Vive le Président Hughes!

charles_evans_hughes.gif


The First Term of Charles Evans Hughes

Event Date: 10-13-1916
Event Description: Governor Hiram Johnson (R-CA) requests another meeting with Justice Charles Evans Hughes (R-NY). Meeting at a hotel earlier in the year, Hughes asked for the governor’s explicit and outright endorsement. Johnson, a prickly personality, was impressed by the presidential candidate, and set out to mention him at every occasion. Hughes’s campaign aides eagerly accept the notion that the two should meet again, but inform Johnson’s staff that such a conference will is impossible at the current time.

Event Date: 10-31-1916
Event Description: Justice Hughes continues his campaign with a swing through Indiana, the home state of President Wilson’s vice president. Telling a crowd of fifty thousand that he favors the “maintenance of every right, including the right of travel and the right of shipment” Hughes subtly appeals to the interventionist supporters of his campaign. In his next statement, he declares that we "must consider our place as a great nation dedicated to the interests of peace,” reaching out to isolationist factions. Ever since his nomination, Hughes has been walking a tight rope, trying to placate men of all ideologies.

Event Date: 11-5-1916
Event Description: President Wilson, increasingly worried about his re-election prospects, presents his “resignation” strategy, in which he would appoint Justice Hughes Secretary of State, force Vice President Marshall to resign, and then renounce the office himself. This would effectively make Hughes President of the United States. With the Great War in Europe leering on the horizon, Wilson wishes to isolate all chances of a crippled American government.

genusmap.php


Charles Evans Hughes/Charles Warren Fairbanks: 268 Electoral Votes, 46.1% of the Popular Vote
Thomas Woodrow Wilson/Thomas Riley Marshall: 263 Electoral Votes, 49.2% of the Popular Vote

Event Date: 11-7-1916
Event Description: With the help of Governor Johnson, Justice Charles Evans Hughes is able to score a narrow victory, and the initial calls of East Coast newspapers for the Republican are correct. However, he loses the popular vote to President Woodrow Wilson by a substantial margin, making him a ‘minority’ president. Hughes manages to keep all of his supporters united, albeit barely, and manages to win the election. It is unclear to most Americans where their new President-elect stands, due to his vague rhetoric. He was, after all, a compromise nominee.

Event Date: 11-8-1916
Event Description: President Wilson puts his strategy into effect, telling his aides to inform Hughes of his ‘resignation’ proposal. In the meantime, he convinces Vice President Marshall to go along with the plan. The man from Princeton is uneager to leave so abruptly, and feels the sting of defeat, but knows that it is best for the nation.

Event Date: 11-10-1916
Event Description: President-elect Hughes, after contemplating the proposal, decides that it is necessary America not have a lame-duck President during such a period. Hughes accepts Wilson’s offer to become Secretary of State.

Event Date: 11-21-1916
Event Description: President-elect Hughes sails past confirmation, in part because of Wilson’s threats toward Democratic lawmakers. Democrats lost two Senate seats and their majority in the House during the past cycle, but it was the lame-duck members that had to confirm the nominee. The national media is quite surprised at the prospect of Hughes becoming president early, thinking that they would have to wait until March 4th to see him be inaugurated.

Event Date: 11-25-1916
Event Description: President Wilson and Vice President Marshall both resign their offices after taking care of last-minute affairs. Charles Evans Hughes becomes the 29th President of the United States after a curious process. He presides over a sharply divided nation, and his cabinet isn’t even of his choice or party. He and Vice President-elect Fairbanks will be split for several months, as the traditional inaugural ceremony will not occur until March. At that point, he will be re-inaugurated, and his Vice President inaugurated.
 
Last edited:
This opens a whole new road for realignment in a few years. In the OTL, you had conservative Republicans running against a progressive era, promising a "Return to Normalcy". If the GOP dominates that era that was reacted to, however, that leaves the Democrats to play the GOP's OTL role. It'll be interesting to see if a progressive Democrat runs in 1920 (or '24, if Hughes wins '20), or a conservative one, or some mish-mash of progressivism and isolationism (and perhaps a Laissez Faire economic theory). Or perhaps, there may be no realignment.
 
It'll be interesting to see if a progressive Democrat runs in 1920 (or '24, if Hughes wins '20), or a conservative one, or some mish-mash of progressivism and isolationism (and perhaps a Laissez Faire economic theory).
The chapter title does does say 'The First Term of Charles Evans Hughes'...
 
Thanks for all the great feedback. :) This is actually a reworking of my Old TL, which can be found at the Atlas Forum. I can't confirm or deny any of the proposed ideas, but I can confirm that although it says "First Term," that does not neccessarily mean that he will have a second. ;) It's merely a way for me to word things and divide the TL into chapters, which happens every four years at the inauguration of an American president. :)

Anyways, I should have another update up tonight. I'm glad you guys like it so far.
 
Hmm... Dems remaining the conservative party? I like this. Vive les Bourbons! :cool:
But I don't wanna be a Republican.:(

I tried to start a page on the wiki about Victorian era politics (http://wiki.alternatehistory.com/doku.php/offtopic/victorian_era_politics), so I'll draw the conclusion from that that:


  • A continued Liberal GOP will support National citizenship, transparency and government efforts to stabilize the currency.
  • A conservative Democratic party will support Free trade, low tariffs and laissez-faire entrepreneurialism.
 
charles_evans_hughes.gif


Event Date: 11-21-1916
Event Description: President-elect Hughes sails past confirmation, in part because of Wilson’s threats toward Democratic lawmakers. Democrats lost two Senate seats and their majority in the past cycle, but it was the lame-duck members that had to confirm the nominee.


Small nitpick. The Democrats did not lose their majority in the Senate, only in the House. The Senate remained in their hands 53-42-1.

Doesn't really matter, though. As you say, it is the outgoing Senate, even more heavily Dem, which will confirm Hughes, and Wilson's hold on the Democratic Party is pretty strong. Two or three die-hards may answer the roll call with "Present" but the vote will be a formality.

Keep going.
 
But I don't wanna be a Republican.:(



You'd probably be better staying a Democrat.

When TR bolted the party in 1912, he abandoned it to its conservative wing, and that was never reversed. From 1914 onwards the GOP started recovering its 1910 and 1912 losses, recapturing 59 HoR seats in 1914 and (despite narrowly failing to regain the White House) a further 21 in 1916. And as TR noted at the time, the gains were largely to the benefit of its "regular" wing who had suppported Taft in 1912. So even had Hughes attempted to run a liberal Administration, he probably couldn't have. For good or ill, a Republican POTUS would have to govern as Taft's successor, not TR's.

Of course, that needn't be very terrible. From what I can gather, Taft wasn't half as reactionary as the Bull Moosers painted him. But the latter couldn't capture the party in 1912, and had even less chance of doing so thereafter. So if you want a liberal Admuinistration, better stick with the Democrats and bide your time until the Northern/big-city wing of the party overcomes its southern/rural one, which will be pretty much achieved by 1928.

From a "progressive" standpoint, the best thing about a Hughes win is that it probably saves the Democrats from their 1920 debacle. Whether Hughes enters WW1 or stays out, either way it will be highly controversial and divisive, very possibly opening the way to a Democratic comeback in fiour years time. President Cox?
 
Small nitpick. The Democrats did not lose their majority in the Senate, only in the House. The Senate remained in their hands 53-42-1.

Doesn't really matter, though. As you say, it is the outgoing Senate, even more heavily Dem, which will confirm Hughes, and Wilson's hold on the Democratic Party is pretty strong. Two or three die-hards may answer the roll call with "Present" but the vote will be a formality.

Keep going.


That was actually supposed to be the House, not the Senate. In 1916, Democrats lost control of the House but managed to maintain their leadership positions by forming a coalition with the Progressives. Should have made myself more clearer. ;)
 
Interesting having Hughes come into office a full four months early is definatley an example of Wilson's last gasp as pragmatisim. Hughes should have a fairly moderate presidency but I definatley need to study up on the period to be able to comment more...Keep it comming
 
Interesting having Hughes come into office a full four months early is definatley an example of Wilson's last gasp as pragmatisim. Hughes should have a fairly moderate presidency but I definatley need to study up on the period to be able to comment more...Keep it comming


Interesting question is whether it would have set a precedent. Had Hughes repeated the gesture when handing over to his own successor, it might have become customary, and if/when the 20th Amendment arrived, the handover date might have been moved up to late November rather than January.
 
You'd probably be better staying a Democrat.

When TR bolted the party in 1912, he abandoned it to its conservative wing, and that was never reversed. From 1914 onwards the GOP started recovering its 1910 and 1912 losses, recapturing 59 HoR seats in 1914 and (despite narrowly failing to regain the White House) a further 21 in 1916. And as TR noted at the time, the gains were largely to the benefit of its "regular" wing who had suppported Taft in 1912. So even had Hughes attempted to run a liberal Administration, he probably couldn't have. For good or ill, a Republican POTUS would have to govern as Taft's successor, not TR's.

Of course, that needn't be very terrible. From what I can gather, Taft wasn't half as reactionary as the Bull Moosers painted him. But the latter couldn't capture the party in 1912, and had even less chance of doing so thereafter. So if you want a liberal Admuinistration, better stick with the Democrats and bide your time until the Northern/big-city wing of the party overcomes its southern/rural one, which will be pretty much achieved by 1928.

From a "progressive" standpoint, the best thing about a Hughes win is that it probably saves the Democrats from their 1920 debacle. Whether Hughes enters WW1 or stays out, either way it will be highly controversial and divisive, very possibly opening the way to a Democratic comeback in fiour years time. President Cox?

It would be interesting to see a Victorian-style liberal-populist Democratic Party and a conservative-prorgressive Republican Party.

Also, maybe AG Palmer is the Democratic nominee in 1920?
 
It would be interesting to see a Victorian-style liberal-populist Democratic Party and a conservative-prorgressive Republican Party.

Also, maybe AG Palmer is the Democratic nominee in 1920?


He wouldn't have been AG on this TL, as he was only appointed in 1919. Of course it is possible that ex-President Wilson himself might be the 1920 nominee, if his enforced retirement has saved him from his 1919 stroke.

Whether he would live out his term is another matter. If not, his VP is likely to be from the Midwest, so Cox is still a distinct possibility. After that there's no knowing, but if the Klan has been weaker on this TL, as soem have suggested, then Al Smith may be in with a chance.
 
Sorry that I never got around to an update! :eek: If this scenario still has any interest, I'll be posting a revision of it soon with a new thread. I've been working for a few weeks on the details, and with Spring Break coming up I have time to write.

That is if anyone is interested... ;)
 
Me too.

I'd be particulalry interested if he manages to stay out of WW1- though I agree it's a late hour. I've already done "Mr Hughes Goes Too War" and would love to see someone do a TL where Mr Hughes doesn't go to war.
 
Top