challenging to sit on the sidelines while Taft was screwing up. Taft did not take kindly to Roosevelt’s denigrating comments about him.
Though Roosevelt won most primaries, he came up short of the delegates needed at the rambunctious Republican National Convention in Chicago, forcing him and his supporters to leave in an uproar. They then gathered across town and created the Progressive Party, nicknamed the Bull Moose Party because Roosevelt said he was fit as a bull moose.
The Progressive Party was constructed on the strength of Roosevelt’s ideas. He portrayed himself as an advocate for the average citizen, whom he said should play a more significant role in government. His running mate, Hiram Johnson of California, was a progressive governor with a record of successfully implementing social reforms.
True to Roosevelt’s progressive beliefs, the party’s platform called for significant reforms, including women’s suffrage, revisions in banking, social welfare assistance for women and children, farm relief, health insurance in industries, and worker’s compensation. The party also wanted a more straightforward method to amend the Constitution.
In 1912, voters chose Taft, Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic candidate.
On October 12, minutes before a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Roosevelt was shot at close range by anarchist John Flammang Schrank. Schrank, who was immediately arrested, stated as his motive that any man wanting a third term as president should be shot. Roosevelt only suffered a flesh wound and went on to give his anticipated speech, stating, “You see, it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose!” The former “Rough Rider” later collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where he recovered quickly.
Roosevelt shared many progressive policies with Wilson, yet his core support came from ex-Republicans who defected from the party. Taft was defeated, getting 3.5 million votes compared to Roosevelt’s 4.1 million. Taft and Roosevelt earned 50% of the popular vote to Wilson’s 43%. However, the two former allies split the vote, opening the door for Wilson’s victory.
While the Bull Moose Party lost at the national level in 1912, it was energized by the force of support. Continuing to be bolstered by Roosevelt’s Rough Rider persona, the party named candidates on the ballot at several state and local elections. They were convinced the Republican Party would be swept away, leaving U.S. politics to the Progressives and Democrats.
However, after the 1912 campaign, Roosevelt went on a geographic and natural history expedition to the Amazon River in Brazil. The journey began in 1913 and was a disaster, and Roosevelt returned in 1914 sick, lethargic, and frail. Even though he publicly renewed his pledge to fight for his Progressive Party, he was no longer a robust figure.
Without the enthusiastic support of Roosevelt, the 1914 election results were disheartening for the Bull Moose Party as many voters returned to the Republican Party.
By 1916, the Bull Moose Party had changed: A prominent leader, Perkins, was convinced that the best route was to unite with Republicans against the Democrats. While the Republicans were interested in working with the Progressives, they were not enthralled by Roosevelt.
In any case, Roosevelt turned down the nomination after the Bull Moose Party chose him to run in the presidential election. The party tried next to give the nomination to Charles Evan Hughes, a sitting justice on the Supreme Court, but Hughes also declined. The Progressives’ last executive committee meeting was held in New York on May 24, 1916, two weeks prior to the Republican National Convention. Even then, they could not come up with a reasonable alternative to Roosevelt.
Without its Bull Moose leading the way, the party dissolved shortly after that. Roosevelt died of stomach cancer in 1919.
(Image: Theodore Roosevelt, 1904. Wikimedia Commons.)
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