1920 Presidential Campaign
FDR left the Navy Department in the summer of 1920 to accept the Democratic Party's nomination as the vice-presidential running mate for James M. Cox. FDR was chosen because he balanced the ticket geographically, had earned considerable respect for his performance as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and had a well-known name. The 1920 campaign was a difficult one for the Democrats, however. The country seemed to have tired of Wilson, whose progressive ideas and support for U.S. participation in the newly established of the League of Nations had become increasingly unpopular. To overcome this, Roosevelt and Cox campaigned furiously, with FDR averaging ten speeches a day. But it was to no avail. The nation wanted a change and the Republican ticket of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge won by a wide margin, establishing Republican control of not only the White House, but also both Houses of Congress.
The election of 1920 may have been a disaster for the Democratic Party as a whole, but in many ways it was a triumph for FDR. For it was through the 1920 campaign that the young Roosevelt first acquired a national following. It also provided FDR with the opportunity to hone his political skills, skills that he would use to great effect, later in his career.
Following the 1920 election, FDR returned to private law practice, eventually establishing a partnership with Basil O'Connor that specialized in corporate cases with offices at 120 Broadway in the heart of Wall Street. In the summer of 1921, FDR also took a well-deserved vacation, heading to his family's summer retreat on Campobello Island, New Brunswick.