WI Stephen van Rensselaer elected Governor

Skallagrim

Banned
He was a big supporter of the Erie canal, so if he became Governor, he might lay some ground-work to speed that along? The obvious POD is to get him to reject the offer of military command, which was devised specifically to get him out of the political race. If he stays in politics, he may well well. This means someone else gets to be in command in his OTl position-- quite probably someone who has more 'formal' experience than 'mere' militia command. This issue led to trouble for Rensselaer in OTL (officers didn't want to take orders from a 'jumped-up militiaman'), which played a big role in the failure of his campaign in the Battle of Queenston Heights. So another commander, leading an ATL campaign, may well do better. I could see the USA winning a Queenston Heights equivalent. (On the otherhand, the ATL circumstances may well prevent Brock's death.)
 
If Van Rensselaer is Governor, do you think he might be a candidate for President in 1816 or 1820? And what might be the implications, both in New York and subsequently at the national level, of the Clinton machine suffering (another) defeat like this years before the rise of the Bucktails?
 
If he had done better at the military posting becoming Governor or even President becomes more likely.

Would it be a more personal POD that could accomplish this? Maybe more time studying military history? A military mentor of some type perhaps helps him out at some point?
 
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