Shouldn't this be in pre-1900?
Nope! Although James G. "Blaine from Maine" Blaine is probably the best known political figure with the last name of Blaine, he is not the only one!
Why the heck was John J. Blaine, then?
A good question! (I'm so glad I thought to ask it.) James G. Blaine was a three-term governor of Wisconsin and single term United States Senator in the 1920s and 1930s. He was a strong Progressive and, like many Progressive leaders from Wisconsin (such as Irvine Lenroot) had a complicated relationship with Robert M. LaFollette Sr. The two were strong allies at times, but Blaine showed an independent streak and was always working to escape his mentor's shadow.
He was first elected Governor in 1921 after serving for some years as Attorney General. Blaine was a staunch "Wet" when it came to Prohibition and also an opponent of the Ku Klux Klan and other nativist organizations; he often lampooned his opponents for their suspected bigotry and was known to accuse them of being associated with the KKK long after that organization had faltered in the state.
He eventually ran for Lenroot's Senate seat and won with the help of the LaFollette brothers, but would go down to defeat in 1932, another victim of the Roosevelt landslide. One of his final duties as a Senator, and the one he is probably best remembered for, was in penning the 21st Amendment to repeal Prohibition. Interestingly enough, he also voted against the Kellogg–Briand Pact, which may say something about his foreign policy views.
Wow, John J. Blaine sounds really interesting. Where can I learn more?
Well, his Wikipedia page is right here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Blaine
and, if you have access to JSTOR (and who doesn't want access to JSTOR?), you can also look up the following article:
Senator John J. Blaine: An Independent Progressive during "Normalcy"
by Patrick G. O'Brien
The Challenge
Since Blaine's hay day was during the 1920s, that's probably the best chance to get him the Presidency. But does a openly 'wet' Republican Midwestern governor stand a chance during this era? That will be for you to decide. Blaine passed away from pneumonia in the 1930s, although it seems as if his death would be relatively easy to butterfly away. But, with FDR in power during the Depression the chance of any Republican seems pretty minuscule.
In any case; I throw it open to you. How can we get John J. Blaine to be President of the United States?
Nope! Although James G. "Blaine from Maine" Blaine is probably the best known political figure with the last name of Blaine, he is not the only one!
Why the heck was John J. Blaine, then?
A good question! (I'm so glad I thought to ask it.) James G. Blaine was a three-term governor of Wisconsin and single term United States Senator in the 1920s and 1930s. He was a strong Progressive and, like many Progressive leaders from Wisconsin (such as Irvine Lenroot) had a complicated relationship with Robert M. LaFollette Sr. The two were strong allies at times, but Blaine showed an independent streak and was always working to escape his mentor's shadow.
He was first elected Governor in 1921 after serving for some years as Attorney General. Blaine was a staunch "Wet" when it came to Prohibition and also an opponent of the Ku Klux Klan and other nativist organizations; he often lampooned his opponents for their suspected bigotry and was known to accuse them of being associated with the KKK long after that organization had faltered in the state.
He eventually ran for Lenroot's Senate seat and won with the help of the LaFollette brothers, but would go down to defeat in 1932, another victim of the Roosevelt landslide. One of his final duties as a Senator, and the one he is probably best remembered for, was in penning the 21st Amendment to repeal Prohibition. Interestingly enough, he also voted against the Kellogg–Briand Pact, which may say something about his foreign policy views.
Wow, John J. Blaine sounds really interesting. Where can I learn more?
Well, his Wikipedia page is right here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Blaine
and, if you have access to JSTOR (and who doesn't want access to JSTOR?), you can also look up the following article:
Senator John J. Blaine: An Independent Progressive during "Normalcy"
by Patrick G. O'Brien
The Challenge
Since Blaine's hay day was during the 1920s, that's probably the best chance to get him the Presidency. But does a openly 'wet' Republican Midwestern governor stand a chance during this era? That will be for you to decide. Blaine passed away from pneumonia in the 1930s, although it seems as if his death would be relatively easy to butterfly away. But, with FDR in power during the Depression the chance of any Republican seems pretty minuscule.
In any case; I throw it open to you. How can we get John J. Blaine to be President of the United States?