AH Challenge: President Blanche K. Bruce

How far down on the chain of command (if at all) is the register of the treasury?

In other words, I don't think it would be possible to have an African-American elected president or even appointed to a high office in the late 19th century (unless you made the POD so far back in history that it threatens the existence of Blanche Bruce). His rise to the White House would have to be something like Jack Ryan's, with even more resignations/deaths.
 
csa945 said:
How far down on the chain of command (if at all) is the register of the treasury?

In other words, I don't think it would be possible to have an African-American elected president or even appointed to a high office in the late 19th century (unless you made the POD so far back in history that it threatens the existence of Blanche Bruce). His rise to the White House would have to be something like Jack Ryan's, with even more resignations/deaths.
So, he becomes a cabinet secretary, and then Guiteau goes on a killing spree?
 
Wendell said:
So, he becomes a cabinet secretary, and then Guiteau goes on a killing spree?

The entire cabinet goes down to the train station to see Garfield off?

Hmm. Seems unlikely to me. Maybe a group of diehard Rebels fly an airship into the Capitol while Garfield is giving the State of the Union Address. Bruce is the highest surviving Federal official. He serves as President for approximately 10 minutes before people recognize that he's black and not just covered in ash and soot. Where upon he is impeached and someone else becomes President.

I suspect that his tenure as President, most likely being known as His Accidency, will be short. Not more than a few days.
 
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Hm. Lincoln tours the front in 1863, and a lucky (for some values of lucky) Confederate sniper makes Hannibal Hamlin President. 1864, Hamlin-Chandler defeats McClellan. Reconstruction involves a decent number of executions, permanent and widespread disenfranchisement, and distributing a fair number of those suddenly surplus rifles to freedmen, etc. Thus, while bushwhacking continues across the South, Blanche is merely one of several African-Americans representing the South in Congress during the postwar period. He is reelected handily to the Senate in 1880, but becomes Secretary of the Treasury under Garfield (the price for the Black Belt states withdrawing his name and endorsing Garfiled during the 1880 primary). Guiteau (and friends?) kill the President, Vice-President and Secretary of State in quick succession, and Blanche becomes President.

Alas, I agree that Blanche can't win a nationwide election yet. However, in TTL there just may be enough African-Americans and Radical Republicans about that he can beat impeachment once he gets in.
 
ShawnEndresen said:
Hm. Lincoln tours the front in 1863, and a lucky (for some values of lucky) Confederate sniper makes Hannibal Hamlin President. 1864, Hamlin-Chandler defeats McClellan. Reconstruction involves a decent number of executions, permanent and widespread disenfranchisement, and distributing a fair number of those suddenly surplus rifles to freedmen, etc. Thus, while bushwhacking continues across the South, Blanche is merely one of several African-Americans representing the South in Congress during the postwar period. He is reelected handily to the Senate in 1880, but becomes Secretary of the Treasury under Garfield (the price for the Black Belt states withdrawing his name and endorsing Garfiled during the 1880 primary). Guiteau (and friends?) kill the President, Vice-President and Secretary of State in quick succession, and Blanche becomes President.

Alas, I agree that Blanche can't win a nationwide election yet. However, in TTL there just may be enough African-Americans and Radical Republicans about that he can beat impeachment once he gets in.
Wouldn't Sec. or War and President Pro Tem. need to be knocked off as well?
 
David S Poepoe said:
The entire cabinet goes down to the train station to see Garfield off?

Hmm. Seems unlikely to me. Maybe a group of diehard Rebels fly an airship into the Capitol while Garfield is giving the State of the Union Address. Bruce is the highest surviving Federal official. He serves as President for approximately 10 minutes before people recognize that he's black and not just covered in ash and soot. Where upon he is impeached and someone else becomes President.

I suspect that his tenure as President, most likely being known as His Accidency, will be short. Not more than a few days.
I don't see him getting impeached solely for being Black. Granted, he will be just as popular during his tenure as Andrew Johnson was while President.
 
Until the 1880s the successor to the President in the event of no
VP was the President Pro Tem of the Senate, with a provision for a special election unless there was not much more than a year to go.

If the something like the Voting Rights Act had been in force it is possible that a prominent African American might have kept a Senate seat for a long time.

In the 1880s they change the succession to the Secretary of State. Maybe that change could have been avoided

In 1947 they made it Speaker, followed by President Pro Tem followed by Sec of State etc (Making people who are fairly likely to be of the opposite party to the President possible successors is, in my view, an error.
 
Derek Jackson said:
Until the 1880s the successor to the President in the event of no
VP was the President Pro Tem of the Senate, with a provision for a special election unless there was not much more than a year to go.

If the something like the Voting Rights Act had been in force it is possible that a prominent African American might have kept a Senate seat for a long time.

In the 1880s they change the succession to the Secretary of State. Maybe that change could have been avoided

In 1947 they made it Speaker, followed by President Pro Tem followed by Sec of State etc (Making people who are fairly likely to be of the opposite party to the President possible successors is, in my view, an error.
Interesting thought. My understanding was that Truman liked the idea of Speaker then ProTem then cabinet because the Speaker and Protem were elected positions. Though, a cynic could argue that this became the order because Truman and Rayburn were friends.
 
Wendell said:
Interesting thought. My understanding was that Truman liked the idea of Speaker then ProTem then cabinet because the Speaker and Protem were elected positions. Though, a cynic could argue that this became the order because Truman and Rayburn were friends.

But Republicans had the House in 1947
 
Until the 1880s the successor to the President in the event of no
VP was the President Pro Tem of the Senate, with a provision for a special election unless there was not much more than a year to go..

Exactly, I have recently found out that Blanch K. Bruce was nominated for President in 1880, eventhough it was only by eight or so votes it still says something, as well as his appointment by James Garfield as Treasury Secretary does...

I believe I've come up with the most feasible way to have Bruce end up in the White House....POD, with using his support from Garfield and from the Republican Convention Blanche runs and wins the seat for President Pro Tempore...However in this ATL, Garfield still gets assasinated but Arthur is a much more sickly man than in OTL due to a more profound advancement in his kidney disease killing in in 1882 or 1883...By the constitution President Pro Tempore Blanche K. Bruce would become the 30th POTUS as well as the first Black President.

What kind of challenges would he face in his presidency? Would he be more or less effective than OTL Arthur during his short term? Any real chance of him winning the 1884 election?
 
Hm. Lincoln tours the front in 1863, and a lucky (for some values of lucky) Confederate sniper makes Hannibal Hamlin President. 1864, Hamlin-Chandler defeats McClellan. Reconstruction involves a decent number of executions, permanent and widespread disenfranchisement, and distributing a fair number of those suddenly surplus rifles to freedmen, etc. Thus, while bushwhacking continues across the South, Blanche is merely one of several African-Americans representing the South in Congress during the postwar period. He is reelected handily to the Senate in 1880, but becomes Secretary of the Treasury under Garfield (the price for the Black Belt states withdrawing his name and endorsing Garfiled during the 1880 primary). Guiteau (and friends?) kill the President, Vice-President and Secretary of State in quick succession, and Blanche becomes President.

Alas, I agree that Blanche can't win a nationwide election yet. However, in TTL there just may be enough African-Americans and Radical Republicans about that he can beat impeachment once he gets in.

So what your proposing is an major Conspiracy much like the one Booth set up in OTL where they assasinate the major Heads of State? My question is, what basis would the US Congress have for Impeaching Bruce, cuz I really don't think there is any constitutional backing to this theory?
 
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