The election of 1912 is often remembered as one of the most tumultuous and fascinating races in American political history. It had everything you could possibly imagine: multiple candidates, intense rivalries, and even an assassination attempt on the campaign trail. So strap yourselves in, folks, because this race is going to be a wild one featuring the Bull Moose Party!
The Presidency of William Howard Taft
After winning the election of 1908 largely due to being Theodore Roosevelt’s handpicked successor, President Taft found himself in a position he never really wanted but tried to make the best of it.
Taft’s time in office can be divided into three categories:
- Foreign Affairs
- Domestic Policies
- Issues within his Administration
Foreign Affairs: President Taft made a concerted effort to avoid using military force to spread American influence abroad. Instead, he favored arbitration to resolve disputes and adopted what would later be known as ‘Dollar Diplomacy,’ aiming to extend the United States’ financial reach to countries in Latin America and East Asia. Taft sought to minimize European influence and proposed using the Monroe Doctrine if necessary while intervening in foreign matters involving Mexico and Nicaragua.
Domestic Policies: Domestically, Taft’s record is mixed. He vetoed a bill supported by many labor unions, removed African Americans from federal office positions in the South, and appointed six different people to the Supreme Court. He allowed New Mexico and Arizona to become states and broke up 70 out of 99 corrupt trusts, surpassing Roosevelt’s 40. So, there were both positive and negative aspects to his presidency.
Issues within his Administration: Taft’s administration faced internal conflict, particularly with the Ballinger-Pinchot Affair. Taft replaced the Interior Secretary James Garfield with Richard A. Ballinger, whose conservation views clashed with those of Roosevelt. This led to Gifford Pinchot, Roosevelt’s former Chief Forrester, being fired, escalating tensions within the cabinet between the conservative and progressive factions.
The Return of the Old Lion
After the 1908 election, Theodore Roosevelt retreated to spend time with his family and go on a hunting expedition in Africa. However, he became increasingly frustrated with Taft’s presidency, especially regarding Taft’s firing of Roosevelt’s appointees and his trust-busting policies against companies like Standard Oil and U.S. Steel, which Roosevelt had supported.
Upon returning to New York City in 1910, Roosevelt was met with a massive ovation. Encouraged by progressives, he decided to break his promise not to run for another term and sought the Republican nomination. Despite performing better than Taft in the primaries, the GOP bosses controlled the convention and nominated Taft, leading to chaos and allegations of fraud.
Roosevelt and his supporters left the convention to form the Progressive Party, also known as the Bull Moose Party, named after Roosevelt’s comment about feeling “as strong as a bull moose.” Roosevelt was nominated unanimously, with Hiram Johnson, Governor of California, as his running mate. The Progressive Party’s platform, “New Nationalism,” included progressive reforms such as women’s suffrage, an eight-hour workday, direct election of U.S. Senators, an inheritance tax, minimum wage for women, and more.
Woodrow Wilson
Amidst the chaos between Taft and Roosevelt, the Democrats saw an opportunity. With no Democratic president since Grover Cleveland in 1892, they needed a strong candidate. The two leading contenders for the nomination were Champ Clark, Speaker of the House, and Woodrow Wilson, Governor of New Jersey. Wilson, initially thought to be an outsider, gained support from Democratic reformers after Clark received backing from New York’s Tammany Hall.
Wilson won the nomination after 46 ballots, with Thomas Marshall, Governor of Indiana, as his running mate. His platform, “The New Freedom,” proposed reforms on tariffs, business, and banking, aiming to dismantle monopolies and promote progressive changes.
Eugene Debs & The Socialist Party
The final major candidate was Eugene Victor Debs, a former Union leader and perennial Socialist candidate. Discontent with Taft’s pro-business conservatism led many to support the Socialist Party. Debs ran for president for the fourth time, with Emil Seidel, Mayor of Milwaukee, as his running mate. Although the Socialist Party had limited financial resources, Debs’s candidacy drew attention, especially among workers dissatisfied with the current political system.
Bad Blood & Campaigning
The election of 1912 was marked by intense rivalry between Taft and Roosevelt, with both men publicly criticizing each other. Roosevelt accused Taft of betraying the progressive cause, while Taft labeled Roosevelt’s policies as radical. Taft’s situation worsened when his vice president, James Sherman, died less than a week before the election, prompting Taft to hastily select Nicholas Butler, President of Columbia University, as his new running mate.
Eugene Debs focused on criticizing both major parties and their ties to wealthy elites, earning him a loyal following despite the Socialist Party’s limited resources. With Taft’s chances diminishing and the Socialists being sidelined, the election became a two-way race between Roosevelt and Wilson.
A Titanic Clash
The election of 1912 was a dramatic clash of political titans, but it wasn’t the only major event of that year. In April 1912, the world was shocked by the sinking of the RMS Titanic. The luxury liner struck an iceberg during its maiden voyage and sank within hours, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,500 lives. The disaster highlighted the era’s technological and social contrasts, adding a layer of tragedy to the historical tapestry of 1912, alongside the intense political rivalries and reforms that defined the presidential race…
President Taft mourned the loss of his friend deeply, remembering him in a eulogy as “like a member of my family, and I feel his loss as if he had been a younger brother.” He continued, “I knew that he would certainly remain on the ship’s deck until every duty had been performed and every sacrifice made that properly fell on one charged, as he would feel himself charged, with responsibility for the rescue of others.”
Shots Fired!
On October 14th, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt during a campaign stop in Wisconsin. John Schrank, a deranged saloonkeeper, shot Roosevelt in the chest. Remarkably, Roosevelt survived due to his steel eyeglass case and folded speech, which absorbed the bullet. Roosevelt went on to deliver his speech despite the injury, a feat that added to his legendary status.
The Election of 1912 Results
In the election of 1912, Woodrow Wilson won a decisive victory with 435 electoral votes, although he received only 41.8% of the popular vote—the lowest percentage for a newly elected Democratic president since James Buchanan in 1856. Theodore Roosevelt came in second with 88 electoral votes and 27.4% of the popular vote. William Howard Taft finished third with 8 electoral votes and 23.2% of the popular vote, suffering the worst loss of any incumbent president seeking re-election. Eugene Debs, though fourth with no electoral votes, garnered 6% of the popular vote, the best performance for the Socialist Party.
Historians argue that the split in the Republican Party contributed to Wilson’s landslide victory. Had Roosevelt secured the GOP nomination, he might have become president again, marking the first non-consecutive third term. Regardless of the outcome, Theodore Roosevelt made history as the only third-party candidate to come in second place in a presidential election.
