William McKinley - Constituting America

Warren G. Harding: Twenty-Ninth President Of The United States

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Juliette Turner 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, Civil War, Juliette Turner, Progressive, Socialism, Supreme Court, Warren G. Harding Twenty-Ninth President Of The United States

Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

Twenty-Ninth President of the United States

Nickname: Charming Harding

Terms in Office: 1921-1923

Fast Stats

Born November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio
Parents: George Tryon and Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson Harding
Died August 2, 1923, in San Francisco, California; age 57
Age upon Start of Term: 55; Age upon Death: 57
Religious Affiliation: Baptist
Political Party: Republican
Height: 6 feet
Vice President: Calvin Coolidge

1912, Woodrow Wilson Defeats William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Eugene Debs: Woodrow Wilson’s “New Freedom”

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Tony Williams 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 1912 Woodrow Wilson Defeats William Howard Taft Theodore Roosevelt Eugene Debs Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom, Tony Williams

Guest Essayist: Tony Williams

“The Professor and the Bull Moose” 1912 Election

In June, 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt broke with the tradition of candidates not attending conventions and arrived at the Republican National Convention with great fanfare. He fervently announced, “We stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord.” He then proudly labelled himself a “Bull Moose.”

1908, William Howard Taft Defeats William Jennings Bryan

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Daniel Cotter 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1908 William Howard Taft Defeats William Jennings Bryan, Daniel Cotter, Electoral College, Supreme Court

Guest Essayist: Daniel A. Cotter

The 1908 Presidential election featured the incumbent Republican President Theodore Roosevelt following through on his promise to not seek a third term and encouraging the Republicans to nominate Secretary of War William Howard Taft. While a number of third party candidates ran against Taft, the only non-Republican candidate who garnered any significant votes was the Democratic nominee, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had been the Democratic nominee for President in 1896 and 1900, but the 1908 election was the most lopsided of his three defeats in the race for President.

1904 And 1908 Elections: Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” vs. William Jennings Bryan’s Populism

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Daniel Cotter 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1904 And 1908 Elections Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” vs. William Jennings Bryan’s Populism, Civil War, Daniel Cotter, Electoral College, Supreme Court

Guest Essayist: Daniel A. Cotter

The United States Constitution is silent on the subject of corporations. After the Civil War, as American society began to quickly evolve from agrarian to industrial, politicians from both major parties raised concerns about the rise of corporations, banks, and businesses, and the need for protection of the individual. Against this backdrop, two important political figures emerged on the national scene. William Jennings Bryan was a leader of the Populist Party (which would merge with the Democratic Party in 1896) who unsuccessfully ran for President in 1896, 1900 and 1908. Republican President Theodore Roosevelt proposed a number of “progressive” initiatives through his “Square Deal” program and other policies and positions. Other essays in this series cover the various Presidential elections in which Bryan and Roosevelt were their parties’ nominees. This essay compares the progressive and populist views of Roosevelt and Bryan, respectively.

April 29, 2016/1 Comment/by Janine Turner and Cathy Gillespie

1904, Theodore Roosevelt Defeats Alton Parker: Anti-Trust Legislation

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Steven H. Aden 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1904 Theodore Roosevelt Defeats Alton Parker Anti-Trust Legislation, Sherman Antitrust Act, Steven H. Aden, Supreme Court

Guest Essayist: Steven Aden

“The Most Absurd Political Campaign of Our Time”: Teddy Roosevelt, Alton Parker and the Election of 1904

The candidates who squared off in the presidential election of 1904, Republican President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt and Democrat Alton Parker, were both native to New York State; beyond that one commonality, they were a study in contrasts. Parker was tall and rangy, but with a tentative demeanor that seemed to apologize for looming over others. Parker resigned his post as the chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, to run for the nation’s highest office. True to his calling and by all accounts a thoughtful decision maker on the bench, Parker was quiet and professorial, and an unimpressive speechmaker with a voice like a cracked reed. The barrel-chested, bull-voiced Roosevelt, on the other hand, had been tapped for the vice presidency by William McKinley on the strength of his renown as the Rough Rider who led his troops up San Juan Hill in 1898, as if he had carried the country on his shoulders to victory in the Spanish-American War. The living embodiment of the national will that found its expression in “Manifest Destiny” and the Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt was arguably the most physical president America has ever had. Sometimes overcome by pent-up energy, Roosevelt would jump up from his seat in the Oval Office and hike in a straight line for five miles, climbing, jumping, and swimming all barriers natural or manmade he encountered on the way. This exercise exhausted the few staffers and security officers who could keep up with him, but Roosevelt would return refreshed and invigorated.

April 28, 2016/1 Comment/by Janine Turner and Cathy Gillespie

1896, William McKinley Defeats William Jennings Bryan: The Gold Standard vs. Bimetallism

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Karl Rove 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1896 William McKinley Defeats William Jennings Bryan The Gold Standard vs. Bimetallism, Civil War, Gold Standard, Karl Rove

Guest Essayist: Karl Rove

America’s politics leading into the 1896 election looks familiar. The political system was broken: In five presidential elections, no one received 50% and for 20 of 24 years, America had divided government and gridlock in which little got done. The animosity between the parties was beyond normal partisanship: they were still fighting the Civil War.

April 27, 2016/0 Comments/by Janine Turner and Cathy Gillespie