American History’s Worst & Most Important Vice-Presidential Picks, 1920

As we await former vice president Joe Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, to pick her own running mate, it’s worth looking back at the vice-presidential choices of the past: the ones that changed history and the ones that fell flat. In part one, I covered the biggest and worst VP picks from Aaron Burr in 1800 to Teddy Roosevelt in 1900. Now, let’s turn to the past century.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (James Cox, Democrat, 1920): American politics was transformed by three successive shocks in a little over a decade: the beginning of popular elections of senators in 1914, the doubling of the electorate when women began to vote in 1920, and the introduction of radio in the 1920s, which allowed candidates to speak directly to the people at an unprecedented scale. The latter two would prove crucial to the rise of FDR.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

Featured Tags

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Calvin Coolidge

JD Vance

As we await former vice president Joe Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, to pick her own running mate, it’s worth looking back at the vice-presidential choices of the past: the ones that changed history and the ones that fell flat. In part one, I covered the biggest and worst VP picks from Aaron Burr in 1800 to Teddy Roosevelt in 1900. Now, let’s turn to the past century.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (James Cox, Democrat, 1920): American politics was transformed by three successive shocks in a little over a decade: the beginning of popular elections of senators in 1914, the doubling of the electorate when women began to vote in 1920, and the introduction of radio in the 1920s, which allowed candidates to speak directly to the people at an unprecedented scale. The latter two would prove crucial to the rise of FDR.