The American Presidential Election of 1892

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The 27th episode in a very long series about the American presidential elections from 1788 to the present. In 1892, Grover from Sesame Street and Cleveland from Family Guy come back with a vengeance.

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The 27th Presidential election in American history took place on November 8, 1892. Benjamin Harrison had a rough term as President, and even though he had doubts himself, he decided to run for re-election. The Republican Party went ahead and renominated him, despite potential challenges from John Sherman and James Blaine.

Levi Morton would not be renominated, however. Back in 1890, Harrison supported the Lodge Bill, an election law meant to help the black vote in the South as a way to fight Jim Crow laws, but it didn’t pass. Harrison blamed Morton for the bill’s failure, and at the Republican convention, Morton was replaced by Whitelaw Reid, the editor of the New York Tribune and recent U.S. Ambassador to France.

Guess who’s back? Grover’s back!
After winning the popular vote but losing the electoral vote in 1888, Grover Cleveland was back with a vengeance in 1892. While many were ready for a return to his policies, he did face opponents like David Hill, the Senator and former governor of New York. However, Cleveland survived to become the first Democrat nominated a third time to run for President. The Democrats nominated Adlai Stevenson, a former U.S. Representative from Illinois, for Vice President. Stevenson was an interesting choice because he favored greenbacks and free silver to inflate the currency while Cleveland was a gold standard guy who didn’t just printing money. Cleveland was cool with Stevenson on the ticket as it provided some balance.

Still, a lot of Americans were not satisfied with the two-party system, and by this time a new movement had emerged. The previous year, alliances made up of poor cotton farmers in the South and wheat farmers in the Plains states, along with some labor unions in the North and Republicans in South, all joined forces to create a new political party, called the People’s Party. More commonly known as Populists, they generally were hostile to elites, banks, railroad corporations, the gold standard, and even city folk. If you wanted to know more about the Populists, check out my Story Time video now. I’ll wait for you to come back. I promise! But only if you first pause this video, otherwise I will just keep talking.

You good now? Ok, so the Populists had their first convention in Omaha, Nebraska, where a Populist hot spot. They nominated James Weaver, the former U.S. Representative from Iowa who had previously ran for President in the Greenback Party back in 1880 but lost. His running mate was James Field, the Attorney General of Virginia.

The Prohibition Party was still going strong. At their convention, there were talks of merging with the Populists, but it just never panned out. They nominated John Bidwell, one of the original pioneers to head out west and a former U.S. Representative from California. Texas religious leader James Cranfill, aka The Reverend J.B. Cranfill, was Bidwell’s running mate.

One interesting political party that emerged in 1892 was the Socialist Labor Party. They were only on the ballot in five states, but had a unique platform that called for getting rid of the positions of President and Vice President. So they nominated camera inventor Simon Wing for President and socialist activist Charles Matchett for Vice President, even though both would willingly give up their positions after getting elected. Weird.
Just like the last presidential election, debate over tariffs dominated the campaigns. Harrison defended his support of the McKinley Tariff, while Cleveland continued to argue for tariff reductions. The campaigns all stopped after Harrison’s wife, First Lady Caroline Harrison, passed away in October from tuberculosis.
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Who’s here after Cleveland is no longer the only prez to serve 2 non consecutive terms?

aaravnovids
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I love how Grover Cleveland counts as two separate presidents just because his two terms were non-consecutive

cipsbsndj
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Donald Trump: "I just became president twice!"
Grover Cleveland: "Glad you could join the Club."

zackcarman
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I always thought it odd how Cleveland is counted as both the 22nd and the 24th president. That means that although there are currently 44 presidents, only 43 men have held the office.

Alex-fxes
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I am not American so only now do I get that joke that Grandpa Simpson said (After George Bush Sr spanked Bart). " In my day President spanked us all the time. Grover Cleveland spanked me on 2 non consecutive occasions ". Finally I understand!!

johnclifford
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Harrison knew it was gonna happen when I told him "I'll be back"

lp_luxpx
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0:55 literally the reason I watch this

lukedetering
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5:18 Grover’s most famous fact is finally false now, trump has joined him with non-consecutive terms

Joshsuevic
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Fun fact: Grover Cleveland was the first president to get over 270 electoral votes
But in re election

dolliegray
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Trump really said: “Grover I will join you in your club you seem to be lonely”

Strong_TGK
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1892 was the first election that Kansas didn't vote for the Republican candidate, and the only time it voted for a third party candidate. Since then, it has only voted for a Democrat for president six times: Bryan in 1896, Wilson in 1912 and 1916, Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and Johnson in 1964.

georgewashington
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Looks like we are making history again today as Grover Cleveland wouldn’t be the only one being the only non consecutive president.

masterchief
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I like how Weaver Harrison and Cleveland evenly split North Dakota in the electoral college

Lubbock_Kid
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im actually related to whitelaw reid and have relatives who still own his house

TempleofSolomon
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You didn't mention that President Harrison, while his personality was 'serious as a heart attack', he pushed and almost bankrupted the US for pensions for all Civil War veterans. That pension kept my grand mother alive when her father died of the Spanish Flu 1921. His father supported his daughter in law and 5 grand kids. Yes, I am also distantly related to Benjamin Harrison. That serious personality does run in my family too. Lol

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Anyone else here after trump did the exact same thing Cleveland did

BlueBoi
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Fun Fact: There’s an Adalai Stevenson V

gregalmonte
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Grover Cleveland: Only man to be president, get defeated, and then win and again and return for a second term

Donald Trump: *Hold my beer* 🍺

marcothecreator
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History has repeated itself in 2024, after 132 years ago !

amaldrew
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Fun Fact: James Weaver Was a Union Civil War general, and James Field (his running mate) was a confederate army major.

AHSpolitics