Teddy Roosevelt in 1912: You Can't Put Down a Bull Moose! - Mike Streich MA

The presidential campaign of 1912 was drawing to a close as Theodore Roosevelt, the only living ex-president and candidate of the Progressive Party, arrived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 14. Before traveling to the auditorium where he was to give a speech, Roosevelt dined at the Hotel Gilpatrick. Leaving the hotel and standing up in his car to greet adoring well-wishers, Roosevelt heard the sound of a handgun. John Flammang Schrank had walked up and shot the Rough Rider. During the next tense hours, it seemed that the McKinley assassination of eleven years earlier was about to be repeated.

 

Roosevelt’s Would-Be Assassin

 

John Schrank had stalked Roosevelt as the former president traveled across the Northeast delivering speeches. Newspapers later reported that Schrank was a Socialist, but his attack on Roosevelt was motivated more by his insanity. Henry F. Cochems, in his first-hand account of the assassination attempt [1], referred to Schrank as a “paranoiac.” An October 16, 1912 New York Times commentary also placed the blame on Schrank’s insanity, discounting ties to Socialism. [2]

 

During the ensuing investigation and trial, Schrank claimed to have been influenced by a dream in which the ghost of William McKinley prompted his actions. According to historian James Chace [3], Schrank was also obsessed with Roosevelt’s intention to seek a third term as President. Although charged with assault and intent to kill, Schrank was consigned to an asylum for the rest of his life.

 

The Defiant Bull Moose

 

Schrank was tackled by security men and brought before Roosevelt who asked him why he did it. Schrank, however, was mute and taken away. Roosevelt, though wounded, insisted on going to the auditorium to deliver his speech. The 38 caliber bullet had entered his chest and his white shirt was bloody. His speech, tightly folded in his left jacket pocket, had lessened the effect of the bullet.

 

Teddy Roosevelt began his address, telling the audience, “I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” Roosevelt spoke for an hour to the 9,000 people in the auditorium. After concluding, he was rushed to the hospital. But the bullet, which missed his heart by an inch, was not removed. Cochems wrote that Roosevelt recalled both Garfield and McKinley had died after surgery to find and remove a bullet. He spent the next few days in Chicago, recovering at Mercy Hospital where he was joined by his wife Edith as well as other family members. The New York Times called the assassination attempt “…the narrowest of escapes.” [4]

 

Progressives Blame the Press

 

In an October 15, 1912 New York Times article, Montana Senator Joseph Dixon blamed the press. “For months the enemies of Colonel Roosevelt…in public speech have combined to assassinate the public and private character of the greatest living American.” [5] The implication in Dixon’s complete quote was that Schrank’s actions were either directly or indirectly related to his actions on October 14^th.

 

Impact on the Election of 1912

 

Although one physician at Mercy Hospital declared that surviving the shot would seal victory in the November election (see Cochems’ account), Roosevelt lost to Woodrow Wilson. 1912 featured a three-way race. The Republicans were split between William H. Taft, the sitting President, and Teddy Roosevelt. Their combined popular vote was 7,604,518 to Wilson’s 6,293,454.

 

Notes:

 

[1] Henry F. Cochems, Oliver Ramey, and Wheeler P. Bloodgood, The Attempted Assassination of the Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive Publishing Company, 1912)

[2] “The Attack Upon the President,” New York Times, October 16, 1912

[3] James Chace, 1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft & Debs – The Election That Changed the Country (Simon & Schuster, 2004)

[4] New York Times, October 16, 1912

[5] “Progressives Here Had Great Fright,” New York Times, October 15, 1912

 

Other:

 

Theodore Roosevelt’s Milwaukee speech, October 14, 1912