Since today is President's Day and I absolutely love history, historical trivia, and making lists, here's a list of the men and the woman who could have been President. These are the major party candidates who were nominated for President but who lost the election. Please note that I have not included any losing candidates who were later elected President nor have I included incumbents who lost reelection. Instead, this is a list of people who were never elected President. Most of them have been forgotten but, at one point, all of them had a chance to change history.

1796: Thomas Pinckney (Federalist), Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican)
1800: Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican)
1804: Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Federalist)
1808: Charles Cotesworth Pinkcney (Federalist)
1812: DeWitt Clinton (Federalist)
1816: Rufus King (Federalist)
1824: John C. Calhoun, WIlliam H. Crawford. Henry Clay (all Democratic-Republican)
1832: Henry Clay (National Republican)
1836: Hugh White, Daniel Webster, Willie P. Mangum (Whig)
1844: Henry Clay (Whig)
1848: Lewis Cass (Democratic)
1852: Winfield Scott (Whig)
1856: John Charles Fremont (Republican)
1860: Stephen Douglas (Democrat), John C. Breckenridge (Southern Democrat), John Bell (Constitutional Union)
1864: George McClellan (Democrat)
1868: Horatio Seymour (Demorat)
1872: Horace Greeley (Liberal Republican), Charles O'Connor (Democrat)
1876: Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat)
1880: Winfield Scott Hancock (Democrat)
1884: James Blaine (Republican)
1892: James B. Weaver (Populist)
1896: William Jennings Bryan (Democrat)
1900: William Jennings Bryan (Democrat)
1904: Alton B. Parker (Democrat)
1908: William Jennings Bryan (Democrat)
1912: Eugene V. Debs (Socialist)
1916: Charles E. Hughes (Republican)
1920: James M. Cox (Democrat)
1924: John W. Davis (Democrat), Robert W. La Folette (Progressive)
1928: Al Smith (Democrat)
1936: Alfred Landon (Republican), William F. Lemke (Union)
1940: Wendell Willkie (Republican)
1944: Thomas E. Dewey (Republican)
1948: Thomas E. Dewey (Republican), J. Strom Thurmond (States Rights), Henry Wallace (Progressive)
1952: Adlai Stevenson (Democrat)
1956: Adlai Stevenson (Democrat)
1964: Barry Goldwater (Republican)
1968: Hubert Humphrey (Democrat), George C. Wallace (American)
1972: George McGovern (Democrat), John G. Schmitz (American), John Hospers (Libertarian)
1976: Eugene McCarthy (Independent), Roger MacBride (Libertarian)
1980: John Anderson (Independent), Ed Clark (Libertarian), Barry Commoner (Citizens)
1984: Walter Mondale (Democrat), David Bergland (Libertarian)
1988: Michael Dukakis (Democrat), Ron Paul (Libertarian)
1992: H. Ross Perot (Independent), Andre Marrou (Libertarian)
1996: Bob Dole (Republican), H. Ross Perot (Reform), Ralph Nader (Green), Harry Browne (Libertarian), Herbert Phillips (Taxpayers), John Hagelin (Natural Law)
2000: Al Gore (Demorat), Ralph Nader (Green), Harry Browne (Libertarian), Pat Buchanan (Reform), Herbert Phillips (Constitution), John Hagelin (Natural Law)
2004: John Kerry (Democrat), Ralph Nader (Reform), Michael Badnarik (Libertarian), Michael Peroutka (Constitution), David Cobb (Green), Charles Jay (Personal Choice)
2008: John McCain (Republican), Ralph Nader (Independent), Bob Barr (Libertarian), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution), Cynthia McKinney (Green), Alan Keyes (America's Independent)
2012: Mitt Romney (Republican), Gary Johnson (Libertarian), Jill Stein (Green), Virgil Goode (Constitution), Rocky Anderson (Justice)
2016: Hillary Clinton (Democrat), Gary Johnson (Libertarian), Jill Stein (Green), Evan McMullin (Independent), Darrell Castle (Constitution)

We should definitely be happy that some of these people were never in the White House. On the other hand, Charles E. Hughes would have been a far better president than Woodrow Wilson. Henry Clay would have been preferable to Andrew Jackson. Mitt Romney may not have had it in him to be an "inspiring" president but he would have been a competent president, one who understood that the ideal president cares more about America than stroking his own ego. If Al Smith, the first Catholic to be nominated for President, had won in 1928, it would have been a major step forward for civil rights. As well, William Jennings Bryan has been unfairly tarred by his association with the Scopes Monkey Trial and the way he was portrayed in Inherit the Wind.

Finally, I think poor old tragic Horace Greeley would have been an interesting President. With his quick temper and his fascination with the paranormal, who knows what would have happened during a Greeley presidency!