The Busy Bee
8/1/1919
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This cartoon depicts the crowded field of Republican candidates vying for the 1920 Presidential nomination. When former President Theodore Roosevelt--the clear favorite for the 1920 Republican Presidential nomination--died suddenly in January, 1919, the race became wide open. With such a multitude of potential candidates having the proverbial "bee in their bonnets," the G.O.P. Presidential bee could not keep up. The list of Republican candidates was long, including former President William Howard Taft, Senator William E. Borah, Senator Hiram Johnson, Governor Frank O. Lowden, Senator Warren G. Harding, Senator Albert Baird Cummins, Senator Philander C. Knox, former Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes, and General Leonard Wood. In the end, Harding won the Republican nomination and, with Calvin Coolidge as his running mate, went on to become President.
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When former President Theodore Roosevelt––the clear favorite for the 1920 Republican Presidential nomination––died suddenly in January 1919, the race became wide open. With such a multitude of potential candidates having the proverbial “bee in their bonnets,” the G.O.P. Presidential bee could not keep up. The bee was a common character in Clifford Berryman’s cartoons representing political aspirations as the “buzz” in the potential candidate’s ear.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate.
National Archives Identifier: 1693341
Full Citation: The Busy Bee; 8/1/1919; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/the-busy-bee, May 2, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.