Roosevelt’s Revolt

The presidential election of 1912 was the only one whose candidates included an incumbent president, a former president and a future president. Theodore Roosevelt, in the Oval Office from 1901 to 1909, chose not to run again. When his former Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, took controversial actions as his successor, Roosevelt challenged him for the 1912 Republican nomination. Taft emerged as the nominee and Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate on the Progressive (Bull Moose) ticket, causing a split in the GOP that allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the presidency.
The author examines the election in detail and traces the effects of Roosevelt’s actions on the Republican Party for decades. Appendices detail Republican primary results and all of the parties’ platforms and provide a summary of presidential assassinations and attempts.

John C. Skipper, a political reporter for the Mason City (Iowa) Globe Gazette, has written numerous books on politics and baseball, including a history of the The Iowa Caucuses and acclaimed biographies of Grover Cleveland Alexander, Dazzy Vance and Charlie Gehringer.

John C. Skipper

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 237
Bibliographic Info: 34 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6701-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3219-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction 7
1. Politics and Temperament 15
2. The World in 1912 21
3. The Republican Evolution 29
4. Teedie and Will 36
5. The Roosevelt Presidency 46
6. The Tragedy of Archie Butt 52
7. The Great Divide 58
8. LaFollette 69
9. The Scheme and the Implosion 74
10. Primary Considerations 81
11. The Roosevelt Express 87
12. The Republican National Committee 99
13. An Unconventional Convention 109
14. The Democrats 123
15. The Progressives 132
16. The Resolve of Taft 140
17. Milwaukee 146
18. Vast Differences in Approach 154
19. Election Day 158
20. Retrospect 164
21. Reconciliation 171
Epilogue 177
Appendix A. 1912 Republican Primary Results 189
Appendix B. 1912 Democratic Party Platform (Summary) 190
Appendix C. 1912 Republican Party Platform (Summary) 196
Appendix D. 1912 Progressive Party Platform (Summary) 201
Appendix E. 1912 Socialist Party Platform (Summary) 208
Appendix F. Presidential Assassinations and Assassination Attempts 211
Chapter Notes 213
Bibliography 221
Index 225