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1912 Presidential Election of Woodrow Wilson: Topics in Chronicling America

In 1912, a rift in the Republican Party paved the way for the election of Woodrow Wilson. This guide provides access to materials related to “1912 Presidential Election” in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.

Introduction

"Woodrow Wilson is the choice of the democrats." July 2, 1912. El Paso Herald (El Paso, TX), Image 1. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt bolted the Republican Convention and ran as the Progressive “Bull Moose” Party candidate in the election of 1912, dooming the reelection of William Howard Taft. The Republican Party rift sent to the White House Democrat Woodrow Wilson, who became one of the century’s most influential presidents. Read more about it!

The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.

The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.

Timeline

June 20, 1912 Theodore Roosevelt runs under the Progressive Party, also called the Bull Moose Party, to oppose William Howard Taft.
July 2, 1912 Woodrow Wilson is chosen as the Democratic nominee.
November 5, 1912 Wilson wins the general election, with third-party candidate Roosevelt leading Republican Taft.