Amongst the many positions which newly elected President Woodrow Wilson had to pick, was Secretary of State. Wilson, elected in November 1912, would not assume the Presidency until March 1913, and so had plenty of time to make his decisions — and took his time in announcing them. William Jennings Bryan, who had been the Democrats’ Presidential nominee (and loser) multiple times, arguably could have been the nominee again in 1912, but instead threw his support to Wilson, including going out on the campaign trail on Wilson’s behalf.

Now that the time for Wilson to dole out jobs was coming, Bryan made it very clear that he would like to become Wilson’s Secretary of State (which he did). The long interval between Wilson’s election and inauguration, however, gave the cartoonists plenty of time to poke fun at Bryan’s (second choice) dream job.

Above, from the December 1912 edition of Cartoons Magazine, we have William Kemp Starrett‘s cartoon on the subject. Below, from January 1913, cartoonist Billy Ireland depicts Wilson, remembering what Bryan had done for him, at the Baltimore Democratic Convention.

Click on the below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Above, John T. McCutcheon shows Bryan and William Randolph Hearst fighting to get in the front door of the White House first, while Oscar Cesare and Matthew Caine depict Bryan as still having an eye on being President.

Beneath, Ernest E. Burtt, Charles Lewis Bartholomew (“Bart”), and Hager depict pro and anti Bryan factions in Congress, and Bryan making sure he’s first in line for a Cabinet position.

The pages immediately above & below, are both from Cartoons Magazine‘s January 1913 issue.

More from January 1913, above & below. Above, cartoonists Ole May and John Scott Clubb, imagining that if Bryan became Secretary of State, then Wall Street Monopolists would no longer get to dictate U.S. foreign policy (as they had — it is implied — under Taft).

Below, more cartoons on Bryan, waiting for & fighting for, that Secretary of State position, by O’Loughlin, Craiger, and Herbert H. Perry.

Above, from December 1912, Harry J. Westerman urging Wilson to not forget about Bryan when choosing his Cabinet.

And finally, from April 1913 below, cartoons by James North, Hager (again), and Boardman Robinson.

Doug Wheeler

W.A. Ireland