united states presidential elections of 1860-1928

United States Presidential Elections

of 1860-1928By: Benedict Gombocz

Held November 6, 1860 and was the driving force for the outbreak of the Civil War

Was focused on issues surrounding expansion of slavery and rights of slave owners

Democratic Party, as a result of conflicting regional interests, split into Northern and Southern factions; a new Constitutional Union Party was formed

President before election was Democrat James Buchanan of Pennsylvania; elected President was Republican Abraham Lincoln of Illinois

Lincoln’s victory in this election led to declaration of secession by seven Southern states following South Carolina, which both outgoing President James Buchanan and President-elect Lincoln rejected as illegal

United States presidential election, 1860

Held November 8, 1864, during the Civil War; re-elected incumbent Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln ran under National Union (instead of Republican) ticket against former top general, Democrat George B. McClellan, who ran as “peace candidate”, even though he personally did not believe in his party’s platform

National Union Party was created by Republicans loyal to Lincoln who joined with a number of War Democrats, for whom the party was formed to accommodate them

Although only votes that were cast in states that did not attempt to secede from the Union were counted, elections were held in Union-controlled states of Louisiana and Tennessee, both carried by Lincoln

First election since 1832 in which the incumbent was re-elected; unfortunately, Lincoln’s second term was cut short only six weeks after it began with his assassination and death


Held November 3, 1868; first presidential election to take place after Civil War, during the period known as Reconstruction

Three ex-Confederate states (Texas, Mississippi, Virginia) had not been readmitted to Union; consequently, they were not allowed to participate in the election

Incumbent President Andrew Johnson (who assumed presidency following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865) unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination; Horatio Seymour was nominated in his place to challenge Union general in Civil War Ulysses S. Grant

In the North, Grant was one of the most popular men because of his efforts in leading Union to victory in Civil War

President before election was Andrew Johnson of National Union Party of North Carolina; elected president was Republican Ulysses S. Grant of Ohio


Held November 5, 1872; easily re-elected incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant with Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts as his running mate, in spite of a split within Republican Party that resulted in withdrawal of support of several Liberal Republicans to opponent Horace Greeley

Democratic Party likewise nominated candidates of Liberal Republican ticket in 1872

On November 29, 1872, Greeley died after popular vote, but Electoral College, cast votes

With Greeley’s death, electors previously committed to him voted for at least four different presidential candidates, and eight different vice-presidential candidates; even though Greeley gained three posthumous electrol votes, Congress declared them invalid

Only election to date in which a presidential candidate died during electrol process


Held November 7, 1876; was one of the most disputed and controversial presidential elections in American history

In popular vote, Democratic Samuel J. Tilden of New York outpolled Republican Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio with 184 electoral votes to Hayes’ 165; 20 votes were uncounted and were in dispute in three Southern states: Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina

These disputed electoral votes were given to Hayes after a legal and political battle, declaring him winner over Tilden

Informal deal, Compromise of 1877, was struck to settle the disputed election

First presidential election since 1852 in which Democratic candidate won majority of popular vote; also first, and to date only, election in history of the United States in which a candidate gained absolute majority of popular vote (more than 50 percent) and was not elected President by Electoral College


Held November 2, 1880; largely viewed as referendum on end of Reconstruction in Southern states carried out by Republicans

Was not focused on any pressing issues other than tariffs; Republicans endorsed higher tariffs and Democrats endorsed lower ones

Incumbent President Rutherford B. Hayes did not run for re-election, a promise he made during the 1876 campaign

Republican Party chose another Ohioan, James A. Garfield, as their nominee; Democratic Party chose Civil War General Winfield Scott Hancock as theirs

President before election was Republican Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio; elected President was Republican James A. Garfield of Ohio


Held November 4, 1884; saw first election of a Democrat in 28 years

1884 campaign was spoiled by exceptional political acrimony and personal invective

Democrat and Governor of New York Grover Cleveland narrowly won over Republican and former U.S. Senator James G. Blaine of Maine to surpass longest losing streak for any major political party in American political history (six consecutive presidential elections)

After deciding the election, New York gave Grover Cleveland the state’s 36 electors by margin of only 1,047 out of total 1,171,312 votes cast


Held November 6, 1888; saw incumbent President Grover Cleveland run for re-election against Republican and former U.S. Senator from Indiana Benjamin Harrison

Despite economic prosperity and peace, Cleveland lost re-election in Electoral College, even though he received a plurality of popular vote by close margin

Principle issue in the election was tariff policy

Harrison took side of industrialists and factory workers who wanted tariffs to remain high; Cleveland condemned high tariffs as unfair to customers

President before election was Democrat Grover Cleveland of New York; elected President was Republican Benjamin Harrison of Indiana


Held November 8, 1892; former President Grover Cleveland once again ran against incumbent Benjamin Harrison, who ran for re-election

In this “re-match,” Cleveland won over Harrison and became the only American president to win a second, non-consecutive term; won both popular and electoral vote in this election

Campaign of 1892 focused ideally on issue of sound currency

Populist Party was created by groups from Grange, Farmers’ Alliances, and Knights of Labor; won over a million votes, but Cleveland won easily; he also became first Democrat to be nominated by his party three consecutives times, a record equaled only by future President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 and then surpassed by FDR in 1944


Held November 3, 1896; saw Republican William McKinley of Ohio win over Democrat William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska in campaign seen by scientists to be one of the most dramatic and complicated in American History

Often seen as realigning system that ended old Third Party System and saw advent of Fourth Party System

McKinley forged coalition which represented businessmen, professionals, skilled factory workers, and prosperous farmers

Of primary importance were economic issues, which included bimetallism, gold standard, free silver, and tariffs

President before election was Democrat Grover Cleveland of New York; elected President was Republican William McKinley of Ohio


Held November 6, 1900; re-match of 1896 race between incumbent Republican President William McKinley of Ohio and Democratic opponent William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska

Return of economic prosperity and recent victory in Spanish-American War played a role in McKinley’s re-election

Re-elected President McKinley chose Governor of New York Theodore Roosevelt as running mate for Vice President; his running mate in 1896 election, Garret A. Hobart, died of heart failure in 1899


Held November 8, 1904; resulted in election of Republican Theodore Roosevelt to full term , who ascended to presidency upon William McKinley’s assassination in 1901; Republican Party unanimously nomination him for President at 1904 national convention

During election campaign, Roosevelt called on voters to endorse his “square deal” policies

Nominee of Democratic Party was Alton B. Parker, Chief Judge of New York Court of Appeals, who made an urgent request for an end to what he called “rule of individual caprice” and “usurpation of authority’’ by President Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt won the election easily; through his election, he became the first president to assume the office after the death of a president who won his own full term


Held November 3, 1908; popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt, honoring tradition set by past presidents not to seek third term, persuaded Republican Party to nominate close friend and Secretary of War William Howard Taft to succeed him

With bad loss in 1904 election with conservative candidate Alton B. Parker, Democratic Party chose two-time candidate William Jennings Bryan, who had previously been defeated in 1896 and 1900 by Republican William McKinley

In spite of previous two losses, Bryan continued to be popular among more liberal and populist elements of Democratic Party

President before election was Republican Theodore Roosevelt of New York; elected President was Republican William Howard Taft of Ohio


Held November 5, 1912 and was rare four-way contest; incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft was nominated by Republican Party with endorsement of its conservative wing over Theodore Roosevelt, who left Republican Party and called his own convention and created his own party, Progressive Party (nicknamed “Bull Moose Party”)

Candidate for Socialist Party of America was Eugene V. Debs of Indiana

Democrat Woodrow Wilson won over Taft, Roosevelt, and Debs in general election; won a huge majority in Electoral College with 42% of popular vote, while closest rival, Roosevelt, gained only 27%

Between 1892 and 1932, Wilson was only elected Democratic president; was also only second of two Democrats to be become president in that 40 year period


Held November 7, 1916; took place while Europe was engaged in World War I and before United States’ entry

Public attitude in still neutral U.S. leaned towards allied British and French forces because of harsh treatment of civilians by German Army, which invaded and occupied big parts of neutral Belgium and the north of France

In spite of being sympathetic with allied forces, most American voters favored not getting involved in the war and sticking to policy of neutrality

Incumbent Democratic President Woodrow Wilson won over Republican opponent Charles Evan Hughes with narrow margin

Wilson’s campaign slogan “He kept us out of war “ helped him secure re-election


Held November 2, 1920; was entirely focused on aftermath of the First World War and hostile response to incumbent Democratic President Woodrow Wilson’s policies

Politicians were engaged in disagreements concerning peace treaties including Treaty of Versailles and question of United States’ entry into League of Nations, which was opposed by many because it produced an isolationist reaction

Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt was frontrunner for Republican nomination, but his health declined in 1918; he died in January 1919

Democrats nominated newspaper publisher and Governor James M. Cox; Republicans selected Senator Warren G. Harding, himself an Ohio newspaper publisher

President before election was Democrat Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey; elected President was Republican Warren G. Harding of Ohio


Held November 4, 1924; was won by incumbent Republican President and candidate Calvin Coolidge, who was vice president under Warren G. Harding, and became president with Harding’s death in office in 1923

Coolidge received credit for booming economy (the 1920s were a prosperous decade) at home and no present crises abroad; his candidacy was helped by split in Democratic Party

Regular Democratic candidate was little well known former congressman and diplomat from West Virginia, John W. Davis; because Davis was a conservative, several liberal Democrats moved away from the party and endorsed campaign of third-party and Progressive candidate Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin

First presidential election in which every Native American was recognized as citizen and allowed voting rights


Held November 6, 1928; was election between Republican Herbert Hoover of California and Democrat Al Smith of New York

Republicans remained popular because they were associated with booming economy of 1920s

Incumbent Republican President Calvin Coolidge did not seek another full term

Al Smith, Roman Catholic by faith, suffered political discrimination from Anti-Catholic prejudice, anti-prohibitionist position, and legacy of corruption of Tammany Hall, with which he was identified

President before election was Republican Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts; elected President was Republican Herbert Hoover of California with landslide win


united states presidential elections of 1860-1928

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