Charles Evans Hughes Elected President, 1916

I'm reading Almost President: The Men Who Lost The Race But Changed The Nation. The book states that Charles Evans Hughes, if he'd won California, could have beaten Wilson in 1916.

Now what? The book said he had a strong record on civil liberties as chief justice, so if the U.S. enters WWI in TTL, we won't see the Sedition Act and various other abuses. Maybe the International Workers of the World doesn't get wiped out and there aren't the Palmer Raids and the First Red Scare.
 
I think a Hughes win has the potential to make some serious long term changes.

WW1 entry was going to happen either way so that does not change.

But with the GOP in charge after the war it is quite possible the Democrats retake the WH in 1920. As a result they are likely to benefit from the good times of the 20's, which was also pretty inevitable.

Neither party was big for major regulations in the 20's, the GOP got the bigger hit because they were in charge. But with the Democrats in charge when the market crashes it's quite possible the GOP becomes the 'come in to heal the depression party

Quite possibly with the great WW1 engineer Herbert Hoover defeating the playboy President FDR in 1932.
 
The GOP was historically a "progressive" party; having to deal with the Depression might revitalize that branch.

After all, I think FDR ran against government programs Hoover eventually created to deal with the Depression, then upon winning concluded they (and more) were needed.
 
There is a similar book that has been updated every few years since 1972 about Presidential Also-Rans and even their vice-presidential runners. It to gives very high marks to a Hughes Presidency.
 
A link from the Genocide...

Mr. Hughes goes to War

Now granted it does have Hughes entering the oval office in November '16. But I do remember reading something along the lines of Wilson planning to dump Marshall, nominate hughes, and resign to avoid a prolonged "lame duck period" in the middle of a crucial time.

As for my own thoughts...

-Assuming he's inaugurated in March 1917 little actually changes during the war itself. The post-war settlement is probably entirely different bereft of Wilson's idealism.

-Having Wilson resign and Hughes replace him could set a very interesting precedent which directly affects the "Lame Duck" period at the end of each presidency.
 
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