What if: Charles Evans Hughes was elected President in 1916?

Wasn't he for joining the war? I'd say he'd try and get a DoW through Congress ASAP and probably touch off a major internal political problem and provide plenty of cover for the Germans to return to USW. Frankly his presidency is probably a disaster as a result of pushing for war and probably touching it off, which the post-war situation will then make the GOP hated for bringing in an unpopular conflict. I doubt we'd get the same popular enthusiasm for the war the Wilson was able to get in 1917.
Remember that a certain telegram had been sent between the election and the inauguration. I think that might give Hughes enough popular support.

Yes, but what I meant was could he win? Would he have the ability to beat Wilson?
I see what you mean. Maybe. Depends on if he was interested or not.

At least on the Great War front, someone drew up an interesting, not entirely implausible alt-history of a timeline where Hughes wins election in 1916: Mr. Hughes Goes to War.

This was also sort of an interesting read.

I'd say the one on Alternate History weekly is the better one. but Mr. Hughes Goes to War is pretty good too.
 

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Remember that a certain telegram had been sent between the election and the inauguration. I think that might give Hughes enough popular support.
The Germans would perhaps get a bit more sympathy then when they admit to it, saying they were concerned about Hughes' war policies and were just trying to protect themselves. Of course that might not matter one whit.
 
I'd say the one on Alternate History weekly is the better one. but Mr. Hughes Goes to War is pretty good too.

A bit of a Austro-German Wank - or Habsburg Wank? - but the author had some pinache in his writing, and I enjoyed that.

But I think we are probably all agreed that Hughes would have handled the end of the war and the peace better than Wilson did. For one thing, he could have actually gotten a peace treaty through the Senate.
 
Was the U.S. Prone to Isolationism in WWI because it was a huge movement in the Interwar Period with the Depression and all.
 
How about Charles W. Fairbanks?

There is no way Fairbanks could have defeated Wilson in 1916. If western Progressives thought Hughes was too conservative, imagine what they would have thought about Fairbanks. (People like Fairbanks and James Sherman got the vice-presidential nominations during the Progressive Era as a consolation prize for conservative delegates who were disturbed by the even mildly progressive inclinations of the top man on the ticket.)

Maybe Fairbanks would have a bit of a home state advantage in Indiana, but that wouldn't matter because in OTL Hughes carried that state anyway. http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/u/usa/pres/1916.txt
 
A bit of a Austro-German Wank - or Habsburg Wank? - but the author had some pinache in his writing, and I enjoyed that.

Thanks. I remember it fondly and it's good to see it back online. I looked for it recently and it seemed to have disappeared. You've saved me the trouble of putting it back myself.

I accept that some bits of it are low-probability, but I really enjoyed writing it, and it's far and away the longest thread I've ever attempted. Sort of caught my imagination.

I make no apology for the Karl-wank. He wasn't perfect, but I'm fond of him.
 
He wasn't perfect, but I'm fond of him.

As Habsburgs go, he was easily one of the least deserving of having the family enterprise implode on him. And his luck just went downhill from there.

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to forego having Ludendorff at least try the Spring Offensive before crying uncle?

Thanks. I remember it fondly and it's good to see it back online.

Glad to be of service! (It took some digging to find a copy.)
 
As Habsburgs go, he was easily one of the least deserving of having the family enterprise implode on him. And his luck just went downhill from there.

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to forego having Ludendorff at least try the Spring Offensive before crying uncle?

I had the Hughes Administration get substantial US forces to Europe a couple of months sooner, so that Ludendorff's window of opportunity was pinched off. Thus St Mihiel was fought in March. Ludendorff had to grudgingly confess that it was too late, and all that could be done now was to fend off Entente offensives rather than launching any of their own.
 
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