Book Review: 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents

There might not be anyone who turns elections into the most exciting reading material than David Pietrusza.  He has received plaudits from George W. Bush, Karl Rove, and Glenn Beck, and with reason, he's a master storyteller when it comes to Presidential races.

What does "The Year of the Six Presidents" mean?  The basis of this book is that the 1920 election was dominated by six personalities- former and future Presidents, and (due to the 22nd Amendment) we are unlikely to ever see that again. In 1919, Teddy Roosevelt, after his failed 1912 third party campaign- looks to be a favorite and undoubtedly headed back to the White House as a Republican. Unfortunately, he dies that same year.  Woodrow Wilson is the current President, and although he is too ill and too unpopular to likely win a third term, it is his (not so) secret desire to be nominated. William Howard Taft is not one of the six Presidents mentioned, as he is a non-contributor, only interested in fulfilling his life long dream to become a Supreme Court Judge. Harding and Coolidge of course get elected in 1920, and Hoover and FDR are both on the ascent and figure heavily into the mix (FDR is the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1920). I can’t imagine many people give the Election of 1920 much thought, but Pietrusza sells it as a fascinating race. TRs death takes what might have been an obvious outcome and throws everything into disarray. The two leading Republican nominees both claim to be heir. There is General Leonard Wood, a personal friend of TR who also enjoys the support of Teddy’s family, and there is Sen Hiram Johnson from California whose claim is that he was the Bull Moose nominee running mate of Teddy’s in 1912. Neither man is particularly charismatic. They may have Roosevelt's platofrm, but they have none of his personality. I am reminded of the parade of candidates who came and went claiming that they were heirs to Ronald Reagan (Al Haig, Gary Bauer, Alan Keyes, Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan, Donald Rumsfeld) but fell quite short. Illinois Gov Frank Lowden has a claim at the nomination, but is a terrible campaigner and it begins to appear that he simply wants to buy the nomination outright.  He becomes unpopular when that fact emerges. Pennsylvania Governor Sproul would be a real contender, but his state is not in play in this election, so he is also a no-go. After much balloting and the famous “smoky backrooms”, Harding emerges as the eventual nominee.  He is asked if there are any reasons he should not run (i.e. skeletons in his closet) and he answers no, though in fact, he has an illegitimate daughter with a woman that he still sees and is buying her silence. The Democratic side is similarly unorganized. Wilson is hoping he gets nominated for a third term, so he chooses to not get out of the way of other candidates, nor does he bestow his blessing on any of the contenders. Treasury Secretary (and Wilson’s son-in-law) William McAdoo is a front runner, but his campaign is paralyzed by Wilson’s (in)actions. Attorney General Alexander Palmer is popular before this election cycle campaign, but the “Red Scare”(and Palmer Raids) which made him popular in 1919, only make him look like a fool when the great ‘communist conspiracy’ doesn’t pan out. Vice President Thomas Marshall isn’t particularly interested, nor does he have any of the qualifications to be President. Like Wilson, three times nominee William Jennings Bryan also has delusions that he will be called to run. The Democrats settle on a compromise in James Cox. Like Harding, a newspaperman from Ohio. Cox is a Governor, Harding a Senator. Harding campaigns from his front porch. Cox goes on tour, but clearly doesn’t have the right personality to beat Harding.  FDR emerges as the future star. (Meanwhile, Herbert Hoover was the Colin Powell of his time, He could have probably ran as a Democrat or Republican, and gets plenty of support and request to run from both sides, though his campaign doesn’t exactly ignite this time around. We will have to wait until 1928 for that). There’s Eugene Debs, running from prison. Meanwhile, various third parties convene in Chicago to find a candidate that can unite them all, but the movement is doomed, the parties are disorganized; and the nominee Utah lawyer Parley Christensen is a failure. (I am reminded of the 2012 Americans Elect movement- in which it sounds like a good idea on paper to unite all these disparate movements, but only succeeds in putting disorganization on center stage). Pietrusza weaves this into a fascinating tale.  Sometimes lively, as he touches on some of the most sensationalist topics (Harding and FDR’s love lives, there’s the KKK, socialists, communists and anarchists) but it’s all pertinent. No doubt, Pietrusza has a Conservative bent.  He is on record as a huge fan of Calvin Coolidge.  But, he is also a great writer, and political junkies of all stripes Democrats do get a certain amount of scrutiny.  FDR, while serving as Deputy Secretary of Navy sees a scandal and is called to appear in Senate hearings, as there were allegations of his boss using young men to ferret out homosexuals in the navy, by taking any actions necessary to “out” them.  Wilson is  the most unsympathetic character here. He is vain, narcissistic, racist, unpopular and to a certain extent self-delusional. Still, I have heard many of these same accusations leveled at him by the most liberal of historians and writers. Pietrusza has since went on to chronicle events in 1932 and the elections of 1948 and 1960, as well as extensive write ups on Coolidge, TR, as well as being a baseball historian.  I strongly suggest his books.  If you love electoral politics like me, check his books out. Though the book is now 14 years old, Pietrusza and Amity Shales recently discussed this book online for the Coolidge Club, so check it out when you have time.