The American Presidential Election of 1932

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The 37th episode in a very long series about the American presidential elections from 1788 to the present. In 1932, the United States was at a very low point. Suddenly, out of the darkness, a man came to offer hope and inspiration with vague promises of making the country great again.

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The 37th Presidential election in American history took place on November 8, 1932. A lot had changed since 1928. Herbert Hoover’s time in office started out so promising, but on October 29, 1929, also known as Black Tuesday, the stock market crashed and triggered a bunch of events into motion that devastated economies around the entire world.

During the Hoover administration, industrial production shrank by 46%, wholesale prices dropped by 32%, and foreign trade shrank by 70%, while unemployment increased by 607%. 1 in 4 Americans couldn’t find work, even though they often moved across the country, sometimes on foot, in order to find it. Personal income, tax revenue, and profits all dropped.

The crime rate increased as unemployed workers often stole food to survive. Suicide rates and alcoholism rose. Marriages were delayed because many men wanted to wait until they could actually provide for a family. Less kids were born. It just sucked. It really, really sucked. Today we call this period of severe economic turmoil The Great Depression.

Hoover had the great misfortune of being in charge when this happened, and so therefore became a great scapegoat. It’s not like he didn’t try very hard to stop it. He called for billions of dollars in taxpayer money for public works programs to create jobs. Ever hear of the Hoover Dam? Yep, that was named after him. He called for stronger labor regulation laws. He called for the federal government bailing out struggling industries. To pay for this, he called for more taxes. Oops. He raised tariffs by signing the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.

And many argue, that by doing all of these things, Hoover was actually making the depression worse. Economists still argue about this today, but the bottom line is, in 1932 Hoover was not so popular. You could see this by the thousands of World War 1 veterans and their families camped out in Washington, D.C. demanding payments of a bonus that had been promised. Or the slums built by the poor people who couldn’t find work that were nicknamed “Hoovervilles.”

Hoover had grown to hate the presidency, but he didn’t think any other Republican could do a better job than him, so he decided to run again. What’s surprising is that the Republican Party overwhelmingly supported his renomination. Charles Curtis would also run again as VP, baby. Kansas represent. Although he barely got renominated.

The Democratic Party seemed rejuvenated in 1932. They had three candidates competing for the nomination. Al Smith, the former governor of New York seeking the Presidency a fourth time, his friend but increasingly vocal critic Franklin Roosevelt, who was now the governor of New York, and Speaker of the House John Nance Garner, who was from Texas. The Democrats went with Roosevelt, with Garner as his running mate.

There were many third parties, but only one really stood out much- the Socialist Party. They nominated Norman Thomas, a minister from New York. He also ran in 1928, but this time had growing support as so many Americans were unhappy with Hoover yet also not satisfied with the Democrats. The Socialists nominated James Maurer, a trade unionist from Pennsylvania, as his running mate.

On the campaign trail, Hoover did his best to defend his record, but the odds were against him. Not only did many Americans blame Hoover for the Great Depression, most now were strongly against Prohibition, which was also associated with his administration. Roosevelt, who was not widely known before this election, was now a rock star, drawing huge crowds, inspiring hope that he had solutions to end the depression.

While Roosevelt didn’t offer many specific solutions, he did get specific when criticizing Hoover. Roosevelt criticized the Smoot-Hawley Tariff and the Hoover administration for taxing and spending way too much. His running mate, Garner, went further, accusing Hoover of “leading the country down the path of socialism.”

Toward the end of campaigning, things got downright nasty between the two, with Hoover calling Roosevelt a “chameleon in plaid” and Roosevelt calling Hoover a “fat, timid capon.” (a capon is a castrated rooster, by the way)

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