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Lewis L. Gould

Four Hats in the Ring: The 1912 Election and the Birth of Modern American Politics (American Presidential Elections) Hardcover – April 9, 2008

by Lewis L. Gould (Author)

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Part of: American Presidential Elections (24 books)

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Imagine a presidential election with four well-qualified and distinguished candidates and a serious debate over the future of the nation! Sound impossible in this era of attack ads and strident partisanship? It happened nearly a century ago in 1912, when incumbent Republican William Howard Taft, former president Theodore Roosevelt running as the Progressive Party candidate, Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson, and Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs all spoke to major concerns of the American people and changed the landscape of national politics in the bargain.

The presidential election of 1912 saw a third-party candidate finish second in both popular and electoral votes. The Socialist candidate received the highest percentage of the popular vote his party ever attained. In addition to year-round campaigning in the modern style, the 1912 contest featured a broader role for women, two exciting national conventions, and an assassination attempt on Roosevelt's life. The election defined the major parties for generations to come as the Taft-Roosevelt split pushed the Republicans to the right and the Democrats' agenda of reform set them on the road to the New Deal.

Lewis L. Gould, one of America's preeminent political historians, tells the story of this dramatic race and explains its enduring significance. Basing his narrative on the original letters and documents of the candidates themselves, he guides his readers down the campaign trail through the factional splits, exciting primaries, tumultuous conventions and the turbulent fall campaign to Wilson's landslide electoral vote victory in November.

It's all here—Gene Debs's challenge to capitalism, the progressive rivalry of Roosevelt and Robert La Follette, the debate between the New Freedom of Wilson and the New Nationalism of Roosevelt, and the resolve of Taft to defeat his one-time friend TR and keep the Republican Party in conservative hands. Gould combines lively anecdotes, the poetry and prose of the campaign, and insights into the clash of ideology and personality to craft a narrative that moves as fast as did the 1912 election itself.

Americans sensed in 1912 that they stood at a turning point in the nation's history. Four Hats in the Ring demonstrates why the people who lived and fought this significant election were more right than they could ever have known.

Print length

254 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University Press of Kansas
Publication date

April 9, 2008
Dimensions

6 x 0.69 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0700615644
ISBN-13

978-0700615643
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gould's writing is exhilarating. . . . He also reminds readers of the long-term impact of the race. Here, indeed, is the birth of modern American politics, the origins of a liberal-conservative divide, grounded in policy and rhetoric, embodied, respectively, in the Republican and Democratic Parties. It is no wonder that Gould's account should seem so fresh."--Political Science Quarterly

"This book should remain the standard account of this contest for the foreseeable future."--Journal of American History

"Unquestionably the definitive work on the seminal election of 1912. Essential."--Choice

"This shrewdly argued and beautifully crafted volume illuminates the enduring significance of the 1912 race. The best book ever written about one of the more intelligent campaigns in U.S. history."--Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan

"The best informed and most trenchant study of this election yet published. Fluent, lucid, authoritative, it resounds with the politics of the Progressive era."--John Morton Blum, author of The Republican Roosevelt

"At long last, the 1912 election has the history it deserves. A splendid book. A remarkable and splendid book written with unfailing insight, balance, and fairness to all the candidates."--John Milton Cooper, Jr., author of The Warrior and the Priest: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson

From the Back Cover

"This shrewdly argued and beautifully crafted volume illuminates the enduring significance of the 1912 race. The best book ever written about one of the more intelligent campaigns in U.S. history."--Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan

"The best informed and most trenchant study of this election yet published. Fluent, lucid, authoritative, it resounds with the politics of the Progressive era."--John Morton Blum, author of The Republican Roosevelt

"At long last, the 1912 election has the history it deserves. A splendid book."--John Milton Cooper, Jr., author of The Warrior and the Priest: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Kansas (April 9, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 254 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0700615644
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0700615643
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.69 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,548,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,031 in Elections
- #2,737 in United States Executive Government
- #9,744 in History & Theory of Politics

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Customer reviews

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Top reviews from the United States

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Eric F.

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

Everything arrived on time and as advertised

Helpful

B. Adducchio

Well-done, but wish it was longer

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2008

Verified Purchase

I have read a few books about the election of 1912. I really enjoyed this one. It is well-written, well-researched, fairly objective, and never bored me. However, some of the concepts could have been explained in greater detail. Debs isn't discussed as much as the other candidates. To be fair, Debs was covered the least in the media at that time, but still, it would have been better to have Debs discussed more in the book. I enjoyed it and recommend it to readers who enjoy studying the political process.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

John A. Jago, Jr.

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

Fascinating election year and to see who won.

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015

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As promised quality, prompt delivery.

Helpful

M. W. Stone

Good Summary of a Memorable Election

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015

All in all, if you want a good but short account of the 1912 election, this book is for you.

Gould makes a few odd remarks. He twice states that Taft's absence from the California ballot ensured that TR would carry the state even without Hiram Johnson as his running mate, though his plurality of only 174 (out of some 600,000 votes cast) makes it clear enough that his win there was far from assured. But that's a nitpick. The book contains much interesting and useful information, notably the results of the Democratic Primaries, which are often overshadowed by all the sound and fury on the Republican side, though more was probably at stake in the Democratic races.

Gould brings up some aspects of 1912 which are often overlooked, in particular that it aroused far more passion among political activists on all sides than among the public at large. Not only was turnout sharply down in percentage terms - 58.8 as against 65.5 in 1908 - but only the fact that half a dozen states had doubled their electorates by granting women the vote would prevent the absolute numbers from also going down. There was also a remarkable discrepancy between the presidential and congressional votes. Of the 19.5 million who took part, no less than 4.5 million (almost one in four)' ignored the Presidential race and were content to just vote for or against their local congressman.

He also brings over vividly just what a long shot Roosevelt's insurgency was, and questions the common assumption that had he won the nomination he would have gone on to win in November. Indeed, the amount of time TR spent down South, in pursuit of (white) votes there suggests that he himself was rather clutching at straws. It is sad that Roosevelt (hitherto probably the most racially liberal of the three main contenders ' should have kept the Progressive Party 'lily-white' in vain pursuit of Southern support. For all the good it did him, he might as well have stuck to his principles. At times (and like one or two contemporaries) I find myself wondering whether he was entirely sane in 1912.

My only real annoyance is Gould's somewhat disparaging attitude to Champ Clark, saying that his corny image was off-putting to Eastern Democrats - though his two to one win in the Massachusetts primary casts sizeable doubt on this, and his even bigger win in CA suggests that Progressive Dems were quite ok with him. Later on it is suggested that Clark would have been inadequate for the challenges of domestic reform and WW1, though on the first point he was well-liked by congressional colleagues, so would probably have got as many progressive measures through as Wilson did. As for WW1, how well did Wilson do? After failing successively to keep out of war and to bring home a peace treaty acceptable to the Senate, he left his party in an utter shambles, to the point where it suffered near-annihilation (outside the South) in 1920, and remained in eclipse until resurrected by the Wall Street Crash. Could a Clark Administration have done any worse?

Nor am I totally convinced that 1912 "marked 'the birth of modern American politics." From what I can see, the Democrats had been established as the more liberal of the two parties since at least 1896, and the debacles of 1904 and 1924 clearly demonstrated that they had no future anywhere else. Outside the South, conservative Dems had nowhere to go except into the Republican Party. All 1912 really did was reveal the degree to which this had already happened, beyond the power of even a man of Roosevelt's stature to reverse. But it was a vivid marker, and surely destined to continue as one of the most written-about elections in American history. It will stand another look.

One final point. I couldn't resist a smile about the fulsome praise for Germany by both Roosevelt and Wilson. She was highly regarded for her social benefits and the treatment of her workers, and generally viewed as an excellent example to us all. Not quite what they were saying five years later. So it goes.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kevin M Quigg

The making of the President in 1912.

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2008

I have to disagree with the first two reviewers. The author made this a fascinating read in how Wilson won and Taft, Debs, and Roosevelt were the losers. Even before going into the election, Wilson had it sown up. Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican vote. The Republicans consisted of a Progressive wing and a conservative wing. Taft led the conservative wing and Roosevelt went on to form a Progressive Party out of the liberal wing of the Republican Party. Wilson could count on the solid South and various other states thereby meeting the electoral requirements of winning the election. The solid South consisted of whites who didn't let the black population vote, and Wilson gladly accepted this support. This doesn't show the Democratic Party in its best light. Due to this Wilson won, Taft and Roosevelt lost. I was impressed with both Taft and Roosevelt. When shown written evidence of how Wilson cheated on his wife, both did not sink to the level of using this evidence. Taft was civil throughout the campaign. He knew he was going to lose.

This is a nice short read on an interesting campaign. I think the author put some time in describing the four major candidates and parties, and how they game planed the election. A very interesting read.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

M. W. Stone

Good Account of a Memorable Election

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

All in all, if you want a good but short account of the 1912 election, this book is for you.

Gould makes a few odd remarks. He twice states that Taft''s absence from the California ballot ensured that TR would carry the state even without Hiram Johnson as his running mate, though his plurality of only 174 (out of some 600,000 votes cast) makes it clear enough that his win there was far from assured. But that's a nitpick. The book contains much interesting and useful information, notably the results of the Democratic Primaries, which are often overshadowed by all the sound and fury on the Republican side, though more was probably at stake in the Democratic races.

Gould brings up some aspects of 1912 which are often overlooked, in particular that it aroused far more passion among political activists on all sides than among the public at large. Not only was turnout sharply down in percentage terms (58.8 as against 65.5 in 1908)' but only the fact that half a dozen states had doubled their electorates by granting women the vote would prevent the absolute numbers from also going down. There was also a remarkable discrepancy between the presidential and congressional votes. Of the 19.5 million who took part, no less than 4.5 million - almost one in four - ignored the Presidential race and were content to just vote for or against their local congressman.

He also brings over vividly just what a long shot Roosevelt's insurgency was, and questions the common assumption that had he won the nomination he would have gone on to win in November. Indeed, the amount of time TR spent down South, in pursuit of (white) votes there suggests that he himself was rather clutching at straws. It is sad that Roosevelt (hitherto probably the most racially liberal of the three main contenders, should have kept the Progressive Party 'lily-white' in vain pursuit of Southern support. For all the good it did him, he might as well have stuck to his principles. At times (and like one or two contemporaries) I find myself wondering whether he was entirely sane in 1912.

My only real annoyance is Gould's somewhat disparaging attitude to Champ Clark, saying that his corny image was off-putting to Eastern Democrats ' though his two to one win in the Massachusetts primary casts sizeable doubt on this, and his even bigger win in CA suggests that Progressive Dems were quite ok with him. Later on it is suggested that Clark would have been inadequate for the challenges of domestic reform and WW1, though on the first point he was well-liked by congressional colleagues, so would probably have got as many progressive measures through as Wilson did. As for WW1, how well did Wilson do? After failing successively to keep out of war and to bring home a peace treaty acceptable to the Senate, he left his party in an utter shambles, to the point where it suffered near-annihilation (outside the South) in 1920, and remained in eclipse until resurrected by the Wall Street Crash. Could a Clark Administration have done any worse?

Nor am I totally convinced that 1912 'marked 'the birth of modern American politics.' From what I can see, the Democrats had been established as the more liberal of the two parties since at least 1896, and the debacles of 1904 and 1924 clearly demonstrated that they had no future anywhere else. Outside the South, conservative Dems had nowhere to go except into the Republican Party. All 1912 really did was reveal the degree to which this had already happened, beyond the power of even a man of Roosevelt's stature to reverse. But it was a vivid marker, and surely destined to continue as one of the most written-about elections in American history. It will stand another look.

One final point. I couldn't resist a smile about the fulsome praise for Germany by both Roosevelt and Wilson. She was highly regarded for her social benefits and the treatment of her workers, and generally viewed as an excellent example to us all. Not quite what they were saying five years later. So it goes.

Andrew Kelly

Useful.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

Vital to understanding much of what followed.

See all reviews

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