About the Author

James Chace was the Paul W. Williams Professor of Government and Public Law at Bard College. The former managing editor of Foreign Affairs and the author of eight previous books, most recently Acheson, he passed away in October 2004

Reviews

"Illuminating and absorbing....An engrossing narrative that is essential reading." -- Ronald Steel, The New York Review of Books

Some histories interpret new evidence and add to our store of knowledge. Some, relying on others' research, simply tell a known story. Chace's work is the best of the latter kind: a lively, balanced and accurate retelling of an important moment in American history. Even though the 1912 election wasn't the election that changed the country (there have been several), it was a critical one. It gave us Woodrow Wilson, though only by a plurality of the popular vote (albeit a huge electoral majority) and so gave us U.S. intervention in WWI and Wilsonian internationalism. Because of former president Theodore Roosevelt's rousing candidacy as nominee of the short-lived Bull Moose, or Progressive, Party, the campaign deepened the public's acceptance of the idea of a more modern and activist presidency. Because Eugene Debs, the great Socialist, gained more votes for that party (6% of the total) than ever before or since, the election marked American socialism's political peak. What of the ousted incumbent, William Howard Taft? Chace (Acheson, etc.) succeeds in making him a believable, sympathetic character, if a lackluster chief executive. What made the 1912 campaign unusual was that candidates of four, not just two, parties vied for the presidency. The race was also marked by a basic decency, honesty and quality of debate not often seen again. Chace brings sharply alive the distinctive characters in his fast-paced story. There won't soon be a better-told tale of one of the last century's major elections. Agent, Suzanne Gluck, William Morris. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

When incumbent William Howard Taft was challenged in 1912 by the diverse trio of Woodrow Wilson (a former college professor), President Theodore Roosevelt (the previous incumbent), and Eugene V. Debs (the charismatic Socialist), the presidential contest was destined to be lively. Political scientist Chace (Bard Coll.; Acheson: The Secretary of State Who Created the American World) offers an intimate account that captures the personalities of the four contenders, as well as those of the secondary figures. Warren G. Harding, a small-town Ohio newspaper editor, nominated Taft for re-election at the conservative-dominated Republican convention, denying Roosevelt the slot despite his primary victories. If Roosevelt had not reacted by bolting to launch a third-party bid, he might have been in the White House four years later. The split between the conservative and progressive Republicans enabled the Southern-born, self-righteous, and racist Woodrow Wilson (the Democrat) to win. Taft came in third place in 1912 but ultimately got the job most agreeable to his passive personality when Harding appointed him chief justice of the Supreme Court. It took Roosevelt's fifth cousin from Hyde Park, NY, to resolve the great, lingering issues from the 1912 campaign. Scholars, presidential buffs, and the general public will thoroughly enjoy this well-crafted and timely page-turner. Highly recommended for all libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/03.]-William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"A brisk, consistently entertaining narrative that is alive both to politics and personality."
-- Michael Kazin, Washington Post Book World
"Illuminating and absorbing....An engrossing narrative that is essential reading."
-- Ronald Steel, The New York Review of Books
One of the "Best Books of 2004."
-- Los Angeles Times Book Review