Timothy Sanders was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on October 3, 1850 to Irish parents who had migrated to the United States during the Famine.
He dropped out of his Catholic school at age 15, publicly questioning Catholic teaching, and being apprenticed in Newark's port.
Sanders chose to become a lawyer, entering the bar in New Jersey in 1873. The Panic of that year made him enter politics, developing his syncretic political philosophy: campaign finance reform, the direct election of Senators, limited silver coinage, low tariffs on most products, and a flat income tax.
Sanders was elected to the city council (for Trenton) in 1877, becoming an advocate for the poor, particularly immigrants. Being reelected in 1879, 1881 and 1883, the popular alderman was elected to the State House in 1884, where he unsuccessfully pushed for these policies, but became known as an independent thinker.
Sanders campaigned for Governor of New Jersey in 1893. With the United States economy sinking, the State Representative distanced himself from Grover Cleveland, instead focusing on reforming the state's government and economy, and fighting machine politics. He was elected by a margin of two percentage points.
As Governor of New Jersey, Sanders implemented a flat tax of 5% on income, introduced the initiative and referendum, banned children under 14 from working, lowered the property tax, strengthened antitrust laws, implemented meritocracy in the civil service, and increased funding for Princeton University. These reforms made him popular in the state, and the Governor was reelected by a landslide in 1897. During his second term, Sanders succeeded in making US Senators for New Jersey directly elected, while starting a public works program.
In 1901, Sanders refused to run for reelection, instead focusing on a bid for President in 1904, working behind the scenes to assure broad support. While ruling out a run if William Jennings Bryan ran a third time, the former Governor was a favorite of the party base, and seen by the party bosses as sufficiently electable.
In the 1904 Democratic National Convention, Sanders won the nomination in the fourth ballot, defeating Alton Parker and William Randolph Hearst.
In the Democratic National Convention, Sanders gave a speech about his record as Governor of New Jersey, saying his accomplishments in office were the "future" of the Democratic Party; he also outlined his Administration's agenda.
Sanders focused on his proposals for a flat income tax of 5%, the direct election of Senators, tariff cuts paired with a tariff commission, campaign finance reform, greater regulation of banks, soft power rather than military intervention, a workday of nine hours, and protection of the gold standard. He chose Edward C. Wall, a former Democratic National Committeeman from Wisconsin, as a running mate.
Sanders actively campaigned through the Northeast and Midwest, giving speeches on his policies, being careful to not focus on one of them too much. He attacked Theodore Roosevelt for his vulnerabilities, but frequently appeared distracted on the campaign trail. He was frequently interviewed by major newspapers; their opinion of the Democratic nominee varied from open support to mild opposition.
In the end, Sanders lost by a landslide, only flipping Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, while losing the Western states Bryan had won in 1900.
Sanders began to tirelessly work behind the scenes in the following years, with the goal of running for President again in 1908.
During the 1906 midterms, Sanders campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial and congressional candidates in the Midwest and Northeast, especially the ones who supported the direct election of Senators. This brought him some media attention, although it was less than his unsuccessful 1904 campaign.
Sanders formally announced his second candidacy for President of the United States on May 29, 1907, with a newspaper article on The Times of Trenton, titled "Timothy Sanders is Running for President". The article was merely descriptive, not directly commenting on Sanders' efforts; this approach was controversial.
Sanders began to meet DNC members across the country, discussing his proposals for a flat income tax, tariff cuts, public works projects, and the direct election of Senators.
Sanders' support among Democratic voters declined after William Jennings Bryan and John Albert Johnson entered the race. Thus, on the first ballot of the Democratic National Convention, the former Governor ended in a distant third. Even after federal judge for Delaware George Gray pledged his delegates to Sanders, he continued in third place, eventually dropping out on the final ballot.
During the general election, Sanders gave speeches in support of Bryan across the east coast, before retiring from electoral politics.
He returned to practicing law, endorsing Woodrow Wilson in both elections (although he supported Warren G. Harding and Robert La Follette), eventually dying in 1926.
