Hello and welcome to another edition of the Presidential Election series, where we dive into the election of 1892. This election features a three-way battle for the presidency as incumbent Benjamin Harrison faces off against his old rival, Grover Cleveland, and the Populist Party’s candidate, James B. Weaver. Let’s get into it.
Harrison’s Presidential Woes
Benjamin Harrison’s presidency from 1888 to 1892 was fraught with challenges both at home and abroad. The U.S. economy, which had thrived under his predecessor, Grover Cleveland, faced instability under Harrison’s watch. Federal spending surged, driven by the McKinley Tariff that raised the prices of imported goods and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which destabilized the currency. By election day, America’s economy was on shaky ground, setting the stage for the election of 1892.
One of the darkest chapters of Harrison’s presidency was the Wounded Knee Massacre in December 1890, where U.S. troops killed approximately 150 Lakota natives in South Dakota. Harrison’s policy of assimilating Native Americans into white society was controversial then and is widely condemned today.
Internationally, Harrison dealt with the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani, the annexation of Hawaii, disputes over fishing rights with Canada and Britain, and a diplomatic crisis with Chile.
A personal tragedy struck Harrison in October 1892 when his wife, Caroline, died of tuberculosis at the age of 60, leading to a temporary halt in his campaign. His administration’s ups and downs were further complicated by tensions with his vice president, Levi Morton.
Finding A New VP
Despite his struggles, Harrison accomplished several significant achievements during his term. He modernized the U.S. Navy, signed the Land Revision Act of 1891, which laid the groundwork for conservation efforts, and passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to curb monopolistic practices. Harrison was also a staunch advocate for African American civil rights, championing the Lodge Bill, which sought to protect voting rights for African Americans in the South.
However, when the Lodge Bill came to a vote, Vice President Levi Morton refused to break a Senate tie in its favor, effectively killing the bill. Harrison blamed Morton for its failure and replaced him with Whitelaw Reid, the U.S. Ambassador to France and editor of the New York Tribune.
As Harrison prepared to run for re-election in the election of 1892 with Reid as his new running mate, he faced a formidable opponent: his old rival, Grover Cleveland.
The Big Man Is Back
Grover Cleveland, who lost the Election of 1888 to Benjamin Harrison despite winning the popular vote, returned to reclaim the presidency in the election of 1892. Cleveland believed that Harrison’s financial policies could lead to an economic crisis, and he quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. His main challenger was Senator David Hill of New York, but Cleveland secured the nomination on the first ballot, becoming the first of three Democratic candidates to receive their party’s nomination three times.
Cleveland chose Adlai Stevenson, a former U.S. Representative and Postmaster General from Illinois, as his running mate. Although they had differing views on currency—Cleveland supported the Gold Standard, while Stevenson favored Free Silver—their partnership aimed to maintain party unity.
The People’s Party aka The Populists
The 1892 election also saw the rise of the Populist Party, a coalition of agrarian and labor groups that united to challenge the dominance of the two major parties. The Populists supported policies such as:
- Bimetallism and Free Silver
- Government ownership of railroads
- Direct election of U.S. Senators
- A graduated income tax
- Labor and farmers’ rights to form unions
- The Sub-Treasury Plan to aid farmers
At their first nominating convention in Omaha, Nebraska, the Populists selected James B. Weaver, a former U.S. Representative from Iowa, as their presidential candidate. Weaver’s running mate was James G. Field, a former Confederate Major and Attorney General of Virginia.
Political Issues and Campaigns
The key issue of the election of 1892 was once again tariffs. Harrison supported the McKinley Tariff, a protectionist act that raised tariff rates on imported goods by 50%. Cleveland campaigned on reducing tariffs and supporting the Gold Standard, while the Populists promoted their platform of economic reform and government intervention to aid farmers and workers.
The Results
Since the previous election, six new states—Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Washington—had joined the Union, raising the number of electoral votes needed to win to 223.
When the votes were counted, Grover Cleveland emerged victorious in the election of 1892, becoming the 24th president and the first and only president in American history to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. Cleveland won 277 electoral votes and 46% of the popular vote, making this his weakest showing in the popular vote compared to his previous campaigns.
Benjamin Harrison, with 145 electoral votes and 43% of the popular vote, became the first Republican president to lose re-election.
James Weaver, representing the Populists, secured 22 electoral votes—the first third-party candidate to do so since 1860—and 8.5% of the popular vote. The Prohibition Party’s John Bidwell garnered 2.2% of the popular vote but no electoral votes.
The Election of 1892 was also notable for being the only election until the 20th century in which the incumbent president lost in back-to-back elections.
And that’s the story of the Election of 1892. As predicted by Francis Cleveland, Grover Cleveland returned to the White House, but his second term would be even more challenging than the first, with significant changes on the horizon for the Democrats by the next election.
