Of the many names mentioned for the vice-presidential slot, only one aroused Republican interest. The popularity of the young governor of New York, Theodore Roosevelt, had steadily increased since he arrived in Albany in 1898 and made him an early favorite for the vice presidency. Though he already had a lengthy career in politics by the tender age of forty-one, he had ridden into the governor's mansion on the basis of his heroics in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Unfortunately, he had announced to the press in February that "under no circumstances could I or would I . . . accept the nomination for the Vice-presidency." Yet as the possibility that he might not gain a cabinet post or another prominent position in McKinley's administration dawned on him, Roosevelt began privately repudiating his denial of vice-presidential ambitions while trying to maintain his lack of interest publicly. In an...