The Progressive Party was a third party in the United States. It was created in 1912 by former President Theodore Roosevelt after he lost the presidential nomination of the Republican Party to incumbent President William Howard Taft. The new party was known for taking advanced positions on progressive and populist reforms. It also attracted famous national reformers. After the party's defeat in 1912 , it went into rapid decline in elections until 1918, disappearing by 1920. The Progressive Party was often called the "Bull Moose Party" since Roosevelt often said that he felt "strong as a bull moose".