Kansas Governor Alf Landon making a campaign stop in Bloomington, 1936.
The McLean County Museum of History, Pantagraph Collection
The 1936 Presidential Election in Bloomington
As the Great Depression rolled on and the 1936 Presidential Election approached, the Republican Party was optimistic that incumbent president Franklin D. Roosevelt could be unseated after just one term in office. Kansas Governor Alf Landon was tabbed as the Republican nominee.
Any Republican optimism was proven to be completely unfounded once results began rolling in; on the strength of his "New Deal" platform, Roosevelt went on to win his second of an unprecedented four terms as Commander-in-Chief, coming out on top in the most lopsided election since James Monroe ran largely unopposed over 100 years prior.
Roosevelt carried every state except Maine and Vermont, resulting in a final electoral tally of 523 to 8. While Illinois fell in line with the rest of the United States, McLean County was at least competitive for Landon with Roosevelt coming away with just 50-60% of the vote.
Franklin Roosevelt speaking to a Bloomington crowd from the platform of his train, 1936. J. Hamilton Lewis is at the far left and Edward Hughes is in the middle.
The McLean County Museum of History, Pantagraph Collection
These and hundreds of other cherished memories from the greater Bloomington-Normal area can be found in the Pantagraph's upcoming book, "McLean County Memories."
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