1920 United States Presidential Election

The 1920 United States presidential election was the 34th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1920. Held in the middle of the American-Pacific War, General John A. Lejeune, nominated by a broad coalition including the Federal Republicans, defeated Farmer-Labor Senator Thomas E. Watson.

General Lejeune defeated incumbent President Aaron Burr Houston for the Federal Republican nomination, with the support of party leaders who criticized Houston's management of the war and supported Lejeune as an independent candidate to win the war. He would additionally be nominated by the smaller Union, Liberal, and Commonwealth Land parties, creating a broad coalition for Lejeune with various platforms and running mates. The Farmer-Labor primaries would be split, with pro-war moderates supporting Lejeune, and opposed mainly by Robert La Follette and Eugene V. Debs. The party would eventually agree on Watson as a candidate agreeable to all anti-war factions, and he would additionally be endorsed by the WPA. Pro-War Farmer-Laborites and trade unionists would bolt and form the American Labor Party, nominating Lejeune.

The election was held during the American-Pacific War, which would also be the dominant issue. The disparate groups supporting Lejeune were united in their support of the war effort, hailing him as the military leader needed to turn around the war effort. Lejeune was noted for having never lost a battle in four major wars, earning him the nickname of the "Greatest of All Leathernecks." Watson criticized the war as a poor man's fight, and called for an immediate end to the war. Watson focused on radical reforms including the nationalization of industries and the abolition of the electoral college, and on foreign policy supported the recognition of the Soviet Union. Lejeune had a vague platform without clear positions, but was generally expected to be progressive and against protectionism. The campaign would grow to become incredibly bitter and aggressive, with both candidates being accused of authoritarianism, with Watson drawing additional criticism for both an alleged support of Communism and a record of racism and anti-Semitism.

(Results Summary)

Federal Republican Party nomination
Also see: 1920 Federal Republican presidential primaries Federal Republican candidates:

Candidates
Aaron Burr Houston was the 66-year-old incumbent President. Elected to a third term as President in the 1916 United States presidential election, Houston was the candidate of the party's progressive faction. Having passed Social Security and environmental protection, he ran on a platform of continued economic and social progress, promoting the Equal Rights Amendment. Houston's management of the war had received criticism from within the party after over 250,000 were lost in the Siberian campaign, the greatest loss in the history of the Army, paired with additional humiliating defeats by the British and Argentine navies in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Houston's most significant issue was the continuation of the war under his leadership, emphasizing the righteousness of America's involvement in the American-Pacific War and highlighting recent victories in South America as proof that the war can still be won.

John A. Lejeune was a 53-year-old Lieutenant General in the United States Marine Corps. Known as the "Greatest of All Leathernecks," he had been undefeated through four different wars and had an outstanding service record. Following the Siberian campaign and the defeat of the American Navy in the Beagle Channel, many figures across party lines lost faith in Houston's capability to execute the war, and a large movement was created to nominate Lejeune for the presidency. His views were unclear, though he was considered likely to be a progressive on domestic issues and against protectionism. Lejeune's endorsements in the Federal Republican party included Senate Majority leader Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y Quesada, Senators Charles Evans Hughes and Lawrence Y. Sherman, Representative Won Alexander Cumyow, and Judge LeBaron Colt. Additionally, Lejeune received the support of most party bosses across states, whose machines had frequently been countered or brought down by Aaron Burr Houston. Their financial and organizational support would be crucial for the candidate.

Thomas D. Schall was a 42-year-old Senator from Minnesota. Schall, the candidate of the anti-war wing, was born into poverty and went blind at an early age. He would be elected into Congress in 1908 as a fierce progressive, supporting Houston in 1916. He would turn against the war shortly before being elected to the Senate in 1918, becoming one of two anti-war Federal Republican Senators. He would run for President on an anti-war and conservative platform; opposing the Equal Rights Amendment, supporting rolling back some of Houston's reforms, and reducing the influence of the federal government.

Farmer-Labor Party nomination
Also see: 1920 Farmer-Labor Party presidential primaries Farmer-Labor candidates: