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Twenty-second American presidential election of 1872

AndyHogan14, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Date

The 1872 election took place on Tuesday, November 5, 1872.

Candidates

• Ulysses Grant, incumbent president (winner)

• Horace Greeley, newspaper editor (winner)
• Charles Francis Adams, former ambassador to the United Kingdom and son of John Quincy Adams
• Lyman Trumbull, Senator from Illinois
• Benjamin Gratz Brown, governor of Missouri
• David Davis, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
• Andrew Gregg Curtin, Ambassador to Russia
• Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

• Horace Greeley, winner

• Victoria Woodhull, winner

Final tickets

Republican Party: Ulysses Grant (P) & Henry Wilson (VP)

Democratic and Liberal Republican Party: Horace Greeley (P) & Benjamin Brown (VP)

Equal Rights Party: Victoria Woodhull (P) & Frederick Douglass (VP)

Campaining & major issues

Though I showed four different parties, there were still only two serious contenders: The Republicans and Democrats. The only reason I mentioned the Liberal Republicans is because they were the first to endorse Greeley, but the Democrats decided to just do the same thing instead of nominating their own candidate. Why? Because their ultimate goal was to get Grant out of office. Grant's administration had started to be part of many scandals, and many didn't like that Grant just invited his friends and family to the White House all the time and his cabinet was mostly just Grant's friends. While Grant himself wasn't tied to any of his scandals, he was still given criticism for it. His vice president, Schuyler Colfax, however, was tied to scandals, hence the reason he was not renominated in this election. The only reason I mentioned the Equal Rights Party was simply because of historical significance, as Woodhull was the first woman ever to run for president. Also, Frederick Douglass was nominated as vice president, making him the first black person nominated (I think, correct me if I'm wrong.)

Electoral college & turn-out

By this election, all states rejoined the Union, and a few new ones joined. Therefore, the electoral college increased to 352 electors; 177 needed to win. 6,467,678 people voted in this election.

Results

NOTE: Greeley died during the election process. Electoral votes that would have gone to him were scattered between different candidates. However, the popular vote still went to Greeley/Brown as the news were not known.

• First place (winner): Ulysses Grant & Henry Wilson

• 286/352 electoral votes
• 55.6% of the popular vote

• Second place: Thomas Hendricks (no running mate)

• 42/352 electoral votes
• Popular vote unknown

• Third place: Benjamin Brown (no running mate)

• 18/352 electoral votes
• Popular vote unknown

• Fourth place: Horace Greeley & Benjamin Brown

• 3/352 electoral votes
• 43.8% of the popular vote

• Fifth place: Charles Jenkins (no running mate)

• 2/352 electoral votes
• Popular vote unknown

• Sixth place: David Davis (no running mate)

• 1/352 electoral votes
• Popular vote unknown

• 0.6% of the popular vote went to other candidates.

Other attributions (listed from top to bottom)

Baker, Joseph E., ca. 1837-1914 , artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Henry Brueckner, artist; Svobodin Merinsky, lithographer. Composed, lithographed, printed & published at Merinsky's Establishment 319 Pearl St. New York, 1872., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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