Bull Moose Goes Down - A TL

[Pingvin]

Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose. But fortunately I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet - there is where the bullet went through - and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.
- Theodore Roosevelt - October 14, 1912
NEW YORK TIMES: FMR. PRESIDENT SHOT DEAD, NATION IN MOURNING
- Our nation has lost a great man. Patriot, always and everywhere to defend our interests. Family man who loved his family with most beautiful love. Today we mourn  the Theodore Roosevelt - a friend of all Americans ....
President William Howard Taft on Roosevelt's funeral
- Ladies and Gentelmen! We will  always remember Theodore Roosevelt's like this - a desperate fighter for the freedom of America and Americans, desperate fighter for their happiness, desperate fighter for us and our children ..
But now, I should make a statement. As new leader of Progressive Party, I urge all supporters of the late President Roosevelt to vote on the November 5th for President William Howard Taft.
- Sen. Hiram Johnson, October 23, 1912
On the November 5th, Americans made ​​their choice. Many of them did not vote for Taft, but voted in memory of Teddy ..

President William Howard Taft (R-OH)/President of Columbia University Nicholas Murray Butler (R-NJ) 371 EV, 50.6% PV
Gov. Woodrow WIlson (D-NJ)/Gov. Thomas Marshall (D-IN) 160 EV, 41.8% PV
Eugene V. Debs (S-IN)/Mayor Emil Seidel (S-WI) 0 EV, 6% PV

[Pingvin]

                                          Second Term of William Howard Taft
                                                                   
Taft's cabinet pretty much changed in his second term. Shortly after his re-election he pledged that many TR progressive supporters would get a position.
Secretary of State: Henry C. Lodge
Secretary of War: Leonard Wood
Secretary of Treasury: Albert B. Cummins
Attorney General: Charles Evans Hughes
Secretary of Commerce: Henry Ford
Secretary of the Navy: Robert T. Lincoln
Secretary of Labor: Franklin D. Roosevelt
FDR appointment was one of the most exciting events in a Cabinet history. Almost an unknown relative of Teddy got pushed to a high cabinet post.

"It was an a kick upstairs, which would not have happened if not a tragedy" -    "Roosevelts"  - Patrick J. Buchanan, 2008

[Pingvin]

Yes. I was a bit inspired by your TL, because is showed me an Ideal TL. I'm trying to write my first TL.

[Pingvin]

                                                                        Party Divided
Second term of William Howard Taft is highly regarded by historians, especially by their more conservative side.
Federal Reserve Act was introduced in the House as H.R. 7837 by Carter Glass (D-VA) on August 29, 1913.
The plan adopted in the original Federal Reserve Act called for the creation of a System that contained both private and public entities. There were to be at least eight, and no more than 12, private regional Federal reserve banks (12 were established) each with its own branches, board of directors and district boundaries (Sections 2, 3, and 4) and the System was to be headed by a seven member Federal Reserve Board made up of public officials appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate (strengthened and renamed in 1935 as the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Comptroller of the Currency dropped from the Board - Section 10). Also created as part of the Federal Reserve System was a 12 member Federal Advisory Committee (Section 12) and a single new United States currency, the Federal Reserve Note (Section 16).
  Foreign policy.
 Victoriano "El Jackal" Huerte seized power in Mexico.
As soon as the Taft learned about this, he immediately sent a telegram to Pershing:
 1) After one week after this telegram, take the Chihuahua
 2) After three weeks to completely subjugate the territory of the state of Tamaulipas, Cowan and Nuevo Leon
 3) a month to take Sonora and Baja California
Taft
This was the last straw. Senators Johnson, Borah and LaFolette bolted from GOP to form the Progressive Party.
In solidarity with them, Ford, Wood and Roosevelt had left the cabinet. Most of anti-war Republicans also left the party.

"Taft did then the only correct step - left Republicans gathered and decided to regroup with them. And so was born the Conservative Party." - Ann Coulter, "Party of the Blood and Steel", 2011

[Pingvin]

                                                      Presidential Election of 1916
                                                    Conservative Nomination and canidates
Many predicted that convetion would be brokered and somebody moderate would be nominated. But Weeks easily won the nomination after three ballots.
Sen. John Weeks (MA)       
Former Vice-President Charles W. Fairbanks (IN)
Secretary of State Henry Cabot Lodge (MA)
Sen. Warren Harding (OH)
Fmr. Sen. Elihu Root (NY)
Balloting:  1    2     3
Weeks  355  428  952
Root     184  154  28
Fairbanks 111 104 16
Lodge     32     37   23
Harding  3       1      4
Weeks was nominated for President and Fairbanks for Vice-President.
                              Progressive Nomination and Canidates
Attorney General Charles Evans Hughes (NY) - 950
Secretary of Commerce Henry Ford (MI) - 51
Sen. Robert LaFolette (WI) - 39
Secretary of War Leonard Wood (NH) - 4
Sen. William Borah (ID) - 2
Hughes won it with a big margin, but it  angered the rest of the delegates, who called him a "progressive-in-a-name-only" and started to crush everything in a convention hall. Re-vote had been held, and "Fighting Bob" was nominated. Hiram Johnson was nominated for vice-president.

[Pingvin]

Democratic Nomination
1912 nominee Woodrow Wilson  was nominated without any opposition.
General Election
It was the first presidential race after a split in the Republican camp. Many voters were extremely embarrassed.
But Progressives won, and won big.
 

Senator Robert LaFolette (P-WI)/Senator Hiram Johnson (P-CA) 56.1% PV, 298 EV
Fmr. Gov. Woodrow Wilson (D-NJ)/Gov. John Morehead (D-NE) 30.6% PV, 163 EV
Sen. John Weeks (C-MA)/Sen. Warren Harding (C-OH) 13.1% PV, 70 EV
Others - 0.2% PV

[Pingvin]

                                             First Term of President Robert LaFolette                                                    
Secretary of State: Henry C. Lodge
Secretary of War: Leonard Wood
Secretary of Treasury: Nelson W. Aldrich
Attorney General: Charles Evans Hughes
Secretary of Commerce: Henry Ford
Secretary of the Navy: Robert T. Lincoln
Secretary of Labor: Eben S. Draper
Secretary of the Interior: Jane Addams
Postmaster General: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidency of first Progressive President was struck by WWI. LaFolette was aganist war, and every cat and dog and even hamster knew it.
Conversation at the White House:
Wood:  We need to intervene immediately, otherwise the hungry octopus Kaiser imperialism entangled the whole of Europe with its tentacles!
President: The Monroe Doctrine. It tells you about something, Wood?
 W: That tells me only this is time for a new doctrine. The Germans have tried to plunge a knife into our backs. Or are you already forgotten about their puppet  under our hand side?
 P: And yet ...
 W: Either we sit back and look at the excesses of the Prussians, or we stop them and save the freedom of Europe!

[Pingvin]

1920 Presidential Election
Conservative Nomination
Candidates:
Gov. Calvin Coolidge (MA)
Fmr. Vice-President Nicholas Murray Butler (NJ)
Ambassador John W. Davis (WV)
Sen. Warren G. Harding (OH)
Nomination was a real tossup. But Coolidge made it on a first ballot.
Harding - 65.5 votes
Coolidge - 321.5
Butler - 200
Davis - 30 votes
Democratic Nomination
Two governors were nominated: James Cox of Ohio and Al Smith of New York.
General Election
While early polls showed a landslide for incubment LaFolette, Coolidge got a boost due to anti-war trends.

Gov. Calvin Coolidge (C-MA)/Sen. Asle Gronna (C-ND) 287 EV, 54% PV
President Robert LaFolette (P-WI)/Vice-President Hiram Johnson (P-CA) 174 EV, 32.7% PV
Gov. James Cox (D-OH)/Gov. Al Smith (D-NY) 70 EV, 13.1% PV

[Pingvin]

First Term of Calvin Coolidge

Secretary of State: Charles Evans Hughes
Secretary of Treasury: Charles Dawes
Secretary of War: John Weeks
Attorney General: Harlan Fiske Stone
Postmaster General: Will Hays
Secretary of Navy: Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
Secretary of the Interior: William Sproul
Secretary of Agriculture: Henry C. Wallace
Secretary of Commerce: Herbert Hoover
Secretary of Labor: James J. Davis
First term of Calvin Coolidge was noticed for economic boom and the progress on the issues related to the rights of Indians.
"And so, my dear reader, one of the main foundations of American prosperity had been formed : government non-interference in the economy"
"A Brief History Of Modern America" - 43rd President of the United States Ronald E. Paul , 2016

[Pingvin]

No comments at all?

[Pingvin]

1924 Presidential Election
Progressive Nomination
Former President LaFolette won a close race aganist former running-mate Hiram Johnson, Fmr. Postmaster General FDR, Montana Senator Burton K. Wheeler and Nebraska Governor Charles W. Bryan. Wheeler was selected as running-mate.
Democratic Nomination
1920 Vice-Presidential candidate Al Smith of New York was nominated for President and Maryland Governor Albert Ritchie was nominated for Vice-President.
Conservative Nomination
Coolidge was re-nominated without opposition. Secretary of Treasury Charles Dawes was nominated for Vice-President. He replaced Asle Gronna, who passed away in 1922.
General Election
With the economy booming, there was little doubt that Coolidge would lose the election. His campaign slogan, "Keep Cool with Coolidge", was highly popular. Smith carried only the traditionally Democratic Solid South. The Conservatives did so well that they carried New York City, a feat they have not repeated since then.

President Calvin Coolidge (C-MA)/Secretary of Treasury Charles Dawes (C-IL) 283 EV, 54% PV
Fmr. President Robert LaFolette (P-WI)/Sen. Burton K. Wheeler (P-MT) 184 EV, 34.6% PV
Gov. Al Smith (D-NY)/Gov. Albert Ritchie (D-MD) 64 EV, 11.9% PV

[Pingvin]

Second Term Of Calvin Coolidge
Foreign Policy
Although not an isolationist, Coolidge was reluctant to enter into foreign alliances. Coolidge saw the Conservative victory of 1920 as a rejection of the progressive idea that the United States should join the League of Nations.  While not completely opposed to the idea, Coolidge believed the League, as then constituted, did not serve American interests, and he did not advocate membership in it. He spoke in favor of the United States joining the Permanent Court of International Justice, provided that the nation would not be bound by advisory decisions.  The Senate eventually approved joining the Court (with reservations) in 1926.  The League of Nations accepted the reservations, but suggested some modifications of their own.  The Senate failed to act; the United States never joined the World Court.
Coolidge's best-known initiative was the Hughes-Briand Pact of 1928, named for Coolidge's Secretary of State, Charles Evans Hughes, and French foreign minister Aristide Briand. The treaty, ratified in 1929, committed signatories including the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan to "renounce war, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another." The treaty did not achieve its intended result – the outlawry of war – but did provide the founding principle for international law after WWII.


Coolidge continued the previous administration's policy not to recognize the Soviet Union.  He also continued the United States' support for the elected government of Mexico against the rebels there, lifting the arms embargo on that country.  He sent his close friend Dwight Morrow to Mexico as the American ambassador.  Coolidge represented the U.S. at the Pan American Conference in Havana, Cuba, making him the only sitting U.S. President to visit the country. The United States' occupation of Nicaragua and Haiti continued under his administration, but Coolidge withdrew American troops from the Dominican Republic in 1924.

Cabinet Adjustments
Due to appointment to SCOTUS, Harlan Fiske Stone left his Attorney General position and was replaced by Mayor of Chichago John Payne.

[Pingvin]

Presidential Election of 1928
Progressive Nomination
Main frontrunners:
Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover
Fmr. Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes
Senator William Borah
Hoover won nomination after first three ballots. Governor of Wisconsin Herman Ekern was selected as running-mate.
Democratic Nomination
Surprusingly, white supermacist Thedore Bilbo won the nomination. It only accelerated the exodus of Democratic voters.
"Bilbo's nomination became a point of no return. Who knows, if he hadn't been nominated, the Democrats would remain the major party  ..." - Zell Miller, "EPIC FAIL: How Racists and Rascals Destroyed Democratic Party", 2002
Conservative Nomination
Vice-President Charles Dawes ran un-opposed. Some Southern Conservatives tried to put Rep. Cordell Hull on the ticket, but he had refused.  Charles Curtis was selected as running-mate for Dawes.
General Election
Bilbo lost several states that had been members of the Solid South since Reconstruction.  However, in many southern states with sizable African American populations (and where the vast majority of African Americans could not vote at the time), many believed that Hoover supported integration, or at least was not committed to maintaining segregation, which in turn overcame opposition to Smith's campaign. During the race, Mississippi Governor Theodore G. Bilbo claimed that Hoover had met with a black member of the Progressive National Committee and danced with her; Hoover's campaign quickly denied the "untruthful and ignoble assertion".
No one recieved an electoral majority. In House Progs and Dems united, so Hoover won the election for President. But surprusingly, Senate selected Charles Curtis as Vice-President.

Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover (P-CA)/Gov. Herman Ekern (P-WI) 223 EV, 41.9% PV[/color]
Vice-President Charles Dawes (C-IL)/Senate Majority Leader Charles Curtis (C-KS) 265 EV, 49.9% PV
Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS)/Sen. Alben Barkley (D-KY) 43 EV, 8% PV

[Pingvin]

First Term of Herbert Hoover

Secretary of State: Frank Kellogg
Secretary of the Treasury: Frank Lowden
Secretary of War: Dwight Morrow
Attorney General: Charles Curtis*
Postmaster General: Jim Farley
Secretary of the Navy: James Phelan
Secretary of the Interior: Reed Smoot
Secretary of Agriculture: Cordell Hull
Secretary of Commerce: Jesse Jones
Secretary of Labor: Joe Kennedy
Hoover's cabinet was basically build by Democratic-Conservative Coalition that dictated him and observed his every step.
Hoover entered office with a plan to reform the nation's regulatory system, believing that a federal bureaucracy should have limited regulation over a country's economic system.  A self-described progressive and reformer, Hoover saw the presidency as a vehicle for improving the conditions of all Americans by encouraging public-private cooperation—what he termed "volunterism". Hoover saw volunterism as preferable to governmental coercion or intervention which he saw as opposed to the American ideals of individualism and self-reliance. Long before he had entered politics, he had denounced laissez-faire thinking.

Hoover expanded civil service coverage of Federal positions, canceled private oil leases on government lands, and by instructing the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service to pursue gangsters for tax evasion, he enabled the prosecution of Al Capone. He appointed a commission that set aside 3 million acres (12,000 km²) of national parks and 2.3 million acres (9,000 km²) of national forests; lowered taxes for low-income Americans; closed certain tax loopholes for the wealthy; doubled the number of veterans' hospital facilities; signed a treaty on St. Lawrence Seaway; wrote a Children's Charter that advocated protection of every child regardless of race or gender; created an antitrust division in the Justice Department; required air mail carriers to adopt stricter safety measures and improve service; imposed federal loans for urban slum clearances ; organized the Federal Bureau of Prisons; reorganized the Bureau of Indian Affairs; instituted prison reform; created a federal Department of Education ; created $50-per-month pensions for Americans over 65; chaired White House conferences on child health, protection, homebuilding and home-ownership; began construction of the Boulder Dam (later renamed Hoover Dam); and signed the Norris – La Guardia Act that limited judicial intervention in labor disputes.

[Pingvin]

Don't worry, I'll update soon.

[Pingvin]

Following the release in 1930 of the Clark Memorandum, Hoover began formulating what would become "Good Neighbor" policy. He began withdrawing American troops from Nicaragua and Haiti; he also implemented an arms embargo on Latin America and a one-third reduction of the world's naval power. In response to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, he and Secretary of State Frank Kellogg outlined the Hoover–Kelogg Doctrine which held that the United States would not recognize territories gained by force.

Hoover mediated between Chile and Peru to solve a conflict on the sovereignty of Arica and Tacna, that in 1883 by the Treaty of Ancón had been awarded to Chile for ten years, to be followed by a plebiscite that had never happened. By the Tacna–Arica compromise at the Treaty of Lima in 1929, Chile kept Arica, and Peru regained Tacna.


1932 Presidential Election
Democratic Nomination
1928 was last presidential election for the Democrats. Party disbanded in 1930 and most of its supporters had went to Progressives and Conservatives.
Conservative Nomination
Candidates:
House Speaker John Nance Garner of Texas
Fmr. Gov Harry Byrd of Virginia
There was some speculation that fromer president Coolidge might enter the race, but he refused. With a two Southerners race, many northern Conservatives decilined to endorse somebody on convention and focused on the general instead.
General Election
Successful Hoover administration was loved by the people and "The Great Humanitarian" easily won re-election.

President Herbert Hoover (P-CA)/Sen. Robert LaFolette Jr. (P-WI) 356 EV, 67% PV
Fmr. Gov Harry F. Byrd (C-VA)/House Speaker Jack Garner (C-TX) 175 EV, 32.9% PV

[Pingvin]

Second Term of Herbert Hoover
Secretary of State: Cordell Hull
Secretary of the Treasury: Jesse Jones
Secretary of War: Newton D. Baker II
Attorney General: James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr.
Postmaster General: Richard B. Russell Jr.
Secretary of the Navy: Charles F. Adams III
Secretary of the Interior: Charles Curtis
Secretary of Agriculture: Arthur Capper
Secretary of Commerce: Frank Lowden
Secretary of Labor: Henry Ford
Secretary of Education: Robert LaFolette Jr.*
His inauguration on March 4, 1933, occurred in the middle of a bank panic, hence the backdrop for his famous words: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  The very next day Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act which declared a "bank holiday" and announced a plan to allow banks to reopen. This was his first proposed step to recovery. To give Americans confidence in the banks, Hoover signed the Glass–Steagall Act that created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
   

Relief measures included the continuation of first term major relief program for the unemployed under the new name, Federal Emergency Relief Administration. The most popular of all New Deal agencies – and Hoover's favorite – was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which hired 250,000 unemployed young men to work on rural local projects.

Congress also gave the Federal Trade Commission broad new regulatory powers and provided mortgage relief to millions of farmers and homeowners. Hoover expanded  the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, making it a major source of financing for railroads and industry. Hoover made agricultural relief a high priority and set up the first Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). The AAA tried to force higher prices for commodities by paying farmers to take land out of crops and to cut herds.

Reform of the economy was the goal of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) of 1933. It tried to end cutthroat competition by forcing industries to come up with codes that established the rules of operation for all firms within specific industries, such as minimum prices, agreements not to compete, and production restrictions. Industry leaders negotiated the codes which were then approved by NIRA officials. Industry needed to raise wages as a condition for approval. Provisions encouraged unions and suspended anti-trust laws. The NIRA was found to be unconstitutional by unanimous decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on May 27, 1935. Hoover opposed the decision, saying "The fundamental purposes and principles of the NIRA are sound. To abandon them is unthinkable. It would spell the return to industrial and labor chaos."  In 1933, major new banking regulations were passed. In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was created to regulate Wall Street, with 1932 campaign fundraiser Joe Kennedy in charge.

Recovery was pursued through "pump-priming". The NIRA included $3.3 billion of spending through the Public Works Administration to stimulate the economy, which was to be handled by Interior Secretary Charles Curtis. Hoover worked with Senator George Norris to create the largest government-owned industrial enterprise in American history, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which built dams and power stations, controlled floods, and modernized agriculture and home conditions in the poverty-stricken Tennessee Valley. The repeal of prohibition also brought in new tax revenues and helped Hoover keep a major campaign promise.

Executive Order 6102 made all privately held gold of American citizens was to be sold to the U.S. Treasury and the price raised from $20 to $35 per ounce. Exceptions were made for jewelers, coin collectors and a few others. The goal was to counter the deflation which was paralyzing the economy.

Hoover tried to keep his campaign promise by cutting the federal budget, including a reduction in military spending from $752 million in 1932 to $531 million in 1934 and a 40% cuts in spending on veterans' benefits, removed 500,000 veterans and widows from the pension rolls and reduced benefits for the remainder, as well as cutting the salaries of federal employees and reduced spending on research and education.

Hoover also kept his promise to push for repeal of Prohibition. In April 1933, he issued an Executive Order redefining 3.2% alcohol as the maximum allowed.  That order was preceded by Congressional action in the drafting and passage of the 21st Amendment, which was ratified later that year.

After the 1934 Congressional elections, which gave Hoover large majorities in both houses, there was a fresh surge of progressive legislation. These measures included the Works Progress Administration (WPA) which set up a national relief agency that employed two million family heads. At the height of WPA employment in 1938, unemployment was down from 20.6% in 1933 to only 12.5% according to figures from Michael Darby.  The Social Security Act, established Social Security and promised economic security for the elderly, the poor and the sick. Senator Robert Wagner wrote the Wagner Act, which officially became the National Labor Relations Act. The act established the federal rights of workers to organize unions, to engage in collective bargaining, and to take part in strikes.

While the First New Deal of 1933 had broad support from most sectors, the Second New Deal challenged the business community. Conservatives fought back with the American Liberty League, savagely attacking Hoover and equating him with Marx and Lenin.  But they overplayed their hands, and his boisterous rhetoric let Hoover isolate his opponents and identify them with the wealthy vested interests that opposed his policies.  By contrast, the labor unions, energized by the Wagner Act, signed up millions of new members and became a major backer of Hoover.

The rejection of the League of Nations treaty in 1919 marked the dominance of isolationism from world organizations in American foreign policy. Despite Hoover's "bombshell" message to the world monetary conference in 1933 effectively ended any major efforts by the world powers to collaborate on ending the worldwide depression, and allowed him a free hand in economic policy. Roosevelt was a lifelong free trader and anti-imperialist. Ending European colonialism was one of his objectives.

The main foreign policy initiative of Hoover's first term was the Good Neighbor Policy, which was a re-evaluation of U.S. policy towards Latin America. Since the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, this area had been seen as an American sphere of influence. American forces were withdrawn from Haiti, and new treaties with Cuba and Panama ended their status as United States protectorates. In December 1933, Hoover signed the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, renouncing the right to intervene unilaterally in the affairs of Latin American countries.

The isolationist movement was bolstered in the early-to-mid 1930s by U.S. Senator Gerald Nye and others who succeeded in their effort to stop the "merchants of death" in the U.S. from selling arms abroad. This effort took the form of the Neutrality Acts; the president asked for, but was refused, a provision to give him the discretion to allow the sale of arms to victims of aggression. In the interim, Italy and Mussolini proceeded to overcome Ethiopia and the Italians joined the Germans in co-opting a successful revolt in Spain. In 1936 Germany and Japan signed their Anti-Comintern Pact, allowing their Axis to develop united strategies. And thus the congress passed and the president signed a mandatory arms embargo at a time when dictators in Europe and Asia were girding for world war.

Biographer James M. Burns as well indicates Hoover's policy decisions were replete with sudden reversals, and that HCH was "like the general of a guerilla army, fighting blindly through a jungle."

[Pingvin]

1936 Presidential Election
Conservative Nomination
Main Contenders:
Senate Minortiy Leader Charles McNary (Oregon)
Senator Arthur Vandenberg (Michigan)
Publisher Frank Knox (Illinois)
County Attorney Earl Warren (California)
Governor Warren Green (South Dakota)
Representative Stephen Day (Illinois)
Fmr. Speaker John Nance Garner (Texas)
State Senator Robert Taft (Ohio)
Conservatives were divided. Southerners push "Cactus Jack", "Old Guard" stood with McNary and Vandenberg.
When it came to convention, compromise candidate was selected: son of former president, Robert A. Taft. He selected one-term governor Styles Bridges of New Hampshire as his running-mate.
Progressive Nomination
Senator William Borah of Idaho
Governor Theodore Roosevelt Jr. of New York
It all came down to battle of two giants. Old, expierenced "Lion of Idaho" versus young, popular "Star of New York"
... After 15 rounds of voting, Roosevelt finally conceded.
General Election
"It was a pure toss-up. Many predicted our victory, but nobody was sure. Final result shocked everybody" - from the "History of American Conservatism" - author unknown

Robert Taft (C-OH)/Gov. Styles Bridges (C-NH) 373 EV, 70.2% PV
Sen. William Borah (P-ID)/Gov. Teddy Roosevelt Jr. (P-NY) 158 EV, 29.6% PV

[Pingvin]

Go Taft!  What is Henry Ford doing at the moment?

He tried to enter the Progressive race for president but dropped out after second ballot. Continues to work with industry, though.

[Pingvin]

ATTENTION!
Since Taft inauguration I change the TL format to "Event Date" style.

[Pingvin]

Never Gonna Say Goodbye: First Term of Robert Taft

Cabinet:
Secretary of State: Cordell Hull (C-TN)
Secretary of Treasury: Henry Morgenthau Jr. (U-NY)
Secretary of War: Harry Truman (P-MO)
Attorney General: George Norris (P-NE)
Postmaster General: James Farley (C-NY)
Secretary of the Navy: Franklin D. Roosevelt (P-NY)
Secretary of the Interior: Alf Landon (P-KS)
Secretary of Agriculture: Charles W. Bryan (P-NE)
Secretary of Commerce: Herbert Hoover (P-CA)
Secretary of Labor: James Couzens (P-MI)

11/01/1937 - The first issue of LOOK Magazine goes on sale in the United States.
12/01/1937 - January 12 – Adventurer and filmmaker Martin Johnson, of Martin and Osa Johnson fame, is killed along with four others in the crash of Western Air Express Flight 7 in mountainous terrain near Saugus, California.
19/01/1937 -  Howard Hughes sets a new record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.
20/01/1937 - Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes swears in Robert A. Taft  for a first term.
26/01/1937 -  Michigan celebrates its Centennial Anniversary of statehood.
31/01/1937 - Ohio River floods.
11/02/1937 - A sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Automobile Workers Union.
17/03/1937 - The Atherton Report (private investigator Edwin Atherton's report detailing vice and police corruption in San Francisco) is released.
18/03/1937 - In the worst school disaster in American history in terms of lives lost, the New London School in New London, Texas suffers a catastrophic natural gas explosion, killing in excess of 295 students and teachers.
Mother Frances Hospital opens in Tyler, Texas in response.
26/03/1937 - William Henry Hastie becomes the first African-American appointed to a federal judgeship.
In Crystal City, Texas, spinach growers erect a statue of the cartoon character Popeye.

[Pingvin]

It is still alive! I promise to update it often.

04/12/37 – NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that the National Labor Relations Act is constitutional.
04/17/37 – The animated short Porky's Duck Hunt, directed by Tex Avery for the Looney Tunes series, featuring the debut of Daffy Duck, is released.
05/06/37 – Hindenburg disaster: The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flame when mooring to a mast in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
05/07/37 – An enquiry begins into the Hindenburg disaster.
05/27/37 – In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, creating a vital link between San Francisco and Marin County. The next day, President Taft pushes a button in Washington, D.C., signaling the start of vehicle traffic over the Golden Gate Bridge.
06/14/37 – Pennsylvania becomes the first (and only) of the United States to celebrate Flag Day officially as a state holiday.

07/02/37 – Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear after taking off from New Guinea during Earhart's attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world.
A guard first stands post at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington, DC; continuous guard has been maintained there ever since.
07/24/37 – Alabama drops rape charges against the so-called Scottsboro Boys.
09/07/37 – CBS broadcasts a two-and-a-half hour memorial concert nationwide on radio in memory of George Gershwin, live from the Hollywood Bowl. Many celebrities appear, including Oscar Levant, Fred Astaire, Otto Klemperer, Lily Pons, and members of the original cast of Porgy and Bess. The concert is recorded and released complete years later in what is excellent sound for its time, on CD. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is the featured orchestra.
09/26/37 – Street and Smith Publications launches a half-hour radio program, The Shadow, with Orson Welles in the title role.
10/01/37 -  The Marijuana Tax Act becomes law in the United States.
10/15/37 – Ernest Hemingway's novel To Have and Have Not is first published.
12/12/37 – Japanese bombers sink the American gunboat USS Panay.
Mae West makes a risque guest appearance on the NBC Chase and Sanborn Hour that eventually results in her being banned from radio.
12/21/37 – Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature-length animated cartoon with sound, opens and becomes a smash hit.
12/25/37 – At the age of 70, legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra on radio for the first time, beginning his successful 17-year tenure with that orchestra. This first concert consists of music by Vivaldi (at a time when he was still seldom played), Mozart, and Brahms. Millions tune in to listen, including U.S. President Robert A. Taft.

[Pingvin]

Will be VERY interesting to see Taft's approach to the war...

In this timeline war may go completely different.

[Pingvin]

01/03/1938 - The March of Dimes is established by Robert A. Taft.
01/16/1938 – Two landmark live recordings are produced this day: the very first of Mahler's Ninth by the Vienna Philharmonic under Bruno Walter in the face of dire circumstance; and Benny Goodman and his orchestra become the first jazz musicians to headline a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
01/22/1938 – Thornton Wilder's play Our Town is performed for the first time anywhere in Princeton, New Jersey. It premieres in New York City on February 4.
01/27/1938 – The Niagara Bridge at Niagara Falls, New York collapses due to an ice jam.
01/28/1938 – The first ski tow in America begins operation in Vermont.
03/03/1938 – The Santa Ana River in California spills over its banks during a rainy winter, killing 58 people in Orange County and causing trouble as far inland as Palm Springs.


04/25/1938 – Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins: The U.S. Supreme Court overturns a century of federal common law.
04/28/1938 – The towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott in Massachusetts are disincorporated to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir.
04/30/1938 – The first cartoon to feature a prototypical Bugs Bunny, Porky's Hare Hunt, is released.
05/17/1938 – Information Please debuts on NBC Radio.
06/22/1938 – Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling in the first round of their rematch at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
06/23/1938 – The Civil Aeronautics Act is signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
Marineland opens near St. Augustine, Florida.
06/24/1938 - A 450-metric-ton (496-short-ton) meteorite explodes about 12 miles (19 km) above the earth near Chicora, Pennsylvania.
06/30/1938 -  Action Comics #1 is published, which is the first publication featuring the comic book character Superman.

07/03/1938 - The last reunion of the Blue and Gray commemorates the 75th anniversary of 07/05/1938 - The Non-Intervention Committee reaches an agreement to withdraw all foreign volunteers from the Spanish Civil War. The agreement is respected by most Republican foreign volunteers, notably by those from England and the United States, but is ignored by the governments of Germany and Italy.
07/18/1938 – Wrong Way Corrigan takes off from New York, ostensibly heading for California. He lands in Ireland instead.
08/06/1938 – The Looney Tunes animated short Porky & Daffy is released.
08/18/1938 – The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting the United States with Canada, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
08/31/1938 – American-Soivet-British-French "Anti-German" alliance is formed.
09/21/1938 – The New England Hurricane of 1938 strikes Long Island and southern New England, killing over 300 along the Rhode Island shoreline and approximately 600 in total.
09/22/1938 – Olsen and Johnson's musical comedy revue Hellzapoppin' begins its 3-year run on Broadway.

10/10/1938 – The Blue Water Bridge opens, connecting Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.
10/24/1938 – The minimum wage is established by law in the United States.
10/30/1938 – Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing panic in various parts of the United States.
10/31/1938– In an effort to try restore investor confidence, the New York Stock Exchange unveils a 15-point program intended to upgrade protection for the investing public.
11/01/1938– Horse Racing: Seabiscuit defeats War Admiral by four lengths in their famous match race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
11/10/1938 – On the eve of Armistice Day, Kate Smith sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" for the first time on her weekly radio show.

[Pingvin]

01/01/1939 – The Hewlett-Packard Company is founded.
Texas A&M University wins its only football national championship.
01/05/1939 - Amelia Earhart is officially declared dead after her 1937 disappearance.
02/21/1939– The Golden Gate International Exposition opens in San Francisco, California.
02/27/1939 – Sit-down strikes are outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
03/03/1939 - Students at Harvard University demonstrate the new tradition of swallowing goldfish to reporters.
03/28/1939 - American adventurer Richard Halliburton delivers a last message from a Chinese junk, before he disappears on a voyage across the Pacific Ocean.
04/09/1939 – African-American singer Marian Anderson performs before 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after having been denied the use both of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution, and of a public high school by the federally controlled District of Columbia.
04/14/1939 – John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath is first published.
04/30/1939 – The 1939 New York World's Fair opens.
05/02/1939– Major League Baseball's Lou Gehrig, the legendary Yankee first baseman known as "The Iron Horse", ends his 2,130 consecutive games played streak after contracting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The record stands for 56 years before Cal Ripken, Jr. plays 2,131 consecutive games.
05/20/1939– Pan-American Airways begins trans-Atlantic mail service with the inaugural flight of its Yankee Clipper from Port Washington, New York.
06/04/1939 – The St. Louis, a ship carrying a cargo of 907 Jewish refugees, is allowed permission to land in Florida.
06/12/1939 – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is officially dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.
07/02/1939 – The 1st World Science Fiction Convention opens in New York City.
08/02/1939 – Albert Einstein writes to President Taft about developing the atomic bomb using uranium. This leads to the creation of the Manhattan Project.
08/15/1939 – MGM's classic musical film The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum's famous novel, and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
09/05/1939 – World War II: The United States declares war on Germany.
09/21/1939– Radio station WJSV in Washington, D.C. records an entire broadcast day for preservation in the National Archives.
09/29/1939 – President Taft announces start of the fluoridation of public water supplies in the United States.
10/11/1939 – Manhattan Project: U.S. President Robert Taft is presented a letter signed by Albert Einstein, urging the United States to rapidly develop the atomic bomb.
10/15/1939 – The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed La Guardia Airport) is dedicated.
10/24/1939 – Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time anywhere in Wilmington, Delaware.
10/25/1939 – The Time of Your Life, a drama by William Saroyan, debuts in New York City.
11/04/1939  – World War II: U.S. President Robert Taft allows cash-and-carry purchases of weapons to Allied nations.
11/06/1939– Hedda Hopper's Hollywood debuts on radio with Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper as host (the show runs until 1951, making Hopper a powerful figure in the Hollywood elite).
11/15/1939 – In Washington, D.C., U.S. President Robert A. Taft lays the cornerstone of the Jefferson Memorial.
12/02/1939– La Guardia Airport opens for business in New York City.
12/15/1939 – The film Gone with the Wind, starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard, premieres at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. It is based on Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel. It is the longest American film made up to that time (nearly four hours).