Alf Landon (Bedridden!)

Alf Landon

Portrait of Alf Landon
President of the United States January 20, 1937 – January 20, 1941
Predecessor	Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Successor	Cordell Hull
Vice President	Frank Knox
Governor of Kansas January 9, 1933 – January 11, 1937
Predecessor	Harry Woodring
Successor	Charles Thompson
United States Senator from Kansas December 2, 1949 – January 3, 1951
Predecessor	Clyde M. Reed
Successor	Verne L. Damon

Alf Landon (1887-1988) was an American Politician and served as President of the United States (1937-1941). He was a member of the of the Republican. He was the longest living President of the United States living to an astounding 101 years.

Early Life and Education

Landon was born in 1887 in West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, the son of Anne and John Manuel Landon. Landon grew up in Marietta, Ohio. He moved with his family to Kansas at age 17 and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1908.

Early Political Career

Landon supported Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party in 1912, and by 1922, was private secretary to the governor of Kansas. He later became known as the leader of the liberal Republicans in the state. He was elected chairman of the Republican state central committee in 1928 and directed the Republican successful presidential and gubernatorial campaigns in Kansas in that year.

Gubernatorial Career

Landon was elected Governor of Kansas in 1932. He was re-elected governor in 1934, over Democrat Omar B. Ketchum. Gov. Frank Merriam of California and Landon were the only Republican governors in the nation to be re-elected that year. As governor, Landon gained a reputation for reducing taxes and balancing the budget. Landon is often described as a fiscal conservative who nevertheless believed that government must also address certain social issues.

Presidency

When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was made bedridden in 1936 the campaign was wide open. Landon beat Senator William Borah by a good margin and chose Publisher Frank Knox as his running mate. In the early weeks neither candidate campaigned so their running mates did most of the heavy lifting. After much convincing by Frank Knox, Alf campaigned but Roosevelt could not. Landon beat Roosevelt with a small victory and became the 33rd President of the United States. He continued a New Deal Policy and during his term the economy started to see good recovery. When World War II erupted in 1939 Landon didn’t want to join the war contrary to the popular idea of a war to have a generation of War Veterans. In 1940 Landon and Knox were unanimously re-nominated by the Republicans. Meanwhile the Democrats nominated Tennessee Governor Cordell Hull and Massachusetts Congressman Joseph Patrick Kennedy. Cordell was pro-war and wanted to get a Pro-American Europe. The polling was neck-in-neck until in September when Hull/Kennedy pulled ahead, this lead would not be lost and in November Hull/Kennedy beat Landon/Knox with 9 Electoral votes and 3 million votes more.

Post Presidency

After his lost he built a Cabin in Kansas in 1942. In 1949 he was appointed as Senator from Kansas when Clyde Reed passed away, in 1950 he did not seek re-election. In 1978 his daughter Nancy Landon was elected Senator from Kansas and served until 1997. His grandson Richard Landon was elected Senator from Kansas in 2016.