United States presidential election, 1868
Encyclopedia
The United States presidential election of 1868 was the first presidential election to take place after the American Civil War
, during the period referred to as Reconstruction. Three of the former Confederate
states (Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia) were not yet restored to the Union and therefore could not vote in the election.
The incumbent President, Andrew Johnson
(who succeeded to the presidency in 1865 following the assassination
of President Lincoln
), was unsuccessful in his attempt to receive the Democratic presidential nomination, due to his unpopularity. By 1868 he had alienated many of his constituents and had even been impeached
by Congress. Although he escaped a guilty verdict by one vote and so kept his office, his presidency was crippled. Instead of Johnson, the Democrats
nominated Horatio Seymour
to take on the Republican
candidate, Civil War hero General Ulysses S. Grant
. Grant was one of the most popular men in the North due to his efforts in concluding the Civil War successfully for the Union.
Although Seymour gave Grant a good race for the popular vote, he was buried in the electoral college. The popular vote was close, despite Grant benefiting from many advantages such as massive popularity in the North, freedmen voting in the South
, and the political disenfranchisement of many Southern whites.
and President Andrew Johnson
. Grant, on the other hand, was willing to support the Reconstruction plans of the Radical Republicans in Congress. The Radical Republicans wanted to punish the South and former rebels. The Republican platform left the issue of Black Suffrage in the North to the States while emphasizing political rights for freedmen as the basis of Republican-party strength in the conquered South.
By 1868, Republicans felt strong enough to drop the Union Party label, but still badly needed to nominate a popular hero for their presidential candidate. The Democratic Party controlled many large Northern states that had a great percentage of the electoral votes. General Ulysses S. Grant
announced he was a Republican and was unanimously nominated on the first ballot as the party's standard bearer at the Republican convention in Chicago
, Illinois, held on May 20-21, 1868. House Speaker Schuyler Colfax
, a Radical Republican from Indiana, was nominated for vice-president on the sixth ballot, beating out the early favorite, Senator Benjamin Wade
of Ohio.
The Republican platform supported black suffrage in the South, but agreed to let northern states decide for themselves whether to enfranchise blacks. It also opposed using greenbacks
to redeem U.S. bonds, encouraged immigration, endorsed full rights for naturalized citizens, and favored Radical Reconstruction as distinct from the more lenient policy of President Andrew Johnson.
The Democratic National Convention was held in New York City
between July 4, and July 9, 1868. The front-runner in the early balloting was George H. Pendleton
, who led on the first 15 ballots, followed in varying order by incumbent president Andrew Johnson
, Winfield Scott Hancock
, Sanford Church, Asa Packer
, Joel Parker
, James E. English
, James Rood Doolittle
, and Thomas A. Hendricks
. The unpopular Johnson, having narrowly survived impeachment, reached his peak strength of 65 votes on the first ballot, less than one-third of the total necessary for nomination, thus losing his bid for election as president in his own right.
Meanwhile, convention chairman Horatio Seymour
received 9 votes on the fourth ballot from the state of North Carolina. This unexpected move caused "loud and enthusiastic cheering," but Seymour made his refusal. "I must not be nominated by this Convention, as I could not accept the nomination if tendered. My own inclination prompted me to decline at the outset; my honor compels me to do so now. It is impossible, consistently with my position, to allow my name to be mentioned in this Convention against my protest. The clerk will proceed with the call."
After numerous indecisive ballots, the names of John T. Hoffman
, Francis P. Blair
, and Stephen Johnson Field
were placed in nomination. None of these candidates, however, gained substantial support.
For twenty-one ballots, the opposing candidates battled it out: the East battling the West for control, the conservatives battling the radicals. The two leading candidates were determined that the other should not receive the nomination; because of the two-thirds rule of the convention, it was apparent that a compromise candidate would have to be found. Seymour was still hoping it would be Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase
, but on the twenty-second ballot, the chairman of the Ohio delegation announced that "at the unanimous request and demand of the delegation I place Horatio Seymour in nomination with twenty-one votes-against his inclination, but no longer against his honor."
Seymour had to wait for the rousing cheers to die down before he could address the delegates and make another refusal. "I have no terms in which to tell of my regret that my name has been brought before this convention. God knows that my life and all that I value most in life I would give for the good of my country, which I believe to be identified with that of the Democratic party..." "Take the nomination, then!" cried someone from the floor. "..but when I said that I could not be a candidate, I mean it! I could not receive the nomination without placing not only myself but the Democratic party in a false position. God bless you for your kindness to me, but your candidate I cannot be."
Perspiring profusely from the intense heat, excited and overwrought, Seymour left to platform to cool off and rest. No sooner had he left the hall than the Ohio chairman cried that his delegation would not accept Seymour's declination; Utah's chairman rose to say that Seymour was the man they had to have. While Seymour was waiting in the vestibule, mopping his brow, the convention nominated him unanimously.
Exhausted, the delegates unanimously nominated General Francis Preston Blair, Jr.
for vice-president on the first ballot after John A. McClernand, Augustus C. Dodge
, and Thomas Ewing, Jr.
withdrew their names from consideration. Undoubtedly, Blair's nomination reflected a desire to balance the ticket east and west as well as north and south. Blair had worked hard to acquire the Democratic nomination and gladly accepted second place on the ticket, only to find himself the storm center of controversy. Blair had just brought himself into prominence by an inflammatory letter addressed to Colonel James O. Broadhead, dated a few days before the convention met. In his letter to Broadhead, Blair stated that the "real and only issue in this contest was the overthrow of Reconstruction, as the radical Republicans had forced it in the South." This letter seems to have brought him the nomination.
The 1868 campaign of Horatio Seymour versus Ulysses S. Grant was conducted vigorously. The Republicans were fearful as late as October that they might be beaten. The Democrats were the disinherited party, Seymour had been called a traitor, a troublemaker, the votes of thousands of southern Democrats would not be counted, yet everyone knew that Seymour would give Grant a hard race.
Grant took no part in the campaign and made no promises. A line in his letter of acceptance of the nomination became the Republican campaign theme—"Let us have peace." After four years of civil war, three years of wrangling over Reconstruction, and the attempted impeachment of a president, the nation craved the peace Grant pledged to achieve. The voters were told that if they wanted to re-open the Civil War they need only elect Horatio Seymour, spreading lurid tales of murder and massacre in the South to prove that she needed the heavy foot of the conqueror on her neck. Despite the fervent thanks of Lincoln and Stanton for his quick dispatch of troops to Gettysburg
, Seymour was branded in the press as disloyal to the Union.
On the low road, Republicans alleged that insanity
ran through the Seymour family, citing as evidence the suicide of his father. Newspaper descriptions of the life and character of Horatio Seymour were also staggering. The New York Tribune
led the cartoon campaign with the picture of Seymour standing on the steps of the City Hall calling a mob of murderers "my friends". The Hartford Post called him "almost as much of a corpse" as ex-President James Buchanan
, who had just died.
Seymour answered none of the charges made against him, but went his quiet way by making a few key speeches, indulging in no violence, no slander, and no fraud. The bitterness and abuse heaped upon him seeped into history through the medium of the unrestrained newspaper and the partisan historian, never to be completely dislodged; his conduct of the campaign did his country and the institution of free elections great good, helped to keep alive the two-party system when the opposition was determined to remain the only party that could hold power.
The Republicans also dwelt on the supposedly "dangerous" proclivities of the Democratic nominee for vice-president. Blair struck out boldly to keep Missouri in the Union during the winter of 1860-1861. In 1861, he was instrumental in saving Missouri for the Union. He also served as a major general with success and some distinction in the Civil War. At the close of the war, Blair was financially ruined after having spent much of his private fortune in support of the Union. The only real objection to him as a politician was his nature for speaking plainly. Blair's letter to Broadhead was a fire-brand, so Republicans insisted; if Blair were ever President, the whole country would soon be in flames. Republicans harped on the probability that Blair would replace the delicate Seymour in the White House before long if the Democrats should happen to win. Since Seymour's father had committed suicide, Republicans advised Americans not to vote for a man who might suddenly give them Frank Blair for his successor. Blair's campaign speeches in 1868, however, were harmless and even inoffensive.
Nonetheless, Samuel J. Tilden
, a member of the national committee, asked Blair to confine his campaigning to Missouri
and Illinois
for fear he "would hurt the ticket" because of his stand on Reconstruction. Seymour, who had not taken an active role in the campaign to this point, went into the canvass, seeking to steer the campaign away from the harshness of Blair's attacks on Radical Reconstruction.
While change was needed in the South, Seymour emphasized that this should be done only by lawful and orderly means. Civil authority must take precedence over military action. The president and the Supreme Court should be respected rather than attacked, as the Republicans had done. In short, the Democrats would move along conservative lines to reorder national priorities.
The closeness of the race startled the nation at the time. When Republican Representative James G. Blaine
looked at the returns of the election, he was uncomfortably astonished at the narrow margin between the parties. He was at a loss to explain the size of the Democratic vote. Blaine thought that the slender popular majority for Grant was "a very startling fact." The very narrow margin by which Seymour lost several of the northern states and the use of the new black vote provoked the suspicion that a majority of the white men of the nation probably preferred him to Grant.
That Grant should lose New York to Seymour by a majority of 10,000 votes was a source of shame and anger to Republicans. Seymour's victory in New York was made the subject of a federal investigation. On November 4, Horace Greeley
spoke at the Union League Club. The ULC promptly petitioned the Congress to look into the vote of the state. This petition was presented to the House of Representatives on December 14 and was accepted by a vote of 134-35 (52 abstained). Speaker of the House
Schuyler Colfax, the Republican candidate for Vice President, appointed a committee of seven: five Republicans and two Democrats. The committee was most likely created because the Republicans could not lose New York without a protest. It reported to the House of Representatives on February 23, 1869. The committee decided to take no action and Seymour remained the winner of New York's 33 electoral votes. Seymour was willing to return to this subject as long as he lived.
Author Irving Stone
believed if Seymour had carried all four of the October states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa), the Republican-controlled Congress would have acted to prevent the possibility of any Southern States supporting the Democratic ticket. Stone claimed that the only way the Democrats could have won was if they carried every close state in the North while retaining both Georgia and Louisiana. The vote of Georgia was contested at the electoral count, and it most certainly would have been disallowed if a Democratic victory had been decisive. According to Seymour's biographer, the Republican Party claimed credit for saving the Union and was bound, bent, and determined to continue to rule it. Some historians find it better that Seymour was not elected, because the Republicans would not have permitted him to carry out the duties of his office and they would have set their armies marching again.
Source (Popular Vote):
Source (Electoral Vote):
(a) Mississippi
, Texas
, and Virginia
did not participate in the election of 1868 due to Reconstruction. In Florida
, the state legislature cast its electoral vote.
States where the margin of victory was under 5% (101 electoral votes)
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, during the period referred to as Reconstruction. Three of the former Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
states (Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia) were not yet restored to the Union and therefore could not vote in the election.
The incumbent President, Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
(who succeeded to the presidency in 1865 following the assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
of President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
), was unsuccessful in his attempt to receive the Democratic presidential nomination, due to his unpopularity. By 1868 he had alienated many of his constituents and had even been impeached
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, was one of the most dramatic events in the political life of the United States during Reconstruction, and the first impeachment in history of a sitting United States president....
by Congress. Although he escaped a guilty verdict by one vote and so kept his office, his presidency was crippled. Instead of Johnson, the Democrats
History of the United States Democratic Party
The history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
nominated Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of...
to take on the Republican
History of the United States Republican Party
The United States Republican Party is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States after its great rival, the Democratic Party. It emerged in 1854 to combat the Kansas Nebraska Act which threatened to extend slavery into the territories, and to promote more vigorous...
candidate, Civil War hero General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
. Grant was one of the most popular men in the North due to his efforts in concluding the Civil War successfully for the Union.
Although Seymour gave Grant a good race for the popular vote, he was buried in the electoral college. The popular vote was close, despite Grant benefiting from many advantages such as massive popularity in the North, freedmen voting in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, and the political disenfranchisement of many Southern whites.
Background
Reconstruction was a hotly debated issue in the Union. Seymour wanted to carry out a Reconstruction policy that would emphasize peaceful reconciliation with the South, a policy similar to that advocated by Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
. Grant, on the other hand, was willing to support the Reconstruction plans of the Radical Republicans in Congress. The Radical Republicans wanted to punish the South and former rebels. The Republican platform left the issue of Black Suffrage in the North to the States while emphasizing political rights for freedmen as the basis of Republican-party strength in the conquered South.
Republican Party nomination
Republican candidate:- Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Commanding General of the U.S. Army from IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Candidates gallery
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
announced he was a Republican and was unanimously nominated on the first ballot as the party's standard bearer at the Republican convention in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois, held on May 20-21, 1868. House Speaker Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax
Schuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S...
, a Radical Republican from Indiana, was nominated for vice-president on the sixth ballot, beating out the early favorite, Senator Benjamin Wade
Benjamin Wade
Benjamin Franklin "Bluff" Wade was a U.S. lawyer and United States Senator. In the Senate, he was associated with the Radical Republicans of that time.-Early life:...
of Ohio.
The Republican platform supported black suffrage in the South, but agreed to let northern states decide for themselves whether to enfranchise blacks. It also opposed using greenbacks
Greenback (money)
The term greenback refers to paper currency that was issued by the United States during the American Civil War.There are at least two types of notes that were called greenback:*United States Note*Demand Note...
to redeem U.S. bonds, encouraged immigration, endorsed full rights for naturalized citizens, and favored Radical Reconstruction as distinct from the more lenient policy of President Andrew Johnson.
| Presidential Ballot | |
| Ballot | 1st |
|---|---|
| Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America... | 650 |
| Vice Presidential Ballot | ||||||
| Ballot | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th Before Shifts | 5th After Shifts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuyler Colfax Schuyler Colfax Schuyler Colfax, Jr. was a United States Representative from Indiana , Speaker of the House of Representatives , and the 17th Vice President of the United States . To date, he is one of only two Americans to have served as both House speaker and vice president.President Ulysses S... | 115 | 145 | 165 | 186 | 226 | 541 |
| Benjamin Wade Benjamin Wade Benjamin Franklin "Bluff" Wade was a U.S. lawyer and United States Senator. In the Senate, he was associated with the Radical Republicans of that time.-Early life:... | 147 | 170 | 178 | 206 | 207 | 38 |
| Reuben E. Fenton | 126 | 144 | 139 | 144 | 139 | 69 |
| Henry Wilson Henry Wilson Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts... | 119 | 114 | 101 | 87 | 56 | 0 |
| Andrew G. Curtin | 51 | 45 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin was the 15th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War... | 28 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 0 |
| James Speed James Speed James Speed was an American lawyer, politician and professor. In 1864, he was appointed by Abraham Lincoln to be the United States' Attorney General. He previously served in the Kentucky Legislature, and in local political office.Speed was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Judge John Speed... | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Harlan James Harlan (senator) James Harlan was a member of the United States Senate and a U.S. Cabinet Secretary.-Biography:Harlan represented the state of Iowa in the United States Senate as a member of the Free Soil Party in 1855. In 1857 the Senate declared the seat vacant because of irregularities in the legislative... | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John A.J. Creswell | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Samuel C. Pomeroy Samuel C. Pomeroy Samuel Clarke Pomeroy was an American Republican Senator from Kansas in the mid-19th century, serving in the United States Senate during the American Civil War. Pomeroy served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives... | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William D. Kelley William D. Kelley William D. Kelley was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Kelley was a lifelong advocate of civil rights, social reform, and labor protection.-Early life:... | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Democratic Party nomination
Democratic candidates:- Horatio SeymourHoratio SeymourHoratio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of...
, former U.S. governor of New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - George H. PendletonGeorge H. PendletonGeorge Hunt Pendleton was a Representative and a Senator from Ohio. Nicknamed "Gentleman George" for his demeanor, he was the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States during the Civil War in 1864, running as a peace Democrat with war Democrat George B. McClellan; they lost to...
, former U.S. representative and 1864 vice-presidential nominee from OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... - Thomas A. HendricksThomas A. HendricksThomas Andrews Hendricks was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Indiana, the 16th Governor of Indiana , and the 21st Vice President of the United States...
, U.S. senator from IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... - Winfield Scott HancockWinfield Scott HancockWinfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
, U.S. Army major general from PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... - Andrew JohnsonAndrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
from TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... - Asa PackerAsa PackerAsa Packer was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University.-Early life:...
, former U.S. representative from PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... - James E. EnglishJames E. EnglishJames Edward English was a United States Representative and Senator from Connecticut. He was born in New Haven and attended the common schools; later, he engaged in the lumber business, banking, and manufacturing. He was a member of the New Haven board of selectmen from 1847 to 1861, and a member...
, governor of ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... - Joel ParkerJoel ParkerJoel Parker was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 20th Governor of New Jersey from 1863–1866 and from 1871-1874.-Early life, family:...
, former governor of New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... - James Rood DoolittleJames Rood DoolittleJames Rood Doolittle was an American politician who served as a senator from the state of Wisconsin from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. He was a strong supporter of President Abraham Lincoln's administration during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Born in Hampton, New York,...
, U.S. senator from WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... - Stephen Johnson FieldStephen Johnson FieldStephen Johnson Field was an American jurist. He was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court from May 20, 1863, to December 1, 1897...
, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice from CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Francis P. BlairFrancis Preston Blair, Jr.Francis Preston Blair, Jr. was an American politician and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He represented Missouri in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1868.-Early life and career:Blair was born in...
, former U.S. representative from MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... - John T. HoffmanJohn T. HoffmanJohn Thompson Hoffman was the 23rd Governor of New York . He was also Recorder of New York City and Mayor of New York City...
, New York City Mayor from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Salmon P. ChaseSalmon P. ChaseSalmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members...
, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Candidates gallery
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
between July 4, and July 9, 1868. The front-runner in the early balloting was George H. Pendleton
George H. Pendleton
George Hunt Pendleton was a Representative and a Senator from Ohio. Nicknamed "Gentleman George" for his demeanor, he was the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States during the Civil War in 1864, running as a peace Democrat with war Democrat George B. McClellan; they lost to...
, who led on the first 15 ballots, followed in varying order by incumbent president Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War...
, Sanford Church, Asa Packer
Asa Packer
Asa Packer was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University.-Early life:...
, Joel Parker
Joel Parker
Joel Parker was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 20th Governor of New Jersey from 1863–1866 and from 1871-1874.-Early life, family:...
, James E. English
James E. English
James Edward English was a United States Representative and Senator from Connecticut. He was born in New Haven and attended the common schools; later, he engaged in the lumber business, banking, and manufacturing. He was a member of the New Haven board of selectmen from 1847 to 1861, and a member...
, James Rood Doolittle
James Rood Doolittle
James Rood Doolittle was an American politician who served as a senator from the state of Wisconsin from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. He was a strong supporter of President Abraham Lincoln's administration during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Born in Hampton, New York,...
, and Thomas A. Hendricks
Thomas A. Hendricks
Thomas Andrews Hendricks was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Indiana, the 16th Governor of Indiana , and the 21st Vice President of the United States...
. The unpopular Johnson, having narrowly survived impeachment, reached his peak strength of 65 votes on the first ballot, less than one-third of the total necessary for nomination, thus losing his bid for election as president in his own right.
Meanwhile, convention chairman Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour
Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of...
received 9 votes on the fourth ballot from the state of North Carolina. This unexpected move caused "loud and enthusiastic cheering," but Seymour made his refusal. "I must not be nominated by this Convention, as I could not accept the nomination if tendered. My own inclination prompted me to decline at the outset; my honor compels me to do so now. It is impossible, consistently with my position, to allow my name to be mentioned in this Convention against my protest. The clerk will proceed with the call."
After numerous indecisive ballots, the names of John T. Hoffman
John T. Hoffman
John Thompson Hoffman was the 23rd Governor of New York . He was also Recorder of New York City and Mayor of New York City...
, Francis P. Blair
Francis Preston Blair, Jr.
Francis Preston Blair, Jr. was an American politician and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He represented Missouri in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1868.-Early life and career:Blair was born in...
, and Stephen Johnson Field
Stephen Johnson Field
Stephen Johnson Field was an American jurist. He was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court of the United States Supreme Court from May 20, 1863, to December 1, 1897...
were placed in nomination. None of these candidates, however, gained substantial support.
For twenty-one ballots, the opposing candidates battled it out: the East battling the West for control, the conservatives battling the radicals. The two leading candidates were determined that the other should not receive the nomination; because of the two-thirds rule of the convention, it was apparent that a compromise candidate would have to be found. Seymour was still hoping it would be Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members...
, but on the twenty-second ballot, the chairman of the Ohio delegation announced that "at the unanimous request and demand of the delegation I place Horatio Seymour in nomination with twenty-one votes-against his inclination, but no longer against his honor."
Seymour had to wait for the rousing cheers to die down before he could address the delegates and make another refusal. "I have no terms in which to tell of my regret that my name has been brought before this convention. God knows that my life and all that I value most in life I would give for the good of my country, which I believe to be identified with that of the Democratic party..." "Take the nomination, then!" cried someone from the floor. "..but when I said that I could not be a candidate, I mean it! I could not receive the nomination without placing not only myself but the Democratic party in a false position. God bless you for your kindness to me, but your candidate I cannot be."
Perspiring profusely from the intense heat, excited and overwrought, Seymour left to platform to cool off and rest. No sooner had he left the hall than the Ohio chairman cried that his delegation would not accept Seymour's declination; Utah's chairman rose to say that Seymour was the man they had to have. While Seymour was waiting in the vestibule, mopping his brow, the convention nominated him unanimously.
Exhausted, the delegates unanimously nominated General Francis Preston Blair, Jr.
Francis Preston Blair, Jr.
Francis Preston Blair, Jr. was an American politician and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He represented Missouri in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1868.-Early life and career:Blair was born in...
for vice-president on the first ballot after John A. McClernand, Augustus C. Dodge
Augustus C. Dodge
Augustus Caesar Dodge was one of the first set of United States Senators to represent the state of Iowa after it was admitted to the Union as a state in 1846. Dodge, a Democrat, had also represented Iowa Territory in Congress as its delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1840 to...
, and Thomas Ewing, Jr.
Thomas Ewing, Jr.
Thomas Ewing, Jr. was an attorney, the first chief justice of Kansas and leading free state advocate, Union Army general during the American Civil War, and two-term United States Congressman from Ohio, 1877-1881. He narrowly lost the 1880 campaign for Ohio Governor.-Early life and career:Ewing...
withdrew their names from consideration. Undoubtedly, Blair's nomination reflected a desire to balance the ticket east and west as well as north and south. Blair had worked hard to acquire the Democratic nomination and gladly accepted second place on the ticket, only to find himself the storm center of controversy. Blair had just brought himself into prominence by an inflammatory letter addressed to Colonel James O. Broadhead, dated a few days before the convention met. In his letter to Broadhead, Blair stated that the "real and only issue in this contest was the overthrow of Reconstruction, as the radical Republicans had forced it in the South." This letter seems to have brought him the nomination.
| Presidential Ballot | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ballot | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22nd Before Shifts | 22nd After Shifts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour was an American politician. He was the 18th Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and from 1863 to 1864. He was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in the presidential election of 1868, but lost the election to Republican and former Union General of... | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 317 |
| George H. Pendleton George H. Pendleton George Hunt Pendleton was a Representative and a Senator from Ohio. Nicknamed "Gentleman George" for his demeanor, he was the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States during the Civil War in 1864, running as a peace Democrat with war Democrat George B. McClellan; they lost to... | 105 | 104 | 119.5 | 118.5 | 122 | 122.5 | 137.5 | 156.5 | 144 | 147.5 | 144.5 | 145.5 | 134.5 | 130 | 129.5 | 107.5 | 70.5 | 56.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas A. Hendricks Thomas A. Hendricks Thomas Andrews Hendricks was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Indiana, the 16th Governor of Indiana , and the 21st Vice President of the United States... | 2.5 | 2 | 9.5 | 11.5 | 19.5 | 30 | 39.5 | 75 | 80.5 | 82.5 | 88 | 89 | 81 | 84.5 | 82.5 | 70.5 | 80 | 87 | 107.5 | 121 | 132 | 145.5 | 0 |
| Winfield Scott Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock was a career U.S. Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican-American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War... | 33.5 | 40.5 | 45.5 | 43.5 | 46 | 47 | 42.5 | 28 | 34.5 | 34 | 32.5 | 30 | 48.5 | 56 | 79.5 | 113.5 | 137.5 | 144.5 | 135.5 | 142.5 | 135.5 | 103.5 | 0 |
| Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American... | 65 | 52 | 34.5 | 32 | 24 | 21 | 12.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Sanford E. Church Sanford E. Church Sanford Elias Church was an American lawyer and Democratic politician... | 34 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asa Packer Asa Packer Asa Packer was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University.-Early life:... | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James E. English James E. English James Edward English was a United States Representative and Senator from Connecticut. He was born in New Haven and attended the common schools; later, he engaged in the lumber business, banking, and manufacturing. He was a member of the New Haven board of selectmen from 1847 to 1861, and a member... | 16 | 12.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 7 | 0 |
| Joel Parker Joel Parker Joel Parker was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 20th Governor of New Jersey from 1863–1866 and from 1871-1874.-Early life, family:... | 13 | 15.5 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James R. Doolittle | 13 | 12.5 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Reverdy Johnson Reverdy Johnson Reverdy Johnson was a statesman and jurist from Maryland.-Early life:Born in Annapolis, Johnson was the son of a distinguished Maryland lawyer and politician, John Johnson . He graduated from St. John's College in 1812 and then studied law... | 8.5 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Francis Preston Blair Francis Preston Blair, Jr. Francis Preston Blair, Jr. was an American politician and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He represented Missouri in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1868.-Early life and career:Blair was born in... | 0.5 | 10.5 | 4.5 | 2 | 9.5 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Ewing Thomas Ewing, Jr. Thomas Ewing, Jr. was an attorney, the first chief justice of Kansas and leading free state advocate, Union Army general during the American Civil War, and two-term United States Congressman from Ohio, 1877-1881. He narrowly lost the 1880 campaign for Ohio Governor.-Early life and career:Ewing... | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Q. Adams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Salmon P. Chase Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members... | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| George B. McClellan George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union... | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army... | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John T. Hoffman John T. Hoffman John Thompson Hoffman was the 23rd Governor of New York . He was also Recorder of New York City and Mayor of New York City... | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen J. Field | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas H. Seymour | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vice Presidential Ballot | |
| Ballot | 1st |
|---|---|
| Francis Preston Blair Francis Preston Blair, Jr. Francis Preston Blair, Jr. was an American politician and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He represented Missouri in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and he was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1868.-Early life and career:Blair was born in... | 317 |
Campaign
Grant took no part in the campaign and made no promises. A line in his letter of acceptance of the nomination became the Republican campaign theme—"Let us have peace." After four years of civil war, three years of wrangling over Reconstruction, and the attempted impeachment of a president, the nation craved the peace Grant pledged to achieve. The voters were told that if they wanted to re-open the Civil War they need only elect Horatio Seymour, spreading lurid tales of murder and massacre in the South to prove that she needed the heavy foot of the conqueror on her neck. Despite the fervent thanks of Lincoln and Stanton for his quick dispatch of troops to Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, Seymour was branded in the press as disloyal to the Union.
On the low road, Republicans alleged that insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
ran through the Seymour family, citing as evidence the suicide of his father. Newspaper descriptions of the life and character of Horatio Seymour were also staggering. The New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
led the cartoon campaign with the picture of Seymour standing on the steps of the City Hall calling a mob of murderers "my friends". The Hartford Post called him "almost as much of a corpse" as ex-President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, who had just died.
Seymour answered none of the charges made against him, but went his quiet way by making a few key speeches, indulging in no violence, no slander, and no fraud. The bitterness and abuse heaped upon him seeped into history through the medium of the unrestrained newspaper and the partisan historian, never to be completely dislodged; his conduct of the campaign did his country and the institution of free elections great good, helped to keep alive the two-party system when the opposition was determined to remain the only party that could hold power.
The Republicans also dwelt on the supposedly "dangerous" proclivities of the Democratic nominee for vice-president. Blair struck out boldly to keep Missouri in the Union during the winter of 1860-1861. In 1861, he was instrumental in saving Missouri for the Union. He also served as a major general with success and some distinction in the Civil War. At the close of the war, Blair was financially ruined after having spent much of his private fortune in support of the Union. The only real objection to him as a politician was his nature for speaking plainly. Blair's letter to Broadhead was a fire-brand, so Republicans insisted; if Blair were ever President, the whole country would soon be in flames. Republicans harped on the probability that Blair would replace the delicate Seymour in the White House before long if the Democrats should happen to win. Since Seymour's father had committed suicide, Republicans advised Americans not to vote for a man who might suddenly give them Frank Blair for his successor. Blair's campaign speeches in 1868, however, were harmless and even inoffensive.
| Comparison of Northern and Southern Sheet Music |
|---|
Nonetheless, Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
, a member of the national committee, asked Blair to confine his campaigning to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
for fear he "would hurt the ticket" because of his stand on Reconstruction. Seymour, who had not taken an active role in the campaign to this point, went into the canvass, seeking to steer the campaign away from the harshness of Blair's attacks on Radical Reconstruction.
While change was needed in the South, Seymour emphasized that this should be done only by lawful and orderly means. Civil authority must take precedence over military action. The president and the Supreme Court should be respected rather than attacked, as the Republicans had done. In short, the Democrats would move along conservative lines to reorder national priorities.
Results
Horatio Seymour polled 2,708,744 votes against 3,013,650 for Grant. If all the white men of the South had been permitted to vote, the popular vote would have come very close to being a tie. The Democrats in the South had worked hard, but Radical Republican regimes controlled the election machinery and carried all of the states there except Georgia and Louisiana. If all of the Southern states had been permitted to vote for Seymour, the electoral vote would have also come very close to being a tie. Along the border, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware went Democratic. Seymour carried his home state of New York, but Blair, largely because of the Radical's registry system, failed to carry Missouri. The Missouri Democrat exulted; "General Blair is beaten in his ward, his city, his county and his State."The closeness of the race startled the nation at the time. When Republican Representative James G. Blaine
James G. Blaine
James Gillespie Blaine was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time Secretary of State...
looked at the returns of the election, he was uncomfortably astonished at the narrow margin between the parties. He was at a loss to explain the size of the Democratic vote. Blaine thought that the slender popular majority for Grant was "a very startling fact." The very narrow margin by which Seymour lost several of the northern states and the use of the new black vote provoked the suspicion that a majority of the white men of the nation probably preferred him to Grant.
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
spoke at the Union League Club. The ULC promptly petitioned the Congress to look into the vote of the state. This petition was presented to the House of Representatives on December 14 and was accepted by a vote of 134-35 (52 abstained). Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Schuyler Colfax, the Republican candidate for Vice President, appointed a committee of seven: five Republicans and two Democrats. The committee was most likely created because the Republicans could not lose New York without a protest. It reported to the House of Representatives on February 23, 1869. The committee decided to take no action and Seymour remained the winner of New York's 33 electoral votes. Seymour was willing to return to this subject as long as he lived.
Author Irving Stone
Irving Stone
Irving Stone was an American writer known for his biographical novels of famous historical personalities, including Lust for Life, a biographical novel about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy, a biographical novel about Michelangelo.-Biography:In...
believed if Seymour had carried all four of the October states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa), the Republican-controlled Congress would have acted to prevent the possibility of any Southern States supporting the Democratic ticket. Stone claimed that the only way the Democrats could have won was if they carried every close state in the North while retaining both Georgia and Louisiana. The vote of Georgia was contested at the electoral count, and it most certainly would have been disallowed if a Democratic victory had been decisive. According to Seymour's biographer, the Republican Party claimed credit for saving the Union and was bound, bent, and determined to continue to rule it. Some historians find it better that Seymour was not elected, because the Republicans would not have permitted him to carry out the duties of his office and they would have set their armies marching again.
Source (Popular Vote):
Source (Electoral Vote):
(a) Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
did not participate in the election of 1868 due to Reconstruction. In Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the state legislature cast its electoral vote.
Close states
Red font color denotes states won by Republican Ulysses S. Grant; blue denotes those won by Democrat Horatio Seymour.States where the margin of victory was under 5% (101 electoral votes)
- California 0.48%
- Oregon 0.74%
- New York 1.18%
- New Jersey 1.76%
- Alabama 2.50%
- Indiana 2.79%
- Connecticut 2.98%
- Pennsylvania 4.41%
See also
- American election campaigns in the 19th centuryAmerican election campaigns in the 19th CenturyIn the 19th century, a number of new methods for conducting American Election Campaigns developed in the United States. For the most part the techniques were original, not copied from Europe or anywhere else...
- History of the United States (1865–1918)History of the United States (1865–1918)The History of the United States covers Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the Progressive Era, and includes the rise of industrialization and the resulting surge of immigration in the United States. This period of rapid economic growth and soaring prosperity in North and West saw the U.S...
- History of the United States Democratic PartyHistory of the United States Democratic PartyThe history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world....
- History of the United States Republican PartyHistory of the United States Republican PartyThe United States Republican Party is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States after its great rival, the Democratic Party. It emerged in 1854 to combat the Kansas Nebraska Act which threatened to extend slavery into the territories, and to promote more vigorous...
- Reconstruction era of the United States
- Third Party SystemThird Party SystemThe Third Party System is a term of periodization used by historians and political scientists to describe a period in American political history from about 1854 to the mid-1890s that featured profound developments in issues of nationalism, modernization, and race...
- United States House elections, 1868
External links
- 1868 popular vote by counties
- 1868 State-by-state Popular vote
- How close was the 1868 election? — Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology