Thomas Marshall
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- Vice President to:
Woodrow Wilson - Democrat,
from New Jersey.
- Woodrow Wilson served 1913 - 1921. He died in 1924, at the age of 68.
- Dates Served: Marshall served as Vice President from 1913 - 1921.
- Political Party: Marshall was a Democrat, from Indiana.
- Born: 1854.
- Died: 1925, at the age of 71.
- The presidential opponents during the 1912 and 1916 campaigns were:
- Campaign issues:
- During the 1912 campaign:
- The issue this year was the return of Teddy Roosevelt and the spectacle of
watching the Republican Party split along the lines of Teddy supporters and
Teddy detractors. The Democrats ran Wilson as their candidate, who campaigned
for the so-called New Freedom agenda, which sounded a lot like Teddy's agenda
with its focus on busting up monopolies and its pro-Labor proposals. Teddy
split the Republican Party with his far-reaching proposals for increased
Federal regulation of business and new welfare programs, since he decided that
Taft had sold his soul to the trusts. Teddy's split was entertaining
but fatal to the campaign. Voters loved the show, complete with an assassination
attempt on Teddy, but in the end he was seen as too unstable and, with the split
in the Republican Party, Wilson was a shoo-in. He needed the split, since his
total number of votes was less than William Jennings Bryan had received in each
of his 3 tries.
- During the 1916 campaign:
- The issue this year was the Great War in Europe, and keeping America out of it.
Wilson pledged to keep American boys from fighting in Europe's war, while the
Republicans criticized him for not retaliating against the Germans for having
torpedoed the British passenger ship the Lusitania the previous year, which had
killed 1,200 people, which included 120 Americans. Wilson had the support of
Organized Labor while Hughes had the support of Catholics who viewed Wilson's
military actions in Mexico against rebels like Pancho Villa to be anti-Catholic.
The election was a close one but voters believed Wilson's pledge to keep their
sons out of the war in Europe. It was a pledge he would not be able to keep.
- Notable Facts about Thomas Marshall:
- Religious affiliation: Marshall was a Presbyterian.
- Thomas didn't marry until he was 41 years old, in 1895. His wife was named Lois Kimsey. He didn't begin to serve in politics until he was 54 years old.
- Originally a lawyer, Marshall began his political career by being elected
Governor of Indiana, serving 1909 - 1913. His election was a bit unusual, since he had spent most of his life as a political activist, but had never held any political office of any kind. Due to his popularity and dry wit, he was approached by party-regulars who asked him to consider running for the Senate in 1908, but he told them he liked the sound of the word "Governor" better. So he was placed on the ticket and he won.
- He was nominated to run for Vice President on Wilson's campaign in 1912
largely due to his party loyalty.
- While in office he was originally adamantly opposed to US entry into
World War I, but once the US was committed he supported American efforts.
- Even though he was Vice President, Marshall didn't get an office of his own in
the Capitol building. He had to share an office with a stenographer and a secretary.
- After President Wilson's disabling stroke while in office, in 1919, members of
the Administration suggested that Marshall take over the duties of the President,
but he turned them down, since he considered the President to still be capable
of fulfilling his duties.
- Marshall was famous largely due to 2 memorable statements he made:
- During one particularly long speech in Congress, in which a Senator
from Kansas was droning on through a speech called "What this Country Needs",
Marshall interrupted him, saying loudly, "What this country needs is a
good five cent cigar!", which drew roars of laughter from Congress.
- While in office, he liked to illustrate the significance of being
Vice President by saying, "Once there were two brothers. One
went away to sea, the other was elected Vice President, and neither
of them was heard from again."
- Another knee-slapper, said after his term was over, was: "I was the Wilson administration's spare tire: to be used only in case of emergency."
- In 1920, when Warren G. Harding won the Presidential election, his running-name, Calvin Coolidge, received a telegram from Thomas Marshall regarding his upcoming term as Vice President. It said simply, "Please accept my sincere sympathies".
- After the end of Wilson's second term in 1921, Marshall returned to
Ind iana and resumed his law-practice. Once, when asked what his plans were for the fut
ure, he replied by saying, "I don't want to work. I don't propose to work.
Therefore, I wouldn't mind being Vice President again".
- Marshall died in 1925 while on a visit back to Washington DC.
Notable Events during his Vice Presidency:
- The Federal Reserve is created, in 1913. 12 regional banks were created which
acted as a sort of banker's bank. They were controlled by a presidentially-appointed
board and controlled the flow of money through banks around the country. All
participating banks were required to keep a portion of their capital on reserve at
one of the federal reserves. The Federal Reserve also loaned money to banks and
defined the interest rates, allowing it to control credit nationwide, altering rates
based on the fluctuating state of the economy.
- The Federal Trade Commission is created, in 1914. President Wilson supported the
creation of the FTC in order to keep tabs on the business practices of interstate
corporations, in order to maintain fair competition between small and large businesses.
- The Tampico Incident, in 1914. The Mexican Socialist Revolution had installed a new
government that the US refused to recognize. In April of 1914 several US sailors were
arrested in Tampico, Mexico, only to be released after a short time. But the US demanded a
public apology from Mexico, as well as a 21-gun salute in the presence of the American
flag. The Mexican government refused and US troops were promptly sent to Mexico,
occupying Vera Cruz. Before war could erupt, diplomats from South America mediated a
peaceful solution, which resulted in the head of the Mexican government being replaced
with someone else that the US approved of.
- Pancho Villa. Mexico remained politically unstable in the wake of their revolution, and
the northern part of the country was largely controlled by private militias. One of the
more notorious leaders of these rebel groups was Pancho Villa, who's favorite hobby
was raiding American border towns. In March of 1916, he crossed the border into the town
of Columbus, New Mexico and killed 17 Americans before escaping back into Mexico. President
Wilson responded by dispatching 6,000 US soldiers deep into Mexican territory to try and
capture Pancho. But they couldn't find him, and only managed to aggravate the already tense
US-Mexican relations. They eventually gave up and returned to US soil in February of 1917,
with Pancho still free.
Only weeks after pulling out the troops, a message from Germany to Mexico was intercepted
by American Intelligence officials, in which Germany proposed an alliance with Mexico that
changed America's previous reluctance to enter World War I. In the message, Germany offered
Mexico "their assistance" if America were to enter the war in Europe. In such an event,
Germany would help Mexico re-capture old Mexican territories held by America, specifically
what was then New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Wilson released the message to the US public,
and America formally entered World War I the following April.
- World War I, 1914 - 1918, with the US entering the war in 1917. Basically, everybody in Europe
was fighting everybody, and America went over and helped put a stop to it all.
- Adamson Act, in 1916. This legislation mandated an 8-hour workday for employees of the
railroads, which led to the gradual recognition of the 8-hour workday in all industries.
- Child Labor Act, in 1919. Congress placed a 10 percent tax on any profits of corporations
that employed children, in order to try and end the practice of Child Labor. Congress was
unable to declare it illegal outright.
- The Band-Aid is invented by Earle Dickson, in 1920.
- The 17th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1913, allowing Senators to
be directly elected by the people. Previously, State Senators were appointed by State
Legislatures.
- The 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1919, prohibiting sale of
alcohol nationwide. It lasted for 14 years, later being repealed in 1933 with the
21st Amendment, under President Franklin Roosevelt.
- The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920, extending full voting rights
to women.