Earliest Woman President

your Challenge is, with a POD anytime after the Nineteenth Amendment, to find the earliest time a woman could win the White House.
 
Off hand and the shortest, not to mention that of a topic of a upcoming book, would be Eleanor Roosevelt running against Eisenhower.
 
I'd say Eleanor Roosevelt .My history prof was telling the class how she was more popular amongst the people than her own husband.
 
I agree with David and Scourge. I could definetly see Eleanore Roosevelt running for President.

I think another possibility might be Jackie Kennedy.
 
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sprite

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I seriously doubt Eleanor Roosevelt could get elected on the top of the ticket. Considering that women did not even get appointed to cabinet till the late 70's onwards (excepting Frances Perkins), i believe that the social barriers to a woman in power were too strong up until that point.

So the earliest i think would be a catastrophe that wipes everyone out of the line of succession up until Juanita M. Kreps or Patricia Roberts Harris in 1977

Without major catastrophe, the earliest i think you'd be able to get is a Elizabeth Dole in '88 and Bush Sr. choking on a Japanese banquet.

Other VP-hops would be be Margaret Chase Smith with Nixon, Carol Moseley Braun with Kerry.

Chelsea Clinton, 3 Term NY Senator in 2028 maybe :)
 
I seriously doubt Eleanor Roosevelt could get elected on the top of the ticket. Considering that women did not even get appointed to cabinet till the late 70's onwards (excepting Frances Perkins), i believe that the social barriers to a woman in power were too strong up until that point.

I don't agree with that. Under ordinary circumstances, yes, there is no way that Eleanor Roosevelt gets anywhere near the Democratic nomination, but consider this. Many of the reforms that FDR enacted under the New Deal came about through the efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt. She was also one of the leading members of the American delegation to the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and was deeply involved in drafting the UN Charter of Human Rights. She had extensive hands-on experience with both domestic policy and international power politics. On top of that, she was the wife of the president who had brought the United States out of the Depression, won World War II and was a legend in his own time. Even if she had run against Eisenhower, I think she would have won.
 
As long as the POD isn't simply Eleanor deciding to run it's definitely doable. If the Republicans gain the White House in '48 or '52 with someone really controversial, someone who is going to create battles for Eleanor to fight (which will raise her profile and popularity) she could rise to the challenge. Maybe Taft or Macarthur could manage this?

Eleanor spectacularly winning a drawn-out battle of wits in front of an alt-HUAC should do it.
 

sprite

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I don't agree with that. Under ordinary circumstances, yes, there is no way that Eleanor Roosevelt gets anywhere near the Democratic nomination, but consider this. Many of the reforms that FDR enacted under the New Deal came about through the efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt. She was also one of the leading members of the American delegation to the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and was deeply involved in drafting the UN Charter of Human Rights. She had extensive hands-on experience with both domestic policy and international power politics. On top of that, she was the wife of the president who had brought the United States out of the Depression, won World War II and was a legend in his own time. Even if she had run against Eisenhower, I think she would have won.

I don't doubt she was very influential and popular to alot of voters, however, i doubt she'd be able to get the nomination, especially who made up the majority of the democratic party in the 50's and 60's. Her view on civil-rights especially would deny her any votes from the South.

Also she was -older- than Eisenhower, she would be 68 for the 1952 election.
 

sprite

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As long as the POD isn't simply Eleanor deciding to run it's definitely doable. If the Republicans gain the White House in '48 or '52 with someone really controversial, someone who is going to create battles for Eleanor to fight (which will raise her profile and popularity) she could rise to the challenge. Maybe Taft or Macarthur could manage this?

Eleanor spectacularly winning a drawn-out battle of wits in front of an alt-HUAC should do it.

As i mentioned previously Roosevelt was 68 in 1952, which is even viewed now as old for a candidate.

Also, I think you're underestimating the way women and their capabilities were viewed in the 40's & 50's. Roosevelt was an amazingly strong force for progressive forces, however that does not necessarily translate to the ballot box.

The first woman to be elected governor of a state (in her own right, i.e. not as an adjunct to her husband) didn't happen until 1975. I think Eleanor Roosevelt (or any woman) being elected President (let alone nominated) for any election before 1976 would be very hard to manage.
 
I can't believe nobody else has mentioned this...but the obvious answer, not taking into account Space Wombats, is Geraldine Ferraro. She was the first female Vice President candidate...and if she and Walter Mondale had won the election, and then Mondale died, resigned, or was impeached, she would be the first female President. And even if he didn't, and they were re-elected in 88, she would be the obvious choice for nomination in 92. Of course, she'd be running against Bill Clinton...but I think all the women who voted for Clinton because of his charm would be more likely to nominate Ferraro. Hard to say who'd be the Republican in 92 though, as Reagan-Bush would both be distant memories.
 
As i mentioned previously Roosevelt was 68 in 1952, which is even viewed now as old for a candidate.

Also, I think you're underestimating the way women and their capabilities were viewed in the 40's & 50's. Roosevelt was an amazingly strong force for progressive forces, however that does not necessarily translate to the ballot box.

The first woman to be elected governor of a state (in her own right, i.e. not as an adjunct to her husband) didn't happen until 1975. I think Eleanor Roosevelt (or any woman) being elected President (let alone nominated) for any election before 1976 would be very hard to manage.

You're probably right. But I'm just saying we can probably come up with a specific but non-ASB-ish situation where she transcends her OTL popularity to become something even more. We're talking the Cold War here, we can always find excuses for paranoia to increase. I say get Macarthur in there, see how he handles Korea, race relations and the domestic search for communists, and we could have a perfect storm.

A swift and ill-considered turn hard right, a bungled war, oppression of civil liberties, increasing concern over judicial appointments and an over-zealous witch hunt for enemies of the state and the people are willing to elect anyone ;)

And since conventions were more often brokered back then, we could set her up as an unlikely compromise candidate.
 
Here is a thought. FDR dies in the spring of 1944. There is a big row about renominating Henry Wallace. Eleanor looks like a compromise which the progressive wing of the party would tolerate.There would however be a Dixiecrat challenge in 1944 in that even (or had she been nominated any time from 1936 to 1960)
 
I'd say Eleanor Roosevelt .My history prof was telling the class how she was more popular amongst the people than her own husband.

Eleanor Roosevelt was regarded as more radical than FDR and FDR restrained some of her ideas. The New Deal probably did a good job to save the American way however people began to grow weary of big government and but for the war they might have been a reaction against government earlier. Eleanor Roosevelt was considered in the same light as Hilary Clinton by the Republicans. The earliest she was likely to even consider it would be 1948. 2 Roosevelts standing in 1944 would have been going a bit too far. Things were going against the Democrats after the war, Truman scraped back in 1948 but Congress had gone Republican and in 1952 the Republicans would have won anyway.

Hilary Clinton came the nearest. If Obama hadn't have stood maybe she could have won the nomination and beaten McCain but that's probably the closest
 
We should not forget the very recent nature of the success of women in high levels of American politics. The fifties were the era of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best. At that time, a line of women's slacks that zipped in the back was called "pedal pushers" because in some jurisdictions it was illegal for women to wear pants that zipped in the front.

For all practical purposes, current attitudes did not become the norm until the seventies. And even then, businesses had trouble with some aspects of equal-opportunity jobs, especially at high levels. One company in the late seventies (I think it was Sears, Roebuck & Co.) contended that senior management positions require 25 or more years of progressive experience in sales and marketing. The veterans' preference laws, coupled with Jim Crow segregation, produced a work force dominated by white males at all but the youngest age levels. I am not sure where that claim went, but businesses started using the MBA requirement to assure a certain level of education.

Move into politics. Eleanor Roosevelt as president would have been quite a stretch. Not until the seventies can we make credible scenarios.

What if Nixon had named a woman to replace Agnew in December 1973? I can not recall names of prominent women in congress; but then again, many Americans never heard of Gerald Ford until Nixon named him. And on August 9, 1974, the female VP becomes president.

Alternatively, around 1985, Bush Sr. can suffer a stroke or heart attack and be forced out of office. Reagan names Elizabeth Dole as VP. Alzheimer's begins a few years early and Reagan must resign for medical reasons in 1987. Elizabeth Dole takes over.
 
What if Nixon had named a woman to replace Agnew in December 1973? I can not recall names of prominent women in congress; but then again, many Americans never heard of Gerald Ford until Nixon named him. And on August 9, 1974, the female VP becomes president.

Margaret Chase Smith? have her win her race in '72 (not all that hard) as a liberal her name would be on the short list that Dems gave Nixon.
 
Ann Richards: in 1982 Mark White picks Richards to be his running mate in the gubernatorial election, they win. shortly there after White dies, Richards goes on to win in her own right in 86, she gives her DNC speech in 88 and the nation (much as it did in OTL) falls for her southern wit. Dukakis/Bentsen still go down in flames. Richards wins her 3rd term in 1990, in 1992 many big name Dems don't run at all, Richards wit and National name recognition win out she picks Massachusetts Senator John Kerry for a running mate, at first all seems lost but by the end of the race Bush's numbers are in the hole and Perot has droped out and jumped back in. Richards becomes the first Woman President ever, winning reelection in 96 and passing the Presidency on to a Kerry/Shaheen Administration
 
Jeanne Shaheen: Al Gore picks Shaheen not Lieberman, thusly wins NH, but sadly loses NM and the election. Shaheen is seen as some one who can win in "red" states, and is exceptable to the liberals. in 2002 with the help of National Dems Shaheen wins her Senate over Sununu. in 2004 she is one of the only nationally known Dems to run for President, winning and picking John Edwards as a running mate the two of them pull off a narrow win
 
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