The Presidential Election 1836

The election of 1836 was unusual because the Whig party ­– formed of various anti-Jackson factions including the National Republican party and the Anti-Masonic party – put forward four nominees to stand against the Democratic nominee, Martin Van Buren. These Whig candidates – William Henry Harrison (former Ohio senator and US ambassador), Hugh L. White (Tennessee senator), Daniel Webster (Massachusetts senator) and Willie P. Magnum (North Carolina senator) – aimed to regionally defeat Van Buren, forcing the House of Representatives to choose between them. Despite being successful in attracting support from disparate areas of the country, the Whig onslaught was not enough to prevent Van Buren from winning, with 170 electoral votes. The battle for the vice presidency was more fiercely contested, with the Electoral College unable to agree on the candidates. Richard M. Johnson subsequently won after the first and only vice presidential Senate vote in American history.