WI: Charles Joseph Bonaparte as President.

Zioneer

Banned
So today I found out that a member of the Bonaparte family, specifically Charles Joseph Bonaparte was both born in the U.S., and fairly high-ranking in the country, being a Secretary of the Navy AND the Attorney General.

And the idea of a Bonaparte American President is too awesome to ignore. So how can we make him President of the United States. This can happen after 1900, but he was born in the 1800s, so I thought it would be better here.

One way I could see to make him slightly more influential is to remove his dislike of technology; perhaps even have him skew to the future, rather than the past.
 

Thande

Donor
I discovered him the other day...

One way I could see to make him slightly more influential is to remove his dislike of technology; perhaps even have him skew to the future, rather than the past.

Interesting, makes you wonder if that was hereditary considering Napoleon I's famous dismissal of rifles and steam engines.
 

Zioneer

Banned
Ahem. Great minds think alike, right?

Huh. I actually never saw your TL idea. Learned about the guy completely independently, and thought of his presidency independently.

Yours was almost a month though, so...

The comments on your thread point out that he could be someone's VP, but who would have a Catholic for their Vice President in that day and age?
 

Thande

Donor
In that case, I wonder if everyone will try and prevent him from becoming Emperor. Then again, this is the USA we're talking about.

I can imagine there will be a lot of alarmism because of Napoleon III being elected as president and then becoming emperor. I could see a movement sort of like the one aimed at Obama nowadays, albeit with a bit more basis in fact.
 
I can imagine there will be a lot of alarmism because of Napoleon III being elected as president and then becoming emperor. I could see a movement sort of like the one aimed at Obama nowadays, albeit with a bit more basis in fact.

Don't forget that he's Catholic, which in that age was as alarming as being Muslim. ;)
 
I'm surprised he doesn't pop up in AH more often- he's just one of those personalities that screams potential.
 

Japhy

Banned
Bonaparte was going to make appearances at the end of my William Jennings Bryan as President Timeline actually. Being as I've washed my hands of that I don't mind that other people have stumbled on one of my aces-in-the-hole. :p

Anyway, he was going to be on the 1908 Republican Ticket that finally booted Bryan out after three terms as the VP. In that situation though you've got a unique situation of the Republican Party trying to break into the Catholic and Southern votes. The duel decisions to move away from standing against "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion" and to try to make inroads in a no-longer-Solid South meant that Bonaparte was in alt-1908 what I referred to as a "Double Agnew".

Its plasueable I would think, if you can crack the Solid South or the Catholic vote that Bonaparte can be brought in to try and gain votes. At that point its simply a matter of having Arthur Bremer kill Nixon the WASPy President get wacked and Bonaparte rises to the top. It is the issue of breaking the Solid South or the Catholic Bloc that is the main problem, otherwise he'll never be considered viable.
 
Bonaparte, for the sheer novelty of a Bonaparte in such prominent American government positions (and the precursor to the FBI at that!) and for his association with TR, a staple of AH.
 
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