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The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I
Aftermath of World War I

The fighting in World War I ended when an armistice took effect at 11:00 am Greenwich Mean Time on November 11, 1918. In the aftermath of World War I the political, cultural, and social order of the world was drastically changed in many places, even outside the areas directly involved in the war....
 and the hostile reaction to Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. A devout Presbyterianism and leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913....
, the Democratic president
History of the United States Democratic Party

The history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
. The wartime boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's entry into the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
. Overseas there were wars and revolutions; at home, 1919 was marked by major strikes in meatpacking and steel, and large race riots in Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 and other cities. Terrorist attacks on Wall Street
Wall Street

Wall Street is a street in lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. It runs east from Broadway to South Street on the East River, through the historical center of the Financial District, Manhattan....
 produced fears of radicals and terrorists
First Red Scare

In History of the United States , the First Red Scare took place in the period 1917?1920, and was marked by a widespread fear of anarchism, as well as the effects of radical political agitation in American society....
.

Outgoing President Wilson was increasingly unpopular, and following his severe stroke
Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
 in 1919 could no longer speak on his own behalf.






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The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I
Aftermath of World War I

The fighting in World War I ended when an armistice took effect at 11:00 am Greenwich Mean Time on November 11, 1918. In the aftermath of World War I the political, cultural, and social order of the world was drastically changed in many places, even outside the areas directly involved in the war....
 and the hostile reaction to Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. A devout Presbyterianism and leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913....
, the Democratic president
History of the United States Democratic Party

The history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
. The wartime boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's entry into the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
. Overseas there were wars and revolutions; at home, 1919 was marked by major strikes in meatpacking and steel, and large race riots in Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
 and other cities. Terrorist attacks on Wall Street
Wall Street

Wall Street is a street in lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. It runs east from Broadway to South Street on the East River, through the historical center of the Financial District, Manhattan....
 produced fears of radicals and terrorists
First Red Scare

In History of the United States , the First Red Scare took place in the period 1917?1920, and was marked by a widespread fear of anarchism, as well as the effects of radical political agitation in American society....
.

Outgoing President Wilson was increasingly unpopular, and following his severe stroke
Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
 in 1919 could no longer speak on his own behalf. The economy was in a recession, the public was weary of war and reform, the Irish Catholic and German communities were outraged at his policies, and his sponsorship of the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
 produced an isolationist
Isolationism

Isolationism is a foreign policy which combines a non-interventionism military policy and a political policy of economic nationalism . In other words, it asserts both of the following:...
 reaction.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt , also known as T.R., and to the public as Teddy, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
 had been the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, but his health had collapsed in 1918 and he died in January 1919, leaving no obvious heir to his Progressive
Progressive Era

The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of reform which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920's.Responding to the changes brought about by industrialization,...
 legacy. James M. Cox
James M. Cox

James Middleton Cox was a List of Governors of Ohio, United States House of Representatives from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the U.S....
 launched an energetic campaign against Senator Harding, but he did all he could to defeat him, but he lost badly. To help his camapign, he chose future President, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
 as his running mate. The electoral college didn't vote for Roosevelt as Vice President, but the national popular vote showed that he had won the popular vote for President in 1932
United States presidential election, 1932

The United States presidential election of 1932 took place as the effects of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression were being felt intensely across the country....
, 1936
United States presidential election, 1936

The United States presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided presidential election in the history of the United States . The election took place as the Great Depression in the United States entered its eighth year....
, 1940
United States presidential election, 1940

The United States presidential election of 1940 was fought in the shadow of World War II as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression....
 and in 1944
United States presidential election, 1944

The United States presidential election of 1944 took place while the United States was preoccupied with fighting World War II. President Franklin D....
. He defeated Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author....
, Alf Landon
Alf Landon

Alfred "Alf" Mossman Landon was an United States History of the United States Republican Party politician, who served as Governor of Kansas from 1933–1937....
, Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie

Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and the United States Republican Party nominee for the United States presidential election, 1940, despite having never held a prior elected political office....
 and Thomas E. Dewey. All four were Republicans.

Both major parties turned to dark horse
Dark horse

A "dark horse" is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing who emerges to prominence....
 candidates from the electoral vote-rich state of Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
. The Democrats nominated newspaper publisher and Governor James M. Cox
James M. Cox

James Middleton Cox was a List of Governors of Ohio, United States House of Representatives from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the U.S....
; in turn the Republicans chose Senator Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack or stroke, in 1923....
, another Ohio newspaper publisher. Calling for a return to "normalcy
Normalcy

"A return to normalcy" was President of the United States candidate Warren Harding?s campaign promise in the election of 1920.  Although detractors believed that the word was a neologism as well as a malapropism coined by Harding , there was contemporary discussion and evidence found that normalcy was listed in dictionaries as far ba...
", Harding virtually ignored Cox and essentially campaigned against Wilson, and, with an almost 4-to-1 spending advantage, beat Cox in a landslide
Landslide victory

In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election....
. Harding's victory remains the largest popular-vote percentage margin (26.2%), 60.3% to 34.1%, since the election of 1820.

Nominations


Republican Party nomination

Republican candidates Image:Warren G Harding portrait as senator June 1920.jpg|Senator Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack or stroke, in 1923....
 of Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 Image:LeonardWood.jpeg|Major General
Major General

Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of Sergeant Major General. A Major General is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of Lieutenant General and senior to the ranks of Brigadier and Brigadier General....
 Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines....
 of New Hampshire
New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
 Image:Frank Orren Lowden2.jpg|Governor
Governor of Illinois

The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution....
 Frank Orren Lowden
Frank Orren Lowden

Frank Orren Lowden was an United States Politician. Born in Sunrise Township, Minnesota, he lived in Iowa from the age of 7 until his graduation from Iowa State University in 1885....
 of Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
 Image:Hiram Johnson.jpg|Senator Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson

Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading United States progressivism and later isolationist politician from California; he served as Governor of California from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senate from 1917 to 1945....
 of California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 Image:William Cameron Sproul.jpg|Governor William Cameron Sproul
William Cameron Sproul

William Cameron Sproul was Governor of Pennsylvania from 1919 to 1923. He was born near Octoraro and Andrew's Bridge, Colerain Township, Lancaster County....
 of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 Image:NMButler.jpg|Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
 President and 1912 V.P. nominee Nicholas Murray Butler of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 Image:Calvin Coolidge photo portrait head and shoulders.jpg|Governor Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
 of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
 Image:Robert M. La Follette, Sr. .jpg|Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.

Robert Marion La Follette, Sr. nicknamed "Fighting Bob" La Follette was an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, the 20th Governor of Wisconsin , and Republican Party United States Senate from Wisconsin ....
 of Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....

On June 8, the Republican National Convention
1920 Republican National Convention

The 1920 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States nominated Ohio United States Senate Warren G. Harding for President of the United States and Governor of Massachusetts Calvin Coolidge for United States Vice President....
 met in Chicago
Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
. The race was wide open, and soon the convention deadlocked between General Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines....
 and Governor Frank O. Lowden of Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
.

Others placed in nomination included Senators Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack or stroke, in 1923....
 of Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
, Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson

Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading United States progressivism and later isolationist politician from California; he served as Governor of California from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senate from 1917 to 1945....
 of California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, and Miles Poindexter
Miles Poindexter

Miles Poindexter was an United States politician. As a Republican Party and later a Progressive Party 1912 , he served as a United States Representative and United States Senator....
 of Washington
Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
, Governor Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
 of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
, Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author....
, and Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
 President Nicholas Murray Butler. Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.

Robert Marion La Follette, Sr. nicknamed "Fighting Bob" La Follette was an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, the 20th Governor of Wisconsin , and Republican Party United States Senate from Wisconsin ....
 of Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
 was not formally placed in nomination but received the votes of his state delegation, nonetheless. Harding was nominated for President on the tenth ballot, after shifts. The ten ballots went like this:

Presidential Balloting, RNC 1920
Ballot1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 Before shifts 10 After shifts
Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack or stroke, in 1923....
65.5 59 58.5 61.5 78 89 105 133 374.5 644.7 692.2
Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood

Leonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines....
 		287.5 289.5 303 314.5 299 311.5 312 299 249 181.5 156
Frank Lowden211.5 259.5 282.5289 303 311.5 311.5 307 121.5 28 11
Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson

Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading United States progressivism and later isolationist politician from California; he served as Governor of California from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senate from 1917 to 1945....
 133.5 146 148 140.5 133.5 110 99.5 87 82 80.8 80.8
William C. Sproul84 78.5 79.5 79.5 82.5 7776 76 78 0 0
Nicholas Murray Butler69.5 41 25 204 42 2 2 2 2
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
34 32 27 25 29 2828 30 28 5 5
Robert M. La Follette
Robert M. La Follette

Robert M. La Follette can refer to:* Robert M. La Follette, Sr. , senator, congressman, governor of Wisconsin and candidate for President * Robert M. La Follette, Jr. , his son, also a senator from Wisconsin...
24 24 24 2224 242424 24 24 24
Jeter C. Pritchard2110 0 0 0 000 0 0 0
Miles Poindexter
Miles Poindexter

Miles Poindexter was an United States politician. As a Republican Party and later a Progressive Party 1912 , he served as a United States Representative and United States Senator....
 20 1515 15 151515 15 14 2 0
Howard Sutherland
Howard Sutherland

Howard Sutherland was an American politician. He was a United States Republican Party who represented West Virginia in both houses of the United States Congress....
17 15 93 10 0 0 0 0 0
Herbert C. Hoover 5.5 5.55.5 5 654 5 6 10.5 9.5
Scattering 11 97 9 996 6 5 5.5 3.5


Harding's nomination, said to have been secured in negotiations among party bosses in a "smoke-filled room
Smoke-filled room

In United States political slang, a smoke-filled room is a secret political gathering or decision-making process. The phrase is generally used to suggest a cabal of powerful or well-connected individuals meeting privately to nominate a dark horse candidate or make some other decision without regard for the will of the public....
," was engineered by Harry M. Daugherty
Harry M. Daugherty

Harry Micajah Daugherty was an United States politician. He is best known as a Republican Party boss, and member of the Ohio Gang, the name given to the group of advisors surrounding president Warren G....
, Harding's political manager who after Harding's election became United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General

The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the government of the United States....
. Prior to the convention, Daugherty was quoted as saying, "I don't expect Senator Harding to be nominated on the first, second, or third ballots, but I think we can afford to take chances that about 11 minutes after two, Friday morning of the convention, when 15 or 12 weary men are sitting around a table, someone will say: 'Who will we nominate?' At that decisive time, the friends of Harding will suggest him and we can well afford to abide by the result." Daugherty's prediction described essentially what occurred, but historians Richard C. Bain and Judith H. Parris argue that Daugherty's prediction has been given too much weight in narratives of the convention.

Once the presidential nomination was finally settled, the party bosses and Sen. Harding recommended Wisconsin
Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
 Sen. Irvine Lenroot
Irvine Lenroot

Irvine Luther Lenroot was a member of the United States Republican Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1909 to 1918, and in the United States Senate from 1918 to 1927, for the state of Wisconsin....
 to the delegates for the second spot, but the delegates revolted and nominated Coolidge, who was very popular over his handling of the Boston Police Strike
Boston Police Strike

The Boston Police Strike was a strike by the Boston Police Department rank and file that began on September 9, 1919 after Police Commissioner Edwin Upton Curtis refused to allow the creation of a police union....
 of the year before. The Tally:

Vice Presidential Balloting, RNC 1920
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
  		674.5
Irvine L. Lenroot 146.5
Henry J. Allen
Henry J. Allen

Henry J. Allen may refer to:*Henry Justin Allen, , Governor and U.S. Senator from Kansas*Henry James Allen, better known as Red Allen, , jazz trumpeter...
  		68.5
Henry Anderson 28
Asle J. Gronna 24
Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson

Hiram Warren Johnson was a leading United States progressivism and later isolationist politician from California; he served as Governor of California from 1911 to 1917, and as a United States Senate from 1917 to 1945....
 		22.5
Jeter C. Pritchard 11
Abstaining 9


Source for convention coverage: Richard C. Bain and Judith H. Parris, Convention Decisions and Voting Records (Washington DC: Brookings Institution, 1973), pp. 200-208.

Democratic Party nomination

Democratic Candidates: Image:William Jennings Bryan.JPG|Former Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan

William Jennings Bryan was the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 1896, 1900 and 1908, a lawyer, and the 41st United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson....
 of Nebraska
Nebraska

Nebraska is a U.S. state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Western United States.Nebraska probably gets its name from the archaic Chiwere language words ?? Br?sge or the Omaha-Ponca language N? Bth?ska meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state....
 Image:James M. Cox 1920.jpg|Governor James M. Cox
James M. Cox

James Middleton Cox was a List of Governors of Ohio, United States House of Representatives from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the U.S....
 of Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 Image:Homer Cummings, Harris & Ewing photo portrait, 1920.jpg|DNC Chairman
DNC

The acronym DNC can mean:*Delaware North Companies*Democratic National Committee, the principal campaign and fund-raising organization affiliated with the United States Democratic Party...
 Homer Stille Cummings
Homer Stille Cummings

Homer Stille Cummings was a United States of America political figure who most notably served as United States Attorney General from 1933 to 1939....
 of Connecticut
Connecticut

Connecticut is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state borders New York to the west and south , Massachusetts to the north, and Rhode Island to the east....
 Image:JohnWDaviscropped.jpg|Former Solicitor General and Ambassador
Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents their country. They are usually accredited to a Sovereignty or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of their country....
 to the United Kingdom John W. Davis
John W. Davis

John William Davis was an Politics of the United States, diplomat and lawyer. He served as an United States Representative from West Virginia , then as Solicitor General of the United States and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Woodrow Wilson....
 of West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
 Image:Edwardedwards.jpg|Governor
Governor of New Jersey

The Governor of New Jersey is the chief executive of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The current holder of that office is Jon Corzine, who re-assumed executive powers on May 7, 2007 from acting Gov....
 Edward I. Edwards
Edward I. Edwards

Edward Irving Edwards was an United States Democratic Party politician who served as the List of Governors of New Jersey Governor of New Jersey of New Jersey from 1920 to 1923 and as United States Senate from 1923 to 1929....
 of New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
 Image:JamesWGerard.jpg|Former Ambassador
Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents their country. They are usually accredited to a Sovereignty or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of their country....
 to Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 James W. Gerard
James W. Gerard

James Watson Gerard was a United States lawyer and diplomat.Gerard was born in Geneseo , New York, New York He graduated from Columbia University in 1890 and from New York Law School....
 of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 Image:CGlass.jpg|Secretary of Treasury Carter Glass
Carter Glass

Carter Glass was a newspaper publisher and United States politician from Lynchburg, Virginia, Virginia. He served many years in United States Congress with the Democratic Party ....
 of Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 Image:Francis Burton Harrison.jpg|Governor of the Philippine Islands Francis B. Harrison of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 Image:William Gibbs McAdoo, formal photo portrait, 1914.jpg|Former Secretary of Treasury William G. McAdoo of California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 Image:Robert Latham Owen.jpg|Senator Robert L. Owen
Robert L. Owen

Robert Latham Owen was a United States Senator from Oklahoma.He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 2, 1856. He attended private schools in Lynchburg and in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1877....
 of Oklahoma
Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
 Image:9000007p.jpg|Attorney General Alexander Mitchell Palmer
Alexander Mitchell Palmer

Alexander Mitchell Palmer was the United States Attorney General of the United States from 1919 to 1921. He was nicknamed The Fighting Religious Society of Friends and he directed the controversial Palmer Raids....
 of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 Image:Furnifold McLendel Simmons.jpg|Senator Furnifold McLendel Simmons
Furnifold McLendel Simmons

Furnifold McLendel Simmons was a United States Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives from 1887 to 1889 and United States Senate from the state of North Carolina between 1901 and 1931....
 of North Carolina
North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
 Image:AlSmithWaves.jpg|Governor Al Smith
Al Smith

Alfred Emanuel Smith, Jr. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American politician who was elected List of Governors of New York four times, and was the History of the United States Democratic Party United States presidential election, 1928....
 of New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 Image:President Woodrow Wilson portrait December 2 1912.jpg|President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. A devout Presbyterianism and leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913....
 of New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....

Although William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo

William Gibbs McAdoo, Jr. was an United States lawyer and political leader who served as a United States Senate, United States Secretary of the Treasury and director of the United States Railroad Administration ....
 (Wilson's son-in-law and former Treasury Secretary) was the strongest candidate, Wilson blocked his nomination in hopes a deadlocked convention would demand Wilson run for a third term. (Wilson at the time was physically immobile and in seclusion.) The Democrats, meeting in San Francisco, nominated another newspaper editor from Ohio, Governor James M. Cox
James M. Cox

James Middleton Cox was a List of Governors of Ohio, United States House of Representatives from Ohio and Democratic candidate for President of the United States in the U.S....
, as their presidential candidate, and 38 year-old Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
, a fifth cousin of the late president Teddy Roosevelt, for vice president.

Early favorites for the nomination had included McAdoo and Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Others placed in nomination included New York Governor Al Smith
Al Smith

Alfred Emanuel Smith, Jr. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American politician who was elected List of Governors of New York four times, and was the History of the United States Democratic Party United States presidential election, 1928....
, New Jersey Governor Edward I. Edwards
Edward I. Edwards

Edward Irving Edwards was an United States Democratic Party politician who served as the List of Governors of New Jersey Governor of New Jersey of New Jersey from 1920 to 1923 and as United States Senate from 1923 to 1929....
, and former Solicitor General John W. Davis
John W. Davis

John William Davis was an Politics of the United States, diplomat and lawyer. He served as an United States Representative from West Virginia , then as Solicitor General of the United States and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Woodrow Wilson....
.

General election


Return to normalcy

Warren Harding's main campaign slogan was a "return to normalcy", playing upon the weariness of the American public after the social upheaval of the Progressive Era
Progressive Era

The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of reform which lasted from the 1890s to the 1920's.Responding to the changes brought about by industrialization,...
. Additionally, World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 and the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaty at the end of World War I. It ended the declaration of war between German Empire and Allies of World War I....
 proved deeply unpopular, causing a reaction against Wilson who had pushed especially hard for the latter.

Ethnic issues

Irish Americans were powerful in the Democratic party and opposed going to war alongside their enemy Britain, especially after the violent suppression of the Easter Rebellion of 1916. Wilson won them over in 1917 by promising to ask Britain to give Ireland its independence. At Versailles, however, he reneged and the Irish American community vehemently denounced him. Wilson in turn blamed the Irish American
Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey....
s and German American
German American

German Americans are citizens of the United States of Germans ancestry, with traditions and self-identity based on German language and culture....
s for the lack of popular support for the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
, saying, "There is an organized propaganda against the League of Nations and against the treaty proceeding from exactly the same sources that the organized propaganda proceeded from which threatened this country here and there with disloyalty, and I want to say -- I cannot say too often -- any man who carries a hyphen about with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic whenever he gets ready."

In response, the Irish American city machines sat on their hands during the election, allowing the Republicans to roll up unprecedented landslides in every major city. Many German American Democrats voted Republican or stayed home, giving the GOP landslides in the rural Midwest.

Campaign


Wilson had hoped for a “solemn referendum” on the League of Nations
League of Nations

The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
, but did not get one. Harding waffled on the League, thereby keeping the “irreconcilables” like Senator William Borah in line. Cox also hedged. He went to the White House for Wilson's blessing and apparently endorsed the League, but—discovering its unpopularity among Democrats—he said that he wanted the League only with reservations, particularly on Article Ten, which would require the United States to participate in any war declared by the League. (That is, he took the same position as Republican Senate leader Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge

This article is about Henry Cabot Lodge , a U.S. politician in the early twentieth century.Henry Cabot Lodge was an United States statesman, a United States Republican Party politician, and a noted historian....
.) As reporter Brand Whitlock observed, the League was an issue important in government circles, but was unimportant to the electorate. He also noted that the campaign was not being waged on issues: “The people, indeed, do not know what ideas Harding or Cox represents; neither do Harding or Cox. Great is democracy.” False rumors circulated that Harding had "Negro blood," but this did not greatly hurt Harding's election campaign.

Cox made a whirlwind campaign that took him to rallies, train station speeches, and formal addresses, reaching audiences totaling perhaps 2 million. Harding relied upon a “Front Porch Campaign” similar to that of William McKinley
William McKinley

William McKinley, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, and the last veteran of the American Civil War to be elected....
 in 1896. It brought thousands of voters to Marion, Ohio
Marion, Ohio

Marion is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately 50 miles north of Columbus, Ohio....
 where Harding spoke from his home. GOP campaign manager Will Hays spent about $8,100,000, nearly four times the money Cox spent. Hays used national advertising in a major way (with advice from adman Albert Lasker
Albert Lasker

Albert Davis Lasker was an American businessman who is often considered to be the founder of modern advertising.Born in Freiburg, Germany when his American parents were visiting their homeland, Albert Lasker was raised in Galveston, Texas....
). The theme was Harding's own slogan “America First”. Thus the Republican advertisement in Collier's Magazine for October 30, 1920 demanded, “Let's be done with wiggle and wobble.” The image presented in the ads was nationalistic, using catch phrases like “absolute control of the United States by the United States,” “Independence means independence, now as in 1776,” “This country will remain American. Its next President will remain in our own country,” and “We decided long ago that we objected to foreign government of our people.”

On election night, November 2, 1920, commercial radio broadcast coverage of election returns for the first time. Announcers at KDKA-AM
KDKA (AM)

KDKA is a radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is often said to be the oldest commercial radio station in the United States. However, this fact is contested by media historians, who note that 8MK in Detroit was on the air doing regular broadcasts in late August 1920....
 in Pittsburgh read telegraph ticker results over the air as they came in. This single station could be heard over most of the Eastern United States by the small percentage of the population that had radio receivers.

Harding's landslide came from all directions except the deep South. Irish American and German American voters who had backed Wilson and peace in 1916 now voted against Wilson and Versailles. “A vote for Harding,” said the German-language press, “is a vote against the persecutions suffered by German-Americans during the war.” Not one major German-language newspaper supported Cox. The Irish American
Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey....
s, bitterly angry at Wilson's refusal to help Ireland at Versailles, sat out the election. Since they controlled the Democratic party in most large cities, this allowed the Republicans to mobilize the ethnic vote, and Harding swept the big cities.

This was the first election in which women from every state were allowed to vote, following the passage of the 19th Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits each of the U.S. state and the federal government of the United States from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's sex....
 to the Constitution in August 1920 (only in time for the general election, however).

Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
's vote for Warren G. Harding marked the first time since the end of Reconstruction that one of the 11 states of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 had voted for a Republican.

Despite the fact that Cox was defeated badly, his running-mate, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, became a well-known political figure because of his active and energetic campaign. In 1928 he was elected Governor of New York, and in 1932 he was elected President and remained in power until his death in 1945, as the longest-serving President ever.

Other candidates


Socialist Party
Socialist Party of America

The Socialist Party of America was a Democratic socialism political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America which had split from the main organization in 1899....
 candidate Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs

Eugene Victor Debs was an American Trade union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , as well as candidate for President of the United States as a member of the Social Democratic Party in 1900, and later as a member of the Socialist Party of America in 1904, 1908, 1912,...
 received 913,664 popular votes (3.4%), despite the fact that he was in prison at the time for advocating non-compliance with the draft in the war. This was the largest amount of popular votes ever received by a Socialist Party candidate in the United States, though not the largest percentage of the popular vote. (The 19th Amendment had dramatically increased the number of people eligible to vote.) Debs received double this percentage in the [1912] election. The 1920 election was his fifth and last attempt to become president.

Parley P. Christensen
Parley P. Christensen

Parley Parker Christensen was an American politician and 1920 presidential nominee of the fledgling Farmer-Labor Party.He was born on July 19, 1869 in Weston, Idaho, and moved to Newton, Utah, when he was a small child....
 of the Farmer-Labor Party took 265,411 votes (1.0%), while Prohibition Party candidate Aaron S. Watkins
Aaron S. Watkins

Aaron S. Watkins , born in Ohio, was president of Asbury College in Kentucky. Before his ordination as a Methodist minister, he practiced law with his brother....
 came in fifth with 189,339 votes (0.7%), the poorest showing for the Prohibition party since 1884; as the Eighteenth Amendment
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Amendment XVIII of the United States Constitution, along with the Volstead Act , established Prohibition in the United States. Its ratification was certified on January 29, 1919....
 starting Prohibition
Prohibition

Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, refers to a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol....
 had passed the previous year, this single-issue party seemed less relevant.

Results

Source (Popular Vote): Source (Electoral Vote):

See also

  • History of the United States (1918–1945)
    History of the United States (1918–1945)

    The history of the United States from 1918 through 1945 covers the post-World War I era, the Great Depression, and World War II. After World War I, the United States signed separate peace treaties with Germany and her allies....
  • History of the United States Democratic Party
    History of the United States Democratic Party

    The history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
  • History of the United States Republican Party
    History of the United States Republican Party

    The Republican Party is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States....
  • United States Senate election, 1920
    United States Senate election, 1920

    The U.S. Senate election, 1920 was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the U.S. presidential election, 1920 of Warren G....


External links

  • - Michael Sheppard, Michigan State University