Election of 1872: Ulysses S. Grant Seeks a Second Term, but Faces Fierce Opposition… Let’s dive in:
Grant vs. Horace Greeley. President Ulysses S. Grant was widely popular, especially among African Americans, following the ratification of the 15th Amendment on February 3rd, 1870. This amendment prevented the government from suppressing a person’s right to vote based on race, colour, or previous condition of servitude. Grant also made significant strides against the Ku Klux Klan, using the Enforcement Act of 1870 to bring many KKK members to trial and secure convictions for their crimes.
Grant easily secured the Republican nomination for a second term, this time with a new running mate, Henry Wilson, a Massachusetts Senator and former member of anti-slavery third parties like the Liberty Party and Free Soil Party.
Corruption in Grant’s Administration
Despite Grant’s popularity, his first term was marred by widespread corruption, often referred to as “Grantism.” Critics were especially angered by his habit of appointing friends and family to important political positions, which tainted his administration with a reputation for corruption.
Scandals ranged from businessmen using questionable methods to corner the gold market in New York to the Attorney General being bribed to overlook fraudulent businesses. The most notorious scandal was the Credit Mobilier Scandal, where government officials were bribed for favorable treatment toward railroad and construction companies. This scandal implicated several prominent figures, including Vice President Schuyler Colfax, who was dropped from the ticket in favor of Henry Wilson for the 1872 election.
Dissatisfaction with Grant’s administration led to a splinter group of Republicans forming their own party.
The Liberal Republican Party
The Liberal Republican Party emerged as a faction of Republicans who were unhappy with Grant’s leadership. After several rounds of balloting, the party surprisingly nominated Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune and a former New York Representative, as their presidential candidate. Benjamin Gratz Brown, the Governor of Missouri, was chosen as his running mate.
The Democratic Party, rather than dividing the anti-Grant vote by nominating their own candidate, decided to support Greeley and the Liberal Republican platform.
The Liberal Republicans maintained standard GOP positions such as supporting voting rights for African Americans and infrastructure spending. However, they also advocated for amnesty for former Confederates and ending military occupation in the South—a move they argued was necessary to curb government overreach but which opponents feared would endanger African Americans’ civil rights.
The Equal Rights Party
One of the noteworthy third parties in this election was the Equal Rights Party, not for its electoral success, but for its historic candidacy. The party nominated Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president in American history, with Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist, as her running mate. Although Douglass never formally accepted the nomination, the ticket symbolized a significant moment in the fight for women’s and African Americans’ rights.
Woodhull’s campaign faced serious challenges, including her arrest days before the election for allegedly publishing obscene material. Despite these setbacks, her candidacy marked a progressive milestone in American politics.
The Campaign
The 1872 election was a bitter contest. The Liberal Republicans attacked Grant’s administration for its corruption, but they struggled to gain traction against Grant’s well-funded campaign, backed by powerful corporations and wealthy supporters.
Political cartoons became a popular tool in the mudslinging. Greeley was depicted as consorting with corrupt figures like Tammany Hall’s boss, William Tweed, shaking hands with John Wilkes Booth over Abraham Lincoln’s grave, and bailing out Confederate leader Jefferson Davis. Meanwhile, the Liberal Republicans were criticized for supporting policies that allegedly favored the Ku Klux Klan and threatened to reverse the gains made for African Americans in the South.
Horace Greeley’s Misfortunes
Greeley’s campaign was further hampered by personal tragedies. In late October, his wife, Mary, died from tuberculosis, plunging Greeley into a deep depression. He returned to the New York Tribune, only to find that his colleagues were pushing him out of the newspaper he had built. This betrayal worsened his condition, leading to his confinement in a sanatorium, where he reportedly confronted Whitelaw Reid, one of his usurpers, saying, “You son of a bitch… You stole my newspaper!”
As Greeley’s health deteriorated, the outcome of the election became increasingly clear.
The Results
With all former Confederate states readmitted to the Union, the threshold for victory in the Electoral College was 177 votes. Grant won re-election in a landslide, securing 286 electoral votes and 55.6% of the popular vote, becoming the first Republican president to serve two full terms. His running mate, Henry Wilson, became the 18th Vice President, though he would die in 1875 after suffering multiple strokes.
Greeley, who won 66 electoral votes and 43.8% of the popular vote, tragically passed away on November 29th, the same day the electoral votes were being counted, and just over a month after his wife’s death. This marked the only time in U.S. history that a major presidential candidate died before the electoral process was complete.
Following Greeley’s death, most of his electoral votes were reallocated to other candidates, making the 1872 election a unique case in American history. Despite the fierce campaign, Ulysses S. Grant honored his fallen opponent by attending Greeley’s funeral, showing respect amidst a deeply divisive election.
Conclusion
The 1872 election was a dramatic and tumultuous contest marked by corruption, vicious campaigning, and personal tragedies. But if you think this election was chaotic, stay tuned for the even more controversial and consequential election of 1876.
