Charles Evans Hughes, Rep. 1916
He went to bed thinking he was elected.
He woke up the next morning, learned he had lost his lead in California, which swung narrowly to Wilson, giving Wilson the win.
Anyone for Alf Landon, Rep. 1936 or Weldell Wilkie, Rep. 1940? Not on my favorites list though.
Thomas Dewey would have made a good President.
Nelson Rockefeller, who tried so hard to win the GOP nomination on 3 occasions, would have made a good President.
Hubert Humphrey was a good man, and wanted so badly to be President. Would have done well in the job.
I agree that Rockefeller and Humphrey might have made good presidents. Though I'm not sure how either would have handled 'Nam.
According to Theodore H. White, in "The Making of the President 1968" Regarding Nelson Rockefeller
"on the dominant issue of the moment, Vietnam, he had neither public nor private posture."
In late September, 1968, in Salt Lake City, Hubert Humphrey gave a speech on Vietnam, part of which is quoted in the same book, which sheds light on Humphrey's Vietnam policy.
"As President," said Humphrey, "I would stop the bombing of North Vietnam as an acceptable risk for peace because I believe it could lead to success in the negotiations and thereby shorten the war. This would be the best protection for our troops. In weighing that risk, and before taking action, I would place key importance on evidence of Communist willingness to restore the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam. Now if the government of North Vietnam were to show bad faith, I would reserve the right to resume the bombing....Secondly, I would take the risk that the South Vietnamese would meet the responsibilities they say they are now ready to assume in their own self-defense; I would move, in other words, towards de-Americanization of the war....Third, I would propose once more an immediate cease-fire, with United Nations or other international supervision, and supervised withdrawal of all foreign forces from South Vietnam."
