The Election of 1884 saw the Democratic Governor of New York, Grover Cleveland, facing off against the Republican Senator from Maine, James G. Blaine. Let’s delve into the details of this fascinating and scandal-filled election.
Chester Arthur’s Presidency
Chester Alan Arthur became the 21st President of the United States after the assassination of James A. Garfield. Many stalwart Republicans, who had secured influential positions through political favors, saw Arthur’s rise to power as a golden opportunity to continue the corrupt practices prevalent during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency.
However, Arthur surprised many by distancing himself from his stalwart past. He signed into law the Pendleton Civil Service Act, which mandated that government jobs be awarded based on merit rather than political connections. Arthur’s presidency also saw him reduce taxes, strengthen the U.S. Navy, and make polygamy a crime in the United States. Unfortunately, Arthur’s health was declining due to Bright’s disease, a severe kidney condition, leading him to question whether he could serve another term. Despite this, he made an effort to run for the Republican nomination in the Election of 1884.
James Blaine from Maine
In addition to Arthur, other names were considered for the GOP nomination, such as Robert Todd Lincoln, the Secretary of War and son of Abraham Lincoln, and famed Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. However, both declined to run.
Two candidates who did pursue the nomination were George Edmunds, a Senator from Vermont, and James Blaine, a former Speaker of the House and Senator from Maine. Blaine had previously sought the GOP nomination in 1876 and 1880 but lost. The saying “third time’s the charm” proved true for Blaine, as he secured the nomination with Senator John Logan of Illinois as his running mate.
Blaine’s experience as both a Senator and Speaker of the House, along with his reputation as a political reformer, made him appear to be the ideal candidate for the presidency in the Election of 1884. But the Democrats had a strong contender of their own.
Grover Cleveland
The Democratic Party had faced significant challenges in recent presidential elections. Their involvement in the Civil War and the Reconstruction period had damaged their reputation, and the chaotic election of 1876 had only worsened their standing. The last Democrat to serve as president was Andrew Johnson, who wasn’t even elected to the office. The Democrats were desperate for a win and nominated New York Governor Grover Cleveland to lead their charge.
Cleveland’s running mate was Thomas Hendricks, the former Governor of Indiana. Hendricks was well-known from previous elections, including his role as Samuel J. Tilden’s running mate during the contentious 1876 election.
Much like Tilden, Cleveland was a ‘Bourbon Democrat’—not a liberal with a penchant for alcohol, but a Democrat who supported limited government and high tariffs, similar to the principles of Thomas Jefferson. The term “bourbon” was used to suggest that these Democrats were old-fashioned.
Third-Party Candidates
Several third parties participated in the Election of 1884, but three stood out. The Prohibition Party, focusing on banning alcohol, nominated John St. John, the former Governor of Kansas, with William Daniel of Maryland as his running mate.
The Greenback Party, which had garnered around 3% of the popular vote in the previous election, nominated former Massachusetts Governor Benjamin Butler and former Confederate General Absolom West as his running mate.
Finally, the Equal Rights Party re-emerged for the first time since 1872, nominating Belva Ann Lockwood, a lawyer and former teacher, as their presidential candidate. Her running mate was Marietta Stow. Although Lockwood only received about 0.04% of the popular vote, she made history as the first woman to appear on presidential ballots.
Scandals: The Mulligan Letters
The campaign quickly turned scandalous. Despite his reputation as a reformer, James Blaine’s image was tarnished by the revelation of the “Mulligan Letters.” These letters, discovered by James Mulligan, implicated Blaine in using his political power for personal gain. One letter revealed that Blaine had received substantial payments from the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad in exchange for land grants. The scandal intensified when another letter ended with the words “Burn this letter.”
As news of the Mulligan Letters spread, Democrats and Blaine’s detractors chanted “Burn this letter” at his rallies. But Blaine wasn’t the only candidate with a scandalous past.
“Ma, Ma, Where’s My Pa!”
While Blaine dealt with the fallout from the Mulligan Letters, Grover Cleveland faced his own scandal. It came to light that Cleveland, known for his integrity, had fathered an illegitimate child with a woman named Maria Halpin. Cleveland admitted to the affair, stating that it occurred when he was single and that he had financially supported the child, a boy named Oscar.
However, other accounts painted a darker picture, suggesting that Cleveland had raped Halpin and later used his connections to have her committed to an asylum to silence her. This scandal led to the popular chant “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?” at Cleveland’s rallies.
With both candidates embroiled in scandals, the Election of 1884 took a dramatic turn with the arrival of an October surprise.
“Rum, Romanism & Rebellion”
Blaine’s campaign suffered a significant blow when Reverend Samuel Burchard, a conservative minister, made a speech during a GOP meeting, labeling the Democrats as the party of “Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion.” The reference to “Rebellion” harkened back to the Democrats’ role in the Civil War, but it was the “Rum” and “Romanism” remarks that caused the most damage. These terms were seen as derogatory toward Irish Americans and Roman Catholics. Democrats quickly seized on the opportunity to portray Blaine and the Republicans as anti-Irish and anti-Catholic, despite Blaine’s mother being Catholic.
The Results
In a closely contested election, Grover Cleveland won with 219 electoral votes to James Blaine’s 182. Cleveland narrowly secured the popular vote, winning 48.9% compared to Blaine’s 48.3%, with only 57,579 votes separating the two candidates. The election hinged on several key states, most notably Cleveland’s home state of New York, which he won by a mere 1,000 votes. Had Blaine won New York, he would have secured the presidency with 218 electoral votes.
Historians often cite the Mulligan Letters, the “Romanism” speech, and the Prohibition Party’s influence as factors that ultimately cost Blaine the election. The Prohibition Party, which campaigned hard against Blaine and the Republicans following the “Rum” comment, finished third with 1.5% of the popular vote, while the Greenback Party’s Benjamin Butler came in fourth with 1.3%.
Cleveland’s victory made him the first Democrat to be elected president since James Buchanan in 1856, ending nearly 30 years of Republican dominance. This election marked a turning point for the Democrats, but the true test of Cleveland’s presidency would come in the years leading up to the election of 1888.
