1872 United States presidential election

1872 United States presidential election
Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, Library of Congress · Public domain · source
Year	1872
Candidate1	Ulysses S. Grant
Candidate2	Horace Greeley
Party1	Republican Party (United States)
Party2	Liberal Republican Party
Home state1	Illinois
Home state2	New York
Running mate1	Henry Wilson
Running mate2	Benjamin Gratz Brown

1872 United States presidential election. The election was the 22nd quadrennial presidential election, held on November 5, 1872, between Ulysses S. Grant, the incumbent president and Republican Party candidate, and Horace Greeley, the Liberal Republican Party and Democratic Party candidate. The election was marked by the emergence of the Liberal Republican Party, which was formed by Republican dissidents who opposed Ulysses S. Grant's reconstruction policies and his handling of the Whiskey Ring scandal. The election also saw the participation of other notable figures, including Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States, and Frederick Douglass, a former abolitionist and African American leader.

Background

The 1872 presidential election was held during a time of great change and upheaval in the United States. The country was still reeling from the effects of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, which had seen the abolition of slavery and the granting of voting rights to African American men. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups were actively working to undermine these gains and restore white supremacy in the Southern United States. Meanwhile, the women's suffrage movement was gaining momentum, with figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony advocating for women's right to vote. The election also saw the participation of notable figures like Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur, who would all go on to play important roles in future presidential elections.

Nominations

The Republican Party nominated Ulysses S. Grant for president and Henry Wilson for vice president at their convention in Philadelphia. The Liberal Republican Party nominated Horace Greeley for president and Benjamin Gratz Brown for vice president at their convention in Cincinnati. The Democratic Party also nominated Horace Greeley for president, despite his Liberal Republican Party affiliation. Other notable candidates included Victoria Woodhull, who ran on the Equal Rights Party ticket, and Charles O'Conor, who ran on the Straight-Out Democratic Party ticket. The Greenback Party and the Prohibition Party also fielded candidates, including David Davis and James Black.

General election

The general election was marked by a series of controversies and scandals, including the Whiskey Ring scandal, which implicated several high-ranking Republican officials, including Orville E. Babcock, Grant's private secretary. The Liberal Republican Party and the Democratic Party campaigned on a platform of reconstruction reform and an end to Grant's reconstruction policies. The Republican Party campaigned on a platform of national unity and the continuation of Grant's reconstruction policies. Notable figures like Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony all weighed in on the election, with Mark Twain supporting Horace Greeley and Frederick Douglass supporting Ulysses S. Grant.

Results

The election results were decisive, with Ulysses S. Grant winning 286 electoral votes to Horace Greeley's 66. Grant also won the popular vote, receiving 3,596,850 votes to Greeley's 2,834,761. The election saw a significant increase in voter turnout, with over 70% of eligible voters casting ballots. The election also saw the participation of several notable African American leaders, including Hiram Revels, Blanche K. Bruce, and John Mercer Langston. The results of the election were certified by the United States Congress on February 12, 1873.

Aftermath

The aftermath of the election saw a significant shift in the reconstruction policies of the United States. The Republican Party's victory marked the beginning of the end of reconstruction, as southern states began to reassert their states' rights and undermine the gains made by African Americans during the Reconstruction Era. The election also marked the beginning of the Gilded Age, a period of significant economic growth and industrialization in the United States. Notable figures like Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur all played important roles in shaping the United States during this period. The election also saw the emergence of new political parties, including the Greenback Party and the Populist Party, which would go on to play important roles in future presidential elections. Category:United States presidential elections