AHC: The oldest president dies, 1945...

Make this happen!:p

historychannel.jpg
 
TR wins in 1920. Doesn't run again in 1928. A Democrat wins, the market crashes, and Teddy comes back to save the day in 1932. He guides the country through the Depression and then World War II.

Obviously a pretty convergent timeline to what we've got, but it's something.

That also makes TR the longest-serving president (1901-1909; 1921-1929; 1933-1945 = 28 years as president)
 
Really? I know the History Channel hasn't done actual history in a dog's age, but surely they couldn't have forgotten that much?
 
I think the POD has to be that he doesn't go on that Amazon expedition. Even so, it's pretty unlikely...

Agree. I don't see way how he could live at age of 86 or 87. It would be extremely high age on that time and with his lifestyle. Take away his unhealthy life habits and Amazonian trip, then might be possible that he lives at age of 80 and probably even that is much.
 
Agree. I don't see way how he could live at age of 86 or 87. It would be extremely high age on that time and with his lifestyle. Take away his unhealthy life habits and Amazonian trip, then might be possible that he lives at age of 80 and probably even that is much.


Charles Evans Hughes lived to be 86 - and retained all his faculties until the last few months of his life. So it wasn't impossible. OTOH I'm a bit vague as to how his lifestyle differed from TR's. It may have been healthier.
 
Egads... Did The History Channel really post this? It's not on their Twitter feed now, and in any case that's a good thing.
 

Wallet

Banned
Although it's possible for him to win in 1920, it's unlikely. The country grew tired of the progressive reforms and foreign interventions. They wanted to return home and focus on business.

Even if he wins in 1924, I also doubt the Democrats can win in 1928. The country was going though its greatest boom period ever (unknown how TR would affect this) and the Democrats were deeply divided. They nomainted Al Smith, a catholic. This led to lots of southern and KKK members to walk out the convention. And he loss to Hoover, one of America's greatest heroes at THAT time. He had a rags to riches orphan story and saved thousands of lives after WW1.

EVEN if the Democrats win in 1928, I SERIOUSLY doubt the GOP will nomanite TR in 1932. Lots of people were against a 3rd term and although he might get away with running in 1920/1925, people would call foul if he ran again. I doubt he'll win. Hell, people might blame him. No way he keeps winning past 1936 even if he gets credit for the recovery.

Of course, having a progressive president might butterfly away the Great Depression or make it more mild. But then you get rid of the roaring 20s. This dramatically changes WW2, if there is one. That's the only reason FDR ran in 1940/1944 OTL
 

Wallet

Banned
Also, congress was deeply conservative at the time. This kills any progressive agenda TR would have had.
 
Roosevelt living that long is reasonable enough, though I agree that it's unlikely for him to actually be elected to the presidency during the 30s or 40s. So, maybe something that places him in the line of succession? Maybe a weak president is pressured to put the highly-popular Roosevelt in his cabinet as Secretary of State, and then something happens to him and his Vice President?

I mean, the Republican ticket of 1940 IOTL died before 1944, so you could have a vaguely similar scenario play out here...
 
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