Exactly what it says. Have Billy the Kid live past the age of 21-22 and somehow go on to a successful political career ending with a presidency of any length.
AHC: Make Billy the Kid president
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All right then you need to have a Massive character arc to turn his life around to become a president like have a person who taught him to be a good person and be educated enough to go to college
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I did a quick check on his biography and remembered that his birth name was Henry McCarty and he was born to Irish Catholic parents. After his father died his mother remarried to a man named William Henry Harrison Antrim, with the ceremony at a Presbyterian church. After the family moved ot New Mexico, Henry went by his step fathers last name as Henry Atrim. After his mother died though, Atrim abandoned Henry and his brother Joseph as orphans
In order to set him on the path to be a POTUS, I think the death of his father and re-marriage of his mother are beneficial towards that end. Due to the prejudice against Irish people and Catholics in the USA, Henry taking on his adoptive father's name and Presbyterian faith would be to his political benefit. So the First major POD I would suggest is his mother not dying of tuberculosis. With her presence keeping Atrim and her sons close, we may eventually see President Henry Atrim some time in the early 1900s. Maybe have him become a lawyer, defending the land rights of Hispanic people in the New Mexico territory as the start of his career
In order to set him on the path to be a POTUS, I think the death of his father and re-marriage of his mother are beneficial towards that end. Due to the prejudice against Irish people and Catholics in the USA, Henry taking on his adoptive father's name and Presbyterian faith would be to his political benefit. So the First major POD I would suggest is his mother not dying of tuberculosis. With her presence keeping Atrim and her sons close, we may eventually see President Henry Atrim some time in the early 1900s. Maybe have him become a lawyer, defending the land rights of Hispanic people in the New Mexico territory as the start of his career
Well it could not be until after 1912. I don't recall if residents of territories are constitutionally ineligible but they would not be considered for POTUS or VPOTUS. Our alternate Bill would need to get himself elected to the Senate at statehood, maybe in place of Albert Fall (cue the Teapot Dome butterflies). Since 1912 New Mexico was Republican controlled, instead of defending Hispanic land rights he would probably need to be a defender of rancher rights on the High Plains and in Little Texas and perhaps an encourager of oil exploration. He shows enough promise that he becomes the compromise candidate for Harding's VP and is President Henry Atrim in 1923. Then it comes out that as VP he had been taking bribes from California oilman Ed Doheny for favorable leases on Federal oil reserves and becomes the first President to resign in disgrace just ahead of impeachment. Hence the presidency of Charles Evans Hughes.
I went with the option of having him defend Hispanic land rights since he had a Hispanic girlfriend before he was killed and was supposedly close to other Hispanic people. So I kept that in keeping with his OTL history of behavior.
The idea of him aid robber-barons, and resigning due to bribes, is an interesting way of have an OTL outlaw become an ATL Blue-Color crook
Now imagine if he still got involved in the Lincoln County war to some extent, or some other conflict in the US territories, maybe joining the army/cavalry. If he is then later is elected POTUS in 1912, or 1916, it would be interesting to have a Cowboy President get the US involved in WW1. He might be the kind of guy Teddy Roosevelt would like to hang out with
Actually I like SPJ's characterization more than miome but I could resist making a secord order counter0factual from Billy replacinf Albert Fall int he senate and then becoming the key player in an alternate Teapot Dome scandal, as well as being an analogue for both Sprio (crooked VP) and
and Dick (president resigns in disgrace). This also enabled me to return to a common trope here, President Hughes. As a defender of Hispanic rights Bill is not going to be highly placed in the political culture of 1912 New Mexico, but let's say he has gained some local renown by the late 1890's. The joins the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry and becomes an officer, say a major and battalion commander, and hits it off with TR. After gaining fame in the war he moves to California and becomes associated with Hiram Johnson in the CA Progressive movement. As such he wins selection to the Senate and establishes himself as a Progressive leader and after 1914 as an advocate for intervention on the side of the allies. As a key player in CA the GOP decides to make him the VP candidate in 1916 under Hughes as a gesture to the Johnson wing of the party. With Bill on the ticket Hughes carries CA and now is VPOTUS and a key political figure in the development of the AEF. I've got him to VPOTUS, I'll let others make the promotion. I also got Hughes as POTUS again (bias, I like him).