In the election of 1880, two unexpected candidates, James Garfield and Winfield Scott Hancock, emerged to vie for the presidency of the United States. Let’s dive into this intriguing race!
One & Done for Rutherford
After the chaotic election of 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes’ presidency was marked by his efforts to pass Civil Service Reform, mediate a dispute between Argentina and Paraguay, and quell a major railroad strike in 1877. Despite these accomplishments, Hayes was haunted by the controversy surrounding his victory, earning him the nicknames “Rutherfraud” and “His Fraudulency.” Unfazed, Hayes had pledged to serve only one term, a promise he kept, with Vice President William Wheeler also stepping aside. This left the Republican nomination wide open, setting the stage for a contentious convention and the start of the battle of the Election of 1880.
Stalwarts vs. Half-Breeds
As the Election of 1880 and the Republican Convention approached, the party was sharply divided into two factions. On one side were The Stalwarts, staunch supporters of the patronage system, also known as “The Spoils System,” which rewarded political allies with positions of power. Leading the Stalwarts was Roscoe Conkling, a Senator and Representative from New York. On the other side were The Half-Breeds, who were derisively named for being “half-Republicans” due to their opposition to the spoils system. They championed civil service reform, believing that government positions should be awarded based on merit rather than political connections. Three key figures emerged as contenders for the nomination:
- Ulysses S. Grant, former Civil War hero and two-term U.S. President
- James Blaine, Senator from Maine and leader of the Half-Breeds
- John Sherman, Treasury Secretary from Ohio and brother of Civil War hero William Tecumseh Sherman
Grant, seeking an unprecedented third term, had the backing of the Stalwarts, despite the scandals that had marred his previous administrations.
The GOP’s Compromise Candidate
As the convention progressed, it became clear that neither Blaine nor Grant could secure enough delegates to clinch the nomination. John Sherman also struggled to gain traction. The deadlock signaled the need for a compromise candidate, and that candidate emerged as James A. Garfield. Garfield, a former schoolteacher, minister, and House Representative from Ohio, had little interest in the nomination, having been at the convention to introduce Sherman’s candidacy. However, with the support of Blaine, Sherman, and their delegates, Garfield entered the race.
After a staggering thirty-six ballots, Garfield secured the nomination with 399 delegate votes to Grant’s 306, surpassing the required 379. Despite his victory, Garfield faced skepticism from the Stalwarts. To balance the ticket, Garfield sought a running mate from New York, the Stalwart stronghold. He initially chose Levi Morton, but at the insistence of Roscoe Conkling, Morton declined. Garfield then selected Chester A. Arthur, the chairman of New York’s Republican Committee. Despite initial reluctance, Conkling agreed, and Arthur joined the ticket.
Call In the General
Meanwhile, the Democrats, eager to reclaim the White House, viewed the Republican division as an opportunity. Samuel J. Tilden, their nominee in 1876, was the initial frontrunner, but health concerns led to other candidates entering the race. The two leading contenders were Senator Thomas Bayard of Delaware and Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, a hero of the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Given the historical success of war heroes in presidential elections, the Democrats chose Hancock, with William Hayden English, a banker and former Representative from Indiana, as his running mate.
The Greenback Party
The Greenback Party, having garnered 1% of the popular vote in the previous election with Peter Cooper, returned to nominate James B. Weaver, a Congressman and Civil War veteran from Iowa, with Barzillai Chambers, a former Confederate from Kentucky, as his running mate. Unlike the major party candidates, Weaver and Chambers actively campaigned, promoting policies such as increasing the money supply through Greenbacks and regulating major industries. However, their campaign faced setbacks, including Chambers’ injury and Weaver’s struggle to gain support in the South.
Campaigning and the October Surprise
The campaign turned nasty, particularly between the Democrats and Republicans. The Republicans once again used the tactic of “Waving the Bloody Shirt,” while also questioning Hancock’s grasp of key issues. The Democrats, in turn, invoked the contested 1876 election and attempted to stir nativist fears by suggesting that Garfield’s running mate was Canadian, not American. They also tried to link Garfield to scandals like Credit Mobilier, but failed to connect him directly.
In October, the campaign was rocked by a “surprise” when a forged letter surfaced, falsely claiming that Garfield supported Chinese immigration, a highly unpopular stance at the time. Although the letter was later proven to be a forgery, the damage was done.
The Election of 1880 Results
In the end, James Garfield won the presidency with 214 electoral votes, surpassing the 185 needed, while Hancock received 155. The popular vote was extremely close, with Garfield edging out Hancock by just 0.1%, making it the narrowest margin in U.S. history. Weaver, while not winning any electoral votes, improved the Greenback Party’s showing with 3% of the popular vote.
“I am a Stalwart of the Stalwarts”
As President, Garfield had ambitious plans, including civil service and naval reform, ending polygamy, opening free trade with Latin America, and advancing civil rights for African Americans. However, his presidency was tragically cut short on July 2, 1881, when he was shot by Charles Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker. Despite the initial survival of the wounds, Garfield succumbed to infections on September 19, 1881, due to the unsanitary medical practices of the time, making his tenure the second-shortest in U.S. history.
Guiteau was later hanged for the assassination, but not before he eerily proclaimed that the doctors, not he, were responsible for Garfield’s death—a claim that has been supported by modern medical assessments. Thus, the presidency passed to Chester A. Arthur, Garfield’s Stalwart running mate, whose administration you can read about in the next instalment: The Election of 1884.
