The American Presidential Election of 1872

The 22nd episode in a very long series about the American presidential elections from 1788 to the present. In 1872, it's Grant versus a vegetarian who looks like a lion. Oh yeah, and it's the first presidential election (if not only) in which a woman runs with an African American. Who cares if women can't vote yet!

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For the most part, Ulysses Grant remained popular during his first term as President, especially with the majority of Republicans. He got his party’s renomination. However, some Republicans did not like him so much. For one thing, they didn’t like how Grant had a lot of friends in his Cabinet and ignored merit. A lot of his friends, as it would turn out, were a bit corrupt. As matter of fact, Vice President Schuyler Colfax was tied to the Crédit Mobilier of America scandal, in which many politicians were bribed for actions favorable to the railroad company Union Pacific. It would be just one of several scandals tied to the Grant administration. After Colfax was implicated, the Republican Party decided it might not be such a good idea to renominate him, so they nominated Henry Wilson, the Senator from Massachusetts, to be Grant’s running mate instead.

Still, some Republicans, like Charles Sumner, weren’t satisfied. Sumner was sick of the favoritism Grant showed to friends and family, calling it “Grantism.” Some influential Republicans refused to support him, and actually started a new political party called the Liberal Republican Party. Those dang liberal Republicans. They nominated Horace Greeley, a former Representative from New York and a well-known editor of the New York Tribune, for President. A journalist running for President? Crazy. They nominated Benjamin Gratz Brown, the Governor of Missouri, as his running mate.

Now here’s something interesting, a fusion, or cross-endorsement, nomination. The Democratic Party also decided to nominate Horace Greeley for President and Benjamin Gratz Brown for Vice President. They even adopted the Liberal Republican platform, showing they were cool with Reconstruction policies. Really though, the main reason why they decided to go with the Liberal Republican nominees is because they wanted to take down Grant and knew by nominating different people it would just split his opposition.

How about some third parties? Well, there were at least three new ones. The Labor Reform Party tried to nominate a couple fellows, lawyer Charles O’Conor from New York, and Supreme Court justice David Davis from Illinois, but things just didn’t work out. It was kind of doomed from the start.

Meanwhile, there was the Prohibition Party, which was formed to oppose the consumption and sale of alcohol. James Black, who founded the party and was a big temperance activist, duh!, was their first nominee for President. John Russell, another founder of the party, was his running mate.

By far the most interesting third party that ran for President in 1872, and maybe in American history, was the Equal Rights Party. The National Woman’s Suffrage Association had supported a woman named Victoria Woodhull, an activist who publicly talked trash about the government only being made up of men. Despite the fact that women all across the country could not vote, well except in sparsely populated Wyoming territory, Woodhull became the first woman to be nominated for President in American history. Frederick Douglass was nominated as her running mate, but he never acknowledged the nomination. Woodhull had little money and borrowed money from supporters for her campaign, usually not able to pay them back. Where are Super PACs when you need them, eh? So yeah, just let that sink in for a moment. In 1872, a woman ran for President with an African American as her running mate.

The two frontrunners, Grant and Greeley, were aggressively attacked. Grant for the corruption in his Cabinet, and Greeley for being an eccentric guy for his support of spiritualism (aka communicating with the dead), vegetarianism, prohibition, and socialism, all radical ideas at the time. Greeley had a rough campaign, and had the misfortune of a long history of positions published in his newspaper that opponents could nitpick. Even his own supporters were disappointed with him. On top of that, his wife died right before the election.

[jacobadams]

"But... he died"

Jeeez I did not see that coming. Literally sat up in my seat and felt my stomach stop lol

[ryanfriedman]

Imagine if Ulysses Grant lost his re-election bid to Horace Greeley, only for Horace Greeley to pass away before inauguration.

[georgewashington]

Fun fact: Benjamin Gratz Brown, Horace Greeley's running mate, was the grandfather of Margaret Wise Brown, the author of the famous children's book "Goodnight Moon."

[andysorensen]

A sad note about Schuyler Colfax: He died of a heart attack in a train station in Mankato, Minnesota. No one in the train station recognized him, so he had to be identified by the papers he carried with him.

A park and memorial to Colfax now stand on the site today.

[kauffner]

The Republicans got the nickname "Grand Old Party" from this election. In earlier elections, this phrase meant the Democratic Party since they are the older of the two major parties. In 1872, it was Grant's Republicans versus Greeley's newly created Liberal Republicans. So Grant's supporters could claim the GOP title.

[montengro]

Easily one of the wildest elections, love it

[BigSleepyOx]

A additional tidbit on Frederick Douglass, who was nominated for VP by the Equal Rights Party, though did not acknowledge that:
For this election he served as one of Grant's electors for the state of New York.

[georgewashington]

Had Greeley won but still died before taking office, Grant would likely have been re-elected instead. Since the Constitution didn't specify what would happen in this scenario, the Democratic electors would have split their votes for president like they did in real life, and then the House, which was controlled by the Republicans in 1872, would have voted for Grant. It would have been the election of 1824 all over again.

[eelsemaj]

Didn't realise the Brexit secretary was that old

[TheFranchiseCA]

Correction:

By 1872, women had full suffrage in Utah as well as Wyoming.

[HVACSoldier]

David Davis is NOT an awesome name. I was made fun of, because of my name when I was growing up.

[emptank]

"President Grant, your cabinet is corrupt, you ignore talented men in favor of your friends. You have had several scandals attached to your name and your vice president is a radical crazy old man. Why shouls people vote for you?"

"I defeated Lee and ended the civil war."

....

"Shit that's a good point though."

[The_-_-]

I love how when Mr.Beat can’t find a picture of a dude, he just uses a stickman figure

[brobb]

My dad grew up in Greeley's barn that his daughter had converted into a home!

[hanndonfield]

Weve got a politician called david davis name lol

[michaelheeheejackson]

David Davis is also the brexit secretary

[wolfman-nzor]

Why did grants opponent look a lot Iike Ben Franklin LMAO 😂😂

[maxwellweiss]

My AP US History had us take an assignment for our AMSCO book to review this election. There was one problem... there was no description of the 1872 election.... but let;s just say I knew someone who could help me with that ;)

[josiahpike]

Both of Grant's opponents had interesting hair

[williamcfox]

Gratz Brown looks like a mountain man.