AHC: President with longer last name than Washington

First of all, I don't agree that getting Breckinridge elected in 1860 requires ASB's *if the election goes into the House.* Second, Breckinridge could have become president well before 1860--if President Buchanan had for example died of National Hotel Disease in 1857. https://groups.google.com/d/msg/soc.history.what-if/Nt91RSlqBEw/blTX7nK3s0QJ

If Breckinridge became president in 1857 and died in 1858 (let's say he got the disease too--some people who got it died lingering deaths in 1858 or even 1859) President Pro Tempore of the Senate Benjamin Fitzpatrick (eleven letters!) becomes POTUS...

Agreed on the "If Buchanan died". I'll have to check to see other Vice Presidents who were longer than 10 to see if any of them qualify.

I disagree with you on 1860. The Lincoln supporters in the house would vote for either Bell or Douglas (whoever came in third) rather than see Breckinridge as President. Breckinridge just can't get to 17 state delegations...

See http://faculty.virginia.edu/jajenkins/ES.pdf for a technical paper on the subject.
 
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Not to mention that I have a hard time seeing California in 2012 voting Republican for President, even with Arnie as candidate.

This is the California that turned hard-left in 2010, such that an ad comparing Meg Whitman to Arnie was considered one of the most effective ads of the cycle.

When he left office, Arnold's approval ratings in California had fallen to 23%. That's Bush/Nixon levels of unpopularity.
 
Agreed on the "If Buchanan died". I'll have to check to see other Vice Presidents who were longer than 10 to see if any of them qualify.

I disagree with you on 1860. The Lincoln supporters in the house would vote for either Bell or Douglas (whoever came in third) rather than see Breckinridge as President. Breckinridge just can't get to 17 state delegations...

See http://faculty.virginia.edu/jajenkins/ES.pdf for a technical paper on the subject.

Let's look at a Republican vs. Bell vs. Breckinridge (Douglas said he would not accept election by the House) contest in the House. The Breckinridge Democrats controlled eleven slave states plus Oregon and California. They were tied with the Bell supporters in Maryland, Kentucky, and North Carolina. If Breckinridge can get one Bell supporter each in these three states and three in Tennessee to support him, he wins. I don't think that's inconceivable. Southern supporters of Bell ("Americans" or "Oppositionists") might vote for Breckinridge because they might feel that otherwise a "Black Republican" (not necessarily Lincoln--in fact, the race is far more likely to go into the House if Lincoln is *not* the Republican candidate) might win or else there would be a prolonged deadlock in which case Breckiridge's running mate Lane would presumably become president anyway (since the Senate will choose him as vice-president). Besides, it's not like Breckinridge was a Rhett-Yancey type fire-eater, though he had their support; unlike Buchanan he had even backed Douglas against Lincoln in Illinois in 1858.

Now it is true that to avoid the possibility of a Breckinridge or Lane presidency, the Republicans might throw their support to Bell (who though a slaveholder had voted against the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Lecompton Constitution). But I think some of the more radical ones, at least, might refuse to do so--the Chicago platform or bust! And even if they *did* support Bell en masse, some southerners who would otherwise have voted for Bell would recoil from voting for a candidate who owed his main support to Republicans. They might still *want* to vote for Bell, but they could foresee only too well how the Democrats would use their "treasonable collaboration with Black Republicans" at the next congressional election.

I do think it is unlikely, though, that the race would go into the House even if, say, Seward rather than Lincoln was the Republican candidate. With Breckinridge taking 4.5 percent of the vote in Indiana (thanks to Jesse Bright's hatred of Douglas) it would be hard for any Republican presidential candidate to lose the state in 1860, though Seward might not carry it by Lincoln's 8.7 point margin. http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/u/usa/pres/1860.txt And if the GOP presidential candidate wins Indiana, he can lose Oregon, California, Illinois, and the electoral votes Lincoln got in New Jersey, and still win in the Electoral College.
 
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Let's look at a Republican vs. Bell vs. Breckinridge (Douglas said he would not accept election by the House) contest in the House. The Breckinridge Democrats controlled eleven slave states plus Oregon and California. They were tied with the Bell supporters in Maryland, Kentucky, and North Carolina. If Breckinridge can get one Bell supporter each in these three states and three in Tennessee to support him, he wins. I don't think that's inconceivable. Southern supporters of Bell ("Americans" or "Oppositionists") might vote for Breckinridge because they might feel that otherwise a "Black Republican" (not necessarily Lincoln--in fact, the race is far more likely to go into the House if Lincoln is *not* the Republican candidate) might win or else there would be a prolonged deadlock in which case Breckiridge's running mate Lane would presumably become president anyway (since the Senate will choose him as vice-president). Besides, it's not like Breckinridge was a Rhett-Yancey type fire-eater, though he had their support; unlike Buchanan he had even backed Douglas against Lincoln in Illinois in 1858.

Now it is true that to avoid the possibility of a Breckinridge or Lane presidency, the Republicans might throw their support to Bell (who though a slaveholder had voted against the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Lecompton Constitution). But I think some of the more radical ones, at least, might refuse to do so--the Chicago platform or bust! And even if they *did* support Bell en masse, some southerners who would otherwise have voted for Bell would recoil from voting for a candidate who owed his main support to Republicans." They might still *want* to vote for Bell, but they could foresee only too well how the Democrats would use their "treasonable collaboration with Black Republicans" at the next congressional election.

I do think it is unlikely, though, that the race would go into the House even if, say, Seward rather than Lincoln was the Republican candidate. With Breckinridge taking 4.5 percent of the vote in Indiana (thanks to Jesse Bright's hatred of Douglas) it would be hard for any Republican presidential candidate to lose the state in 1860, though Seward might not carry it by Lincoln's 8.7 point margin. http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/u/usa/pres/1860.txt And if the GOP presidential candidate wins Indiana, he can lose Oregon, California, Illinois, and the electoral votes Lincoln got in New Jersey, and still win in the Electoral College.

If you are going to pull in the Possibility of Seward, then the Republicans could even run Fremont again if you want a Republican who isn't doing well. My ASB statement assumed the 4 candidates who were actually in the election.

For Oregon, even though Lincoln only won a plurality, Breckinridge isn't getting Oregon's state vote in the House, his VP (Lane) basically torpedoed the career of the outgoing member of the house (who will be the one voting). So you can't count on Oregon.

Lane's election in the Senate will force the Republican controlled state delegations to choose between Lane as President due to Deadlock or voting for Bell to put him over the top. So, If things go to the house in a Lincoln-Bell-Breckinridge election, Bell ends up as President. (And I feel really sorry for him)

Let me know what you think of the technical paper...
 
I wanted to point out something to consider the closer we approach the present. My name on here was the family name before they passed through Ellis Island. you'll notice, it has the coveted 11 letters. My point being, even if Arnold's family immigrated here before his birth, the odds are good that he would have the last name "Shwartz" or something shorter and more American sounding.

Also, i would like to add a slightly underhanded entry. Bill Clinton never adopts his stepfathers name, making him President Blythe III
 
If Nick Galifiankis had won the NC Senate race in 1972 he might have been on a Democratic national ticket some day... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Galifianakis_(politician)

(He acknowledged that his name might be a bit hard for North Carolinians. He explained that it started with a gal and ended with a kiss. Anyway, Helms won 54-46. Maybe if the Democrats had nominated a presidential candidate more popular in NC than McGovern...)

And is there any way we could get a President Leverett Saltonstall? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverett_Saltonstall
 
Henry Clay wins in 1844 and is assassinated by a delusional expansionist, his vice-president, Theodore Frelinghuysen, becomes President. Thirteen letters, beat that :p
 
If Nick Galifiankis had won the NC Senate race in 1972 he might have been on a Democratic national ticket some day... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Galifianakis_(politician)

(He acknowledged that his name might be a bit hard for North Carolinians. He explained that it started with a gal and ended with a kiss. Anyway, Helms won 54-46. Maybe if the Democrats had nominated a presidential candidate more popular in NC than McGovern...)

And is there any way we could get a President Leverett Saltonstall? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverett_Saltonstall

Let me get this straight. There was an election between a Galifianakis and a Helms in the 70s? Hell's teeth, my Hangover/West Wing fanfic just came true!
 
This guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfe+585,_Senior

Has a son born in the US, who would therefore be eligible for the Presidency. We just have to make Mr Wolfe*schlegelstein*hausenberger*dorffvoraltern*waren*gewissenhaft*schaferswessen*schafewaren*wohlgepflege*und*sorgfaltigkeit*beschutzen*von*angreifen*durch*ihrraubgierigfeinde*welyche*voraltern*zwolftausend*jahres*vorandieerscheinen*wander*ersteer*dem*enschderraumschiff*gebrauchlicht*als*sein*ursprung*von*kraftgestart*sein*lange*fahrt*hinzwischen*sternartigraum*auf*der*suchenach*diestern*welche*gehabt*bewohnbar*planeten*kreise*drehen*sich*und*wohin*der*neurasse*von*verstandigmen*schlichkeit*konnte*fortplanzen*und*sicher*freuen*anlebens*langlich*freude*und*ruhe*mit*nicht*ein*furcht*vor*angreifen*von*anderer*intelligent*geschopfs*von*hinzwischensternartigraum, Junior President. Some how.
 
This guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfe+585,_Senior

Has a son born in the US, who would therefore be eligible for the Presidency. We just have to make Mr Wolfe*schlegelstein*hausenberger*dorffvoraltern*waren*gewissenhaft*schaferswessen*schafewaren*wohlgepflege*und*sorgfaltigkeit*beschutzen*von*angreifen*durch*ihrraubgierigfeinde*welyche*voraltern*zwolftausend*jahres*vorandieerscheinen*wander*ersteer*dem*enschderraumschiff*gebrauchlicht*als*sein*ursprung*von*kraftgestart*sein*lange*fahrt*hinzwischen*sternartigraum*auf*der*suchenach*diestern*welche*gehabt*bewohnbar*planeten*kreise*drehen*sich*und*wohin*der*neurasse*von*verstandigmen*schlichkeit*konnte*fortplanzen*und*sicher*freuen*anlebens*langlich*freude*und*ruhe*mit*nicht*ein*furcht*vor*angreifen*von*anderer*intelligent*geschopfs*von*hinzwischensternartigraum, Junior President. Some how.

220px-Wolfe%2B585.jpg




I am surprised that that is a name and not gibberish.
 
In Bring the Jubilee, Ward Moore makes a passing reference to a "Vallandigham administration". Don't know how likely it is though.
 
In Bring the Jubilee, Ward Moore makes a passing reference to a "Vallandigham administration". Don't know how likely it is though.

The main problem with Bring the Jubilee IMO is managing to keep any country containing the Iron and Coal reserves that the rump-USA has from at least being a regional power during the last half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th. (I'm even willing to say that a NY/PA/OH/IN/IL/MI/WI/MN nation would have a decent chance.

But once you accept the idea of a Union *Surrender* rather than simply allowing the Confederacy to leave, then Vallandigham is a reasonable choice.
 
steeler

If the Pittsburgh quarterback goes into politics, we could have a president with thirteen letters.
 
I wanted to point out something to consider the closer we approach the present. My name on here was the family name before they passed through Ellis Island. you'll notice, it has the coveted 11 letters. My point being, even if Arnold's family immigrated here before his birth, the odds are good that he would have the last name "Shwartz" or something shorter and more American sounding.

Also, i would like to add a slightly underhanded entry. Bill Clinton never adopts his stepfathers name, making him President Blythe III

Matashowski??? Surely Mataszowski or some diacritical marks on the 's', no?

Or are you Ukrainian and you're transliterating from Cyrillic?
 
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