Break with Taft

In 1908, Roosevelt believed that Secretary of War William Taft was the heir to his progressive ideas and promoted Taft as the presidential candidate. Taft, however, emphasized the rule of law. He was not a nimble, skillful politician, nor did he have Roosevelt’s engaging personality. Taft’s governing style was markedly different: he insisted on resolving issues strictly within the legal system. After returning from Europe, Roosevelt sharply attacked the federal courts, which infuriated Taft. In the 1910 midterm elections, the Democratic Party gained control of Congress, leaving Taft’s prospects for reelection in 1912 increasingly precarious.

Breaking Away, Shot but Speaking, and Defeat at the Polls

By late 1911, Roosevelt finally broke with Taft and announced that he would seek the Republican presidential nomination on his own. However, Taft had already secured the backing of party leaders. In the Republican primaries held in twelve states, Roosevelt won nine, demonstrating that he remained popular with voters.

When the Republican National Convention convened in Chicago, Roosevelt realized he could not obtain the nomination. He therefore called on his supporters to leave the convention and strike out on a new path, founding the Progressive Party and establishing a permanent organization. The party was nicknamed the “Bull Moose Party,” as Roosevelt proclaimed himself “as strong as a bull moose.” He advocated stronger government intervention and freedom from control by special interests.

On October 24, 1912, just three weeks before the general election, Roosevelt was shot. The attack occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Roosevelt had just left his hotel and was about to ride to a campaign speech. Standing in an open car, a radical named John Schrank ran up, pulled a gun from his coat, and fired a shot at Roosevelt’s chest. Roosevelt fell to the ground. The assailant was an extremist, a barbershop owner.

Roosevelt later said the sensation felt like being kicked by a mule. He immediately sprang to his feet and covered the wound with his hand. The bullet had entered a hidden pocket in his coat, pierced a metal eyeglass case, and then passed through a fifty-page thick speech manuscript, which slowed it down. As a result, the bullet penetrated only a few centimeters into his chest.

Uncertain about the severity of his injury, Roosevelt coughed into his hand and saw no blood, realizing the bullet had not punctured his lung. He ordered those around him to stop and not to harm the attacker. Looking down at the assailant, Roosevelt said, “You poor wretch.”

Doctors arrived and insisted that Roosevelt must go to the hospital immediately. Roosevelt refused. He wanted to go to the speech hall. “I am going to give my speech,” he said. “Otherwise I will die. Either I die, or I give the speech.” On the way to the hall, he told a friend, “I’ve just been shot. That’s not enough to kill a bull moose. We Roosevelts are not frightened by a mere bullet. I don’t care about such a shooting at all—not at all!”

At the hall, Roosevelt was pale, but he stood upright without assistance. In a low voice he said, “Please allow me to give my speech. I will do my best. I have a bullet in my body.” He continued, “It’s all right, the injury is not serious. I have something to say, and as long as I am alive, I will say it.”

The content of the speech itself was not important; it repeated points he had made many times before. What mattered was his fearless calm and commanding presence. Roosevelt spoke for nearly an hour. By the end he was extremely weak and had to be helped from the hall.

Doctors later found that the bullet had broken one of his ribs, but the wound was not serious. The bullet was left in his body. The next day, Roosevelt issued a statement from his hospital bed: “Do not worry about me. If I die, there will be others to take my place.” Taft and Woodrow Wilson both sent their regards and announced that they would suspend campaigning until Roosevelt recovered.

Roosevelt recovered quickly. After resting for two weeks, he returned to the campaign trail, astonishing everyone. Doctors said that removing the bullet would be more dangerous. Roosevelt carried the bullet in his body for the rest of his life.

In the election results, Roosevelt won 27 percent of the vote, Taft 23 percent, while the Democrat Wilson won with 42 percent. By leading a large group of progressives out of the Republican Party, Roosevelt severely weakened it; only after an entire generation did the party gradually recover.