5: Xenophon Wilfley (32)
Xenophon Wilfley was not a man that anyone expected to become President of the United States. A lawyer and teacher, Wilfley was a minor election office official when he was chosen by the Governor of Missouri (a close friend of his) to become one of Missouri’s Senators following the death of William Stone in the B&O Railroad disaster of late 1915. Until the start of the 1920’s, Wilfley was an obscure Senator who seemed unlikely to be anything more than a footnote in a history book. However, Wilfley put forth a bill to modernize the postal service by connecting major cities with pneumatic tubes for delivering mail. Wilfley was able to gather a coalition of Democrats and Progressives, who liked the idea of putting veterans to work, and Republicans who saw the system as a means to continue mail service when railway workers were striking. The Pneumatic Parcel Post Act of 1922 was passed with large majorities in both houses of Congress and work soon began on the great series of tubes. Later in the year, Wilfley’s fellow Missouri Senator James Reed nominated him for the position of Senate President pro tempore when the Senate was deadlocked after the midterm elections. Despite being third in line for the Presidency, the post was seen as largely ceremonial and Wilfley, seen as a moderate who was willing to compromise, was confirmed with a large majority.
During the summer of 1924, Wilfley remained quiet on the matter of the Teapot Dome scandal, especially after being informed that Martin Madden, the Speaker of the House, was not a natural born citizen and would be unable to become President. After Vice President Edwin Denby resigned, Wilfley was effectively first in line to succeed Fall. During Fall’s impeachment trial, Wilfley abstained from voting in order not to seem too eager to take Fall’s place. Later interviews have suggested that Wilfley, like most Senators, thought that Fall was guilty and that he would have voted to remove him if he had the deciding vote.
Xenophon Wilfley took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol in a ceremony that looked like there had been more than a day’s worth of planning. President Wilfley gave only a short speech, reflecting not only his ethereal presidency, but also the bitter cold of the January morning of his inauguration. Wilfley’s term was mostly uneventful and was mostly filled with fallout from Teapot Dome, including the indictment of Harry Sinclair on charges of bribing a public official. Given the political instability of the last 5 years, Wilfley felt that it was necessary to name a Vice President even for his short term. While it took a fair deal of persuasion, Wilfley was able to convince his friend William Jennings Bryan to come back to Washington for a month and a half. While many senators hesitated, Bryan was narrowly confirmed, mostly due to the fact that he would be serving such a short amount of time. Wilfley's decision not to pardon Fall has been discussed for nearly a century. At the time, no one criticized Wilfley due to Fall's image as a pariah; more recent works have suggested that Fall's later trial would (inadvertently on Wilfley's part) serve as a distraction for later administrations. Beyond stating that Fall deserved to face the consequences of his actions, Wilfley was silent on the subject. The end of the short Wilfley Presidency ushered in a new era marked by ideological whiplash that would last for the next quarter of a century.
Author's notes: I would like to thank history nerd for bringing Xenophon Wilfley to my attention. Back when I was searching for a filler president between Fall and the 33rd president, there was a thread which required someone whose name started with an X, and I knew that I would just have to use him. Also, I'm amazed that I can actually look up the weather from 1925 (thanks to findthebest.com). This will be the last update for at least the next week, if not more. Even though the next update will cover a short amount of time, there's a lot to cover and I have school work that needs to be done.
My lips (or fingers, I guess) are sealed.
Xenophon P. Wilfley
“Who?”
“Who?”
Democratic Party
(1925-1925)
Xenophon Wilfley was not a man that anyone expected to become President of the United States. A lawyer and teacher, Wilfley was a minor election office official when he was chosen by the Governor of Missouri (a close friend of his) to become one of Missouri’s Senators following the death of William Stone in the B&O Railroad disaster of late 1915. Until the start of the 1920’s, Wilfley was an obscure Senator who seemed unlikely to be anything more than a footnote in a history book. However, Wilfley put forth a bill to modernize the postal service by connecting major cities with pneumatic tubes for delivering mail. Wilfley was able to gather a coalition of Democrats and Progressives, who liked the idea of putting veterans to work, and Republicans who saw the system as a means to continue mail service when railway workers were striking. The Pneumatic Parcel Post Act of 1922 was passed with large majorities in both houses of Congress and work soon began on the great series of tubes. Later in the year, Wilfley’s fellow Missouri Senator James Reed nominated him for the position of Senate President pro tempore when the Senate was deadlocked after the midterm elections. Despite being third in line for the Presidency, the post was seen as largely ceremonial and Wilfley, seen as a moderate who was willing to compromise, was confirmed with a large majority.
During the summer of 1924, Wilfley remained quiet on the matter of the Teapot Dome scandal, especially after being informed that Martin Madden, the Speaker of the House, was not a natural born citizen and would be unable to become President. After Vice President Edwin Denby resigned, Wilfley was effectively first in line to succeed Fall. During Fall’s impeachment trial, Wilfley abstained from voting in order not to seem too eager to take Fall’s place. Later interviews have suggested that Wilfley, like most Senators, thought that Fall was guilty and that he would have voted to remove him if he had the deciding vote.
Xenophon Wilfley took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol in a ceremony that looked like there had been more than a day’s worth of planning. President Wilfley gave only a short speech, reflecting not only his ethereal presidency, but also the bitter cold of the January morning of his inauguration. Wilfley’s term was mostly uneventful and was mostly filled with fallout from Teapot Dome, including the indictment of Harry Sinclair on charges of bribing a public official. Given the political instability of the last 5 years, Wilfley felt that it was necessary to name a Vice President even for his short term. While it took a fair deal of persuasion, Wilfley was able to convince his friend William Jennings Bryan to come back to Washington for a month and a half. While many senators hesitated, Bryan was narrowly confirmed, mostly due to the fact that he would be serving such a short amount of time. Wilfley's decision not to pardon Fall has been discussed for nearly a century. At the time, no one criticized Wilfley due to Fall's image as a pariah; more recent works have suggested that Fall's later trial would (inadvertently on Wilfley's part) serve as a distraction for later administrations. Beyond stating that Fall deserved to face the consequences of his actions, Wilfley was silent on the subject. The end of the short Wilfley Presidency ushered in a new era marked by ideological whiplash that would last for the next quarter of a century.
Author's notes: I would like to thank history nerd for bringing Xenophon Wilfley to my attention. Back when I was searching for a filler president between Fall and the 33rd president, there was a thread which required someone whose name started with an X, and I knew that I would just have to use him. Also, I'm amazed that I can actually look up the weather from 1925 (thanks to findthebest.com). This will be the last update for at least the next week, if not more. Even though the next update will cover a short amount of time, there's a lot to cover and I have school work that needs to be done.
It's likely the progressives will win.
My lips (or fingers, I guess) are sealed.
Last edited:
