1904
As the sitting president in 1904, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) honored the unspoken rule against open presidential participation in his campaign. Roosevelt was only the second vice president to be elected president. Vice presidents running for the presidency became more commonplace starting in the 1950s. As the vice president, Roosevelt had stepped up to the presidential office after William McKinley (1843-1901) was assassinated in 1901. Considered one of the dullest presidential contests in history, Republican Roosevelt dominated the 1904 campaign.