In 1912 , as a result of his work to bring nations together through arbitration and cooperation , Root received the Nobel Peace Prize . At the outbreak of World War I , Root opposed President Woodrow Wilson 's policy of neutrality . Root promoted the Preparedness Movement to get the United States ready for actual participation in the war . He was a leading advocate of American entry into the war on the side of the British and French because he feared the militarism of Germany would be bad for the world and bad for the United States . He supported Wilson once the United States entered the war . In June 1916 , he scotched talk that he might contend for the Republican presidential nomination , stating that he was too old to bear the burden of the Presidency . At the Republican National Convention , Root reached his peak strength of 103 votes on the first ballot . The Republican presidential nomination went to Charles Evans Hughes , who lost the election to the Democrat Woodrow Wilson
Republican presidential nomination
1916 Republican National Convention
Elihu Root