AHC: Presidential dynasties from (relatively) small states

There was of course the Virginia Dynasty in the first few decades of the Republic, and a number of presidents from Ohio from 1877 to 1923. One can easily conceive of situations where a large state like New York or California or Texas could elect a large number of presidents in a few decades (indeed, Texas had three from 1963 to 2009). The real challenge: Get a number of presidents from a relatively small state--let's say three within a few decades. In fact, ideally they should follow each other without interruption.

An example I was thinking of: Kentucky

Henry Clay (W) (1845-1853)--without the heartbreak of losing the election in 1844 and the nomination in 1848, he actually lives several months longer than in OTL.
John J. Crittenden (W) (1853-1861)
John C. Breckinridge (D) (1861-1869)
Cassius M. Clay (R) (1869-1877)--dark horse candidate and surprise nominee of the newly-formed Republican Party. His election leads to secession and the Civil War.

Try to think of other examples, either from before 1900 or after. Again, try to make it a small or at most medium-sized state--something like New York is too easy.
 
Does a literal dynasty count? In a world where RFK isn't assassinated it should be possible to get three Kennedys from Massachussetts in the 1960's-80's time frame.
 
Its not that hard to get a Bush dynasty from Connecticut, and thats an actual familial dynasty.

A Prescott Bush presidency is unlikely but possible. But I doubt that GHW Bush would ever have become president if he had stayed in CT--and GHW Bush as we know him would probably not exist...
 
Does a literal dynasty count? In a world where RFK isn't assassinated it should be possible to get three Kennedys from Massachussetts in the 1960's-80's time frame.

Well, I'm not sure that MA, which had 16 electoral votes as recently as 1960, qualifies as a small state--but yes, that's possible, though RFK would have to not move to New York.
 
What about the Du Ponts, who have long dominated Rhode Island(to the point some
have called the state simply a fief of the Du
Pony family!) Didn't Pierre DuPont run for
President a few years ago IOTL? If he had
got in(& I readily admit that that would have
been a hell of a long shot)that could easily
have set the stage for a Presidental dynasty.
 
What about the Du Ponts, who have long dominated Rhode Island(to the point some
have called the state simply a fief of the Du
Pony family!) Didn't Pierre DuPont run for
President a few years ago IOTL? If he had
got in(& I readily admit that that would have
been a hell of a long shot)that could easily
have set the stage for a Presidental dynasty.


No, the Du Ponts are prominent in Delaware's politics, not Rhode Island's. But yes, Pete du Pont did run for president in 1988; he left the race after finishing next to last in the New Hampshire primary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_du_Pont
 
Hmmm, I considered anything not California, Florida, and Texas as "not big states" in the 3rd millennium. I guess that Virginia qualifies as a big state up to and maybe in the 1830s though.
 

kernals12

Banned
Does a literal dynasty count? In a world where RFK isn't assassinated it should be possible to get three Kennedys from Massachussetts in the 1960's-80's time frame.
Possible, but not likely. Even without Chappaquidick, Ted would've had a hard time with giving the Democrats control of the white house a 5th consecutive time, especially with a poor economy.
 
On the subject of Delaware and the du Ponts, I'm not sure how plausible it is, but it fulfills the requirements:

1989-1993 Joe Biden (D)*
1993-2001 Pete du Pont (R)**
2001-2005 M. Jane Brady (R)***
2005-2013 Ruth Ann Minner (D)****
2013-???? Ben du Pont (R)*****

*Remembers to give credit to Kinnock and wins the general election.
**Biden's tenure goers as well as H.W. Bush's; du Pont is more successful in this presidential campaign than in 1988.
***Brady wins Biden's seat in 1990 as he is no longer incumbent or gets elected to another higher office. Not sure about her political leanings, but unless she's a Rockefeller Republican, she could win the Republican Primary, and, thanks to du Pont's potential popularity, the election.
****Helped in part by the Democrats' desire to nominate a woman in response the Republicans fielding the first female president, Governor Minner breaks the twelve-year Republican reign.
*****Ben duPont either gets in state politics, helped by his father's notability, or he runs as an outsider businessman/entrepreneur.

I thought about putting Christine O'Donnell in there, but I don't know how she'd win any election.
 
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The great state of Arizona goes on to dominate US politics after the Cuban Missile War vaporizes most of the Kennedy Cabinet. President Pro Tempore Carl Hayden becomes POTUS in the aftermath. I've managed to inaugurate five Arizonans in a row.

1961-1962 John Kennedy (D)

1962-1965 Carl Hayden (D)
1965-1973 Barry Goldwater (R)
1973-1981 Mo Udall (D)
1981 John Connally (R) [1]
1981-1989 Charles Keating (R)
1989-1993 John McCain (R)

[1] John Connally of Texas wins the Election of 1980, but is assassinated before he can be sworn in. Vice President-Elect Charles Keating of Arizona becomes President.
 
One correction: the du Ponts used to be dominant in Delaware politics. They haven't been a force of any significance since Pete du Pont left the governorship in the late 1980s, and even that was more of an epilogue than a final chapter. In these days, they're more of a name and a memory, living in a handful of estates to the north and northwest of Wilmington.

To get a du Pont presidential dynasty, you'd probably have to go back about a century or perhaps a bit more and persuade T. Coleman du Pont (born in KY but became a senator from DE IOTL) to run. He had a daughter-an only child-so if you want a dynasty with the same name you'd have to persuade any of the sons of A. I. or P. S. du Pont to follow in uncle Coleman's footsteps.
 
I'm sure we could arrange for the Volunteer State to volunteer for the Presidency. I'm basing this off a previous post I made on this subject, made a bit less of a Tennessee wank, but still ignoring butterflies.

*Andrew Jackson (D-TN, 1829 - 1837)
*James K. Polk (D-TN, 1845 - 1849)
*John Bell (Constitution Union Party-TN, 1860 - 1864) - Somehow the Constitutional Union Party wins and the ACW still happens, but the party still dissolves after the Civil War.
*Andrew Johnson (D-TN, 1865 - 1869) - Let's just say he somehow still finds a way to the presidency
*Cordell Hull (D-TN, 1941) - FDR picks him as VP in 36/40 and FDR dies in 1941.
*Jo Byrnes (D-TN, 1941 - 1945) - He doesn't die as IOTL and remains House Speaker a bit longer, but Hull's sudden death before picking a VP propels him to the presidency. He serves out his term and resigns due to health issues.
*Estes Kefauver (D-TN, 1952 - 1960)
*Frank Clement (D-TN, 1976 - 1980) - Survives his defeat by Howard Baker IOTL and survives in general to become something of a Jimmy Carter-type Democrat in the 1970s. Loses to Baker again for the presidency in 1980.
*Howard Baker (R-TN, 1980 - 1988)
*Al Gore, Jr. (D-TN, 2000 - 2008)
*Lamar Alexander (R-TN, 2008 - 2016)
 
I'm sure we could arrange for the Volunteer State to volunteer for the Presidency. I'm basing this off a previous post I made on this subject, made a bit less of a Tennessee wank, but still ignoring butterflies.

*Andrew Jackson (D-TN, 1829 - 1837)
*James K. Polk (D-TN, 1845 - 1849)
*John Bell (Constitution Union Party-TN, 1860 - 1864) - Somehow the Constitutional Union Party wins and the ACW still happens, but the party still dissolves after the Civil War.

It's not inconceivable that Bell could win if the election goes into the House and if the Republicans see that Lincoln (or Seward or whoever they nominate in this TL) has no chance there, so support Bell (who after all had opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Lecompton Constitution) as a lesser evil than someone like Breckinridge.

There will almost certainly be no civil war for at least four years if Bell wins. After that, of course, is anyone's guess...[/QUOTE]
 
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