1872: 1872 Election

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While running largely unopposed in the 1868 election (Electoral Count 214 to 80), by 1872, Ulysses S. Grant had developed a number of opponents ^[1]. The main opposition to Grant and his running mate, Henry Wilson, was embodied in the newly formed Liberal Republicans. This new party had formed in response to the Democratic and disillusioned Republican opposition to President Grant. Primarily due to their extremely poor performance in the 1868 election against Grant, the Democrats chose to concede their independent status and backed Liberal Republican candidate, Horace Greely, for president. As for the founding ideology of their party, the Liberal Republicans drew on Abraham Lincoln’s statement of “malice toward none” ^[2]. However, Grant carried the 1872 election with apparent ease. Interestingly, the union of Republicans and Democrats in the Liberal Republican party won only in states that would have voted Democrat had they run independently ^[3]. In describing Grant’s victory, the Chicago Tribune stated, “there is no parallel to the completeness of the rout and triumph.” Furthermore, “General Grant has a new four-years’ lease of power, with a Congress of which two-thirds to three-fourths of either House will support him zealously.” ^[4].

Sources

^[1] Josiah Bunting III, Ulysses S. Grant, (NY: Times Books, Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2004), 84, 85.

^[2] William S. McFeely, Grant: A Biography, (NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 1981), 383.

^[3] William S. McFeely, Grant: A Biography, (NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 1981), 384.

^[4] "The Result: Comments of the New York Tribune," Chicago Daily Tribune, 7 November 1872, p. 3, ProQuest Historical Newspapers Chicago Tribune (1849-1985).

Related Events

1872: Liberal Republican Party

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