what explains coolidges decisive victory in the 1924 election

Full Answer

What did Coolidge say about the 1924 election?

The Presidential Election of 1924 demonstrated that progressive, activist government programs were no longer popular at the national level of politics . Coolidge was spot-on when he observed, 'This is a business country, and it wants a business government.'

What was the significance of Coolidge's victory in 1924?

The Coolidge victory in 1924 represented the pinnacle of 1920s conservatism. Small government, a reputation for honesty and integrity, and a general lack of action all characterized Coolidge's four-year term. Coolidge did get in a lot of naps, however. The Republicans would win another presidential election in 1928, capping a decade of political dominance at the national level.

How many votes did Silent Cal get?

Coolidge took in 15.7 million votes to Davis' s 8.4 million and LaFollette's 4.8 million. Davis won the 'Solid South' Democratic states, while LaFollette received the electoral support of his home state of Wisconsin. Every other state went for Coolidge.

What did Coolidge believe about business?

He believed free-flowing business created American prosperity and lifted all boats. Several of Coolidge's best quotes reflect this conviction: 'The chief business of the American people is business,' and 'The man who builds a factory builds a temple. The man who works there worships there.'

How many hours did Coolidge sleep?

With little to do and less to say, Coolidge insisted on twelve hours of sleep every night, and an afternoon nap. Social critic H.L. Mencken said Coolidge 'slept more than any other president.'

What did Coolidge think of Mark Twain?

The incumbent in the presidential election of 1924, Republican Coolidge was also a man of few words, which earned him the nickname 'Silent Cal.' Perhaps Coolidge was thinking of an old Mark Twain quote: 'It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.' He was also a man of little action, and believed government should be small and stay out of the affairs of individuals and businesses. He explained, 'Four-fifths of our troubles would disappear if we would sit down and keep still.'

Why did Coolidge like Silent Cal?

Coolidge's pro-business policies and small-government philosophy contributed to amazing economic growth and prosperity, and Americans generally liked Silent Cal because he had fewer chances to say something stupid. This situation left his political opponents scrambling during the run-up to the election in 1924.

How did Coolidge win public confidence?

He won public confidence by taking a hand in settling a serious Pennsylvania coal strike, even though much of the negotiation's success was largely due to the state's governor, Gifford Pinchot. However, the more conservative factions within the Republican Party remained unconvinced in the new president's own conservatism, given his rather liberal record while governor of Massachusetts, and he had not even been their first choice for the vice presidency back in 1920; Senator Irvine Lenroot had been the choice of the party bosses then, but the delegates had rebelled. However, Coolidge was not popular with the liberal or progressive factions within the party either. Heartened by their victories in the 1922 midterms, the party's progressives vigorously opposed a continuation of the late Harding's policies. In the fall of 1923, Senator Hiram Johnson of California announced his intention of fighting Coolidge in the presidential primaries, and already friends of Senator Robert La Follette of Wisconsin were planning a third party.

Who was the Democratic candidate for President in 1924?

The immediate leading candidate of the Democratic party was William Gibbs McAdoo, now sixty years old, who was extremely popular with labor thanks to his wartime record as Director General of the railroads and was, as former President Wilson's son-in-law, also the favorite of the Wilsonians. However, in January 1924, unearthed evidence of his relationship with Doheny discomforted many of his supporters. After McAdoo had resigned from the Wilson Administration in 1918, Joseph Tumulty, Wilson's secretary, had warned him to avoid association with Doheny. However, in 1919, McAdoo took Doheny as a client for an unusually large initial fee of $100,000, in addition to an annual retainer. Not the least perplexing part of the deal involved a million dollar bonus for McAdoo if the Mexican government reach a satisfactory agreement with Washington on oil lands Doheny held south of the Texas border. The bonus was never paid and McAdoo insisted later that it was a casual figure of speech mentioned in jest. At the time, however, he had telegraphed the New York World that he would have received "an additional fee of $900,000 if my firm had succeeded in getting a satisfactory settlement," since the Doheny companies had "several hundred million dollars of property at stake, our services, had they been effective, would have been rightly compensated by the additional fee." In fact, the lawyer received only $50,000 more from Doheny. It was also charged that on matters of interest to his client, Republic Iron and Steel, from whom he received $150,000, McAdoo neglected the regular channels dictated by propriety and consulted directly with his own appointees in the capital to obtain a fat refund.

How did Coolidge gain control of the South?

Through the power of patronage Coolidge consolidated his hold over Republican officeholders and office-seekers in the South, where the party was made up of little more than those whose positions were awarded through such a system. This allowed him to gain control of Southern delegates to the coming Republican convention. He also let it be known that his secretary Campbell Slemp, who favored the policy, would remove African-American Republican leaders in the South in order to attract more white voters to the party. Only California Senator Hiram Johnson challenged Coolidge in the South; Governor Frank Lowden of Illinois, potentially Coolidge's most dangerous rival for the nomination, was attending to his state after he had decided 1924 would probably be a Democratic year. When the early Alabama primary resulted in a slate contested between the Coolidge and Johnson forces, an administration-picked committee on delegates awarded Alabama to Coolidge.

What was the Democratic National Convention in 1924?

The 1924 Democratic National Convention was held from June 24 to July 9, and while there were a number of memorable moments, none were more crucial to the following proceedings then what occurred after a Platform Committee report on whether to censure the Ku Klux Klan by name came out. McAdoo controlled three of the four convention committees, including this one, and the majority report declared specifically against naming the Klan - although all the Committee members agreed on a general condemnation of bigotry and intolerance. Every effort was made to avoid the necessity of a direct commitment on the issue. Smith did not want to inflame the issue, but the proponents of his candidacy were anxious to identify McAdoo closely with the Klan and possibly to defeat him in a test of strength before the balloting began; the Smith faction, led by George Brennan of Illinois, therefore demanded that the specific denunciation of the Klan uttered by the committee minority become official.

How many votes did La Follette get?

The "other" vote amounted to nearly five million, owing in largest part to the 4,832,614 votes cast for La Follette. This candidacy, like that of Roosevelt in 1912, altered the distribution of the vote throughout the country and particularly in eighteen states in the Middle and Far West. Unlike the Roosevelt vote of 1912, the La Follette vote included most of the Socialist strength.

Who was the third party in the 1923 presidential election?

In the fall of 1923, Senator Hiram Johnson of California announced his intention of fighting Coolidge in the presidential primaries, and already friends of Senator Robert La Follette of Wisconsin were planning a third party. Senator William Edgar Borah from Idaho.

Who was the Republican nominee for the 1924 Republican National Convention?

The Democratic Party nominated former Congressman and ambassador to the United Kingdom John W. Davis of West Virginia.

Why did Coolidge win the 1924 election?

Coolidge won the election because the Democratic were having internal conflict. The internal crises split the party’s supporters in the North and south.

When was Coolidge the President?

The president was held on November 4, 1924. Before, Coolidge became the president; he has been a vice president. He was a former Vice president when Warren G. Harding was the 29th president of the United States.

Overview

The 1924 United States presidential election was the 35th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 1924. In a three-way contest, incumbent Republican President Calvin Coolidge won election to a full term.
Coolidge had been vice president under Warren G. Harding and became president in 1923 upon Harding's death. Coolidge was given credit for a booming economy at home and no visible crise…

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