(Pre/Post 1900)AHC: More Ambassadors to Britain/France become President?

For a lot of the 19th and 20th centuries the Ambassadors to Britain and France were pretty important bigwigs. The Ambassadors to Britain included 5 later Presidents, France 2 (Adams almost was), alongside a lot of other important politicians, Sec of State, VP's, Senators, and with them being more and more career diplomats as time went on.

Basically how can we get more of those guys in as President, bonus points for some less obvious ones like President Leahy, Richardson, or Herrick.
 

Gaius Julius Magnus

Gone Fishin'
I think the only potential way this is possible is maybe could you have Britain and France increase or remain global superpowers in the 20th century that are in some sort of rivalry with the United States. This could then mean that having diplomatic experience with the two nations could give U.S. Presidential hopefuls a leg up on ones without that experience. But then that requires a POD in those two countries, not America, and even then presidents usually don't win elections on just foreign policy (though there have been exceptions). Maybe a possibility is no World Wars (1914 - 1945). Or maybe the United States enters the world stage as a Great Power earlier than it did in OTL, which is usually dated around the Spanish-American War. Perhaps in the post-Civil War age, the political leadership of the U.S. goes off seeking more influence in other areas of the world, outside of the Americas, as a way of healing national wounds from the civil war which was one of the results of the Spanish-American War. This then puts the U.S. into conflict with Britain and France for global influence.
 
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You could possibly get Charles Francis Adams as President; his position as ambassador to Britain was a very important one during the Civil War, amd Adams did a particularly good job of it. Unfortunately, he managed to get tarred as anti-Irish at the time, which did little to increase hisstrength in Massachusetts, and also became closely associated with the Liberals Republican wing of the Republican party during a time when the Radicals were dominant.

I could possibly see him getting the nod for Secretary of State by Grant and then using that to springboard to the White House, but it would have to be timed just right as he began to suffer from Alzheimer's later in life.
 
I think the only potential way this is possible is maybe could you have Britain and France increase or remain global superpowers in the 20th century that are in some sort of rivalry with the United States. This could then mean that having diplomatic experience with the two nations could give U.S. Presidential hopefuls a leg up on ones without that experience. But then that requires a POD in those two countries, not America, and even then presidents usually don't win elections on just foreign policy (though there have been exceptions). Maybe a possibility is no World Wars (1914 - 1945). Or maybe the United States enters the world stage as a Great Power earlier than it did in OTL, which is usually dated around the Spanish-American War. Perhaps in the post-Civil War age, the political leadership of the U.S. goes off seeking more influence in other areas of the world, outside of the Americas, as a way of healing national wounds from the civil war which was one of the results of the Spanish-American War. This then puts the U.S. into conflict with Britain and France for global influence.

A continued pre-WWI world order? That would be an interesting thing to see, long colonialism, longer anti-colonialism, however the slow decline into irrelevance and loss of power might prompt the Empire's to get a little more hardcore in retaining their "provinces" from whoever the boogeyman would be.

You could possibly get Charles Francis Adams as President; his position as ambassador to Britain was a very important one during the Civil War, amd Adams did a particularly good job of it. Unfortunately, he managed to get tarred as anti-Irish at the time, which did little to increase hisstrength in Massachusetts, and also became closely associated with the Liberals Republican wing of the Republican party during a time when the Radicals were dominant.

I could possibly see him getting the nod for Secretary of State by Grant and then using that to springboard to the White House, but it would have to be timed just right as he began to suffer from Alzheimer's later in life.

Maybe a 1868 or 1872 nomination as a Liberal Republican or Democrat? If Lincoln chose someone like Butler or another person who'd mismanage Reconstruction, maybe he could also primary them if Grant isn't up to is?
 
Have Gerald Ford choose Anne Armstrong as his running mate in 1976. Then have the GOP ticket win--after all, it only has to do a little bit better than Ford-Dole did in OTL--and an assassin can do the rest. Or Armstrong could win the GOP presidential nomination in 1980.

Also, Averell Harriman was a plausible Democratic presidential candidate in 1952 or 1956--though admittedly he wouldn't stand much of a chance against Ike.

John W. Davis winning in 1924 is admittedly a very long shot. The same is true of Joseph P. Kennedy ever winning the presidency.

John Hay could have become president if TR died in 1901-4.

So far it's been ambassadors to the UK. As for ambassadors to France, Sargent Shriver is a possibility.
 
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