James S. Sherman - Re-nomination, Illness, Death

Re-nomination, Illness, Death

From 1910, Taft had experienced several disagreements with ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, who presently walked out and formed his own Bull Moose party. This made re-election for the Republicans almost impossible, but they campaigned on the same ticket in the 1912 contest, with New Yorkers once again supporting Sherman's nomination - the first time a sitting Vice President had been re-nominated in eighty-four years.

But Sherman's health had collapsed, due to his steadily worsening kidney condition (Bright's disease), and he gave his acceptance speech against medical advice. Just days before the election, he died at home in Utica, and President Taft was left with no running mate with less than a week before the November 5 election, although Nicholas Murray Butler was designated to receive the electoral votes that Sherman would have received. Taft was not re-elected, and the office of Vice-President remained vacant until March 4, 1913.