Still a popular hero of the Civil War, incumbent Ulysses S. Grant was renominated to run for election by the Radical Republicans to continue their policy of Radical Reconstruction. There was, however, a group of Republican dissidents who split from the main party, calling themselves Liberal Republicans. Their presidential candidate... More
Ulysses S. Grant had set his heart on a third term but the Republican party would not hear of it. Both Republicans and Democrats were clamouring for civil service reforms, and Grant’s sorry record of scandal would have made him a liability. The Republicans finally selected Rutherford B. Hayes, an... More
Rutherford B. Hayes had pledged to be president for only one term, so the Republicans required a new candidate. Some were in favour of former president Ulysses S. Grant, others felt that old issues may re-emerge of he ran again. In the end, James Garfield – better known as a... More
The election of 1884 is significant because New York Governor Grover Cleveland defeated Republican James G. Blaine, making him the first Democratic president in the post-Civil War era. The election was marked by claims of scandal and dishonesty, and became more about the candidates than policy. Blaine was accused of... More
In the 1888 election, the key issue was tariffs. President Cleveland had set the tone in his 1887 State of the Union address when he showed support for lowering the protective tariff that safeguarded domestic industry. This was in stark contrast to the Republicans, who wanted to increase tariffs in... More
Despite Benjamin Harrison not having a popular first term – duty had risen on most imports and there was opposition to pension allocations for Civil War veterans – he was nominated to re-run for office. The Democrats saw the return of former president Grover Cleveland as their candidate, and his... More
1900 saw Republican William McKinley renominated. He was up against Democrat William James Bryan in what was essentially a repeat of the 1896 election. Alongside McKinley, New York Governor and Spanish-American war hero Theodore Roosevelt was running for vice president. Many of the issues were the same as four years... More
Theodore Roosevelt had taken office after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 by anarchist Leon Czikgisz. He had enjoyed a successful and popular few years, and was nominated to re-run without any opposition. Indiana senator Charles Fairbanks was chosen for vice president. The Democrats nominated Alton B. Parker, chief... More
Despite his unwavering popularity, Roosevelt decided not to run for a third term in office. William H. Taft was nominated as the Republican candidate, with James R. Sherman as his running mate. The Democratic candidate, for the third time, was William J. Bryan. He began campaigning hard, delivering speeches and... More
As William H. Taft began to abandon some of the progressive policies implemented by Roosevelt, he lost support from the progressive faction of the Republican party. The strength of Taft loyalists, however, meant that the incumbent president was still nominated to run again. In reaction to Taft’s more conservative standpoint,... More
Woodrow Wilson’s progressive approach to his first term had made him popular, and he was easily renominated by the Democrats to run in the 1916 election. Despite his opposition to Taft and formation of the separate Progressive Party in 1912, Roosevelt had put his name forward for Republican candidacy, but... More
By 1920, the nation was ready for a change. During his second presidential term, Woodrow Wilson had been criticized for many of his policies and decisions, and was seen to have led the nation into World War I. There were ongoing disagreements over peace treaties, debate over the League of... More