Memphis is linked to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and Dallas to that of John F. Kennedy. Milwaukee might have become similarly notorious if it weren’t for a pair of spectacles and a thick sheaf of paper.
In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran for another term as president of the United States on a third-party ticket. The colorful politician had declared himself “as fit as a bull moose” when he entered the race, so his new party became known as the Bull Moose Party. Supporters greeted him with moose calls, and women’s colleges formed Moosette leagues. Among his campaign songs was “Oh, You Beautiful Moose.”
The Bull Moose theme reflected Roosevelt’s indomitable spirit, not to mention his playfulness. His campaign itself, however, was as serious as could be. Roosevelt passionately supported desegregation, women’s suffrage, and other radical ideas for the time. This made him a lot of enemies, and assassination threats dogged him on the trail.
