‹ 1884   1892 ›
United States presidential election, 1888
6 November 1888
Nominee		Benjamin Harrison	Grover Cleveland
Party		Republican	Democratic
Home state		Indiana	New York
Running mate		Levi Parsons Morton	Allen Granberry Thurman
Electoral vote		233	168
States carried		19	17
Popular vote		5,443,892	5,534,488
Percentage		47.8%	48.6%
Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Harrison/Morton, Red denotes those won by Cleveland/Thurman. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2588x3282, 1015 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Benjamin Harrison George Washington Steele ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (717x1019, 228 KB) Grover Cleveland from fr:Wikipedia20 sep 2004 à 16:35 . ... For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908), was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. ... GOP redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... This article is about the state. ... Levi Parsons Morton. ... Allen Granberry Thurman (November 13, 1813_December 12, 1895) was a Democratic Representative and Senator from Ohio. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1182x635, 103 KB)Image from http://nationalatlas. ...

The United States Presidential Election of 1888 was held on November 6, 1888. Incumbent President Grover Cleveland received the greatest number of popular votes, but Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison's 233 electoral votes topped Cleveland's 168 to win the election. Just 12 years earlier, in the election of 1876, the same thing had happened where the President-elect had failed to win the popular vote. It would not happen again until the election of 2000, 112 years later.^[1] is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908), was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... The United States presidential election of 1876 was one of the most disputed and intense presidential elections in American history. ... The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between the Democratic candidate Al Gore versus the Republican candidate of George W. Bush. ...

Nominations

Republican Party nomination

Republican candidates

• Benjamin Harrison, former U.S. senator from Indiana
• John Sherman, U.S. senator from Ohio
• Walter Q. Gresham, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from Indiana
• Chauncey Depew, president of the New York Central Railroad from New York
• Russell A. Alger, former U.S. governor of Michigan

For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823–October 22, 1900) was a Senator from Ohio and a member of the United States Cabinet. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832–May 28, 1895) was an American statesman and jurist. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... Chauncey M. Depew Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834 – April 5, 1928) served as a United States Senator from New York from 1899 to 1911. ... This article is about the state. ... {{Infobox US Cabinet official | name=Russell Alexander Alger | image=Russell Alexander Alger2. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Candidates gallery

Former Senator Benjamin Harrison of Indiana Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2588x3282, 1015 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Benjamin Harrison George Washington Steele ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ...	Senator John Sherman of Ohio Image File history File links John-Sherman-2. ... Type Upper House President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R since January 20, 2001 President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D since January 4, 2007 Members 100 Political groups Democratic Party Republican Party Last elections November 7, 2006 Meeting place Senate Chamber United States Capitol Washington, DC United States... John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823–October 22, 1900) was a Senator from Ohio and a member of the United States Cabinet. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...	Fromer Secretary of the Treasury Walter Q. Gresham of Indiana Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3216x3848, 1647 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): United States Secretary of State Walter Q. Gresham ... The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense. ... Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832–May 28, 1895) was an American statesman and jurist. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ...	President of the New York Central Railroad Chauncey Depew of New York Image File history File links Size of this preview: 464 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (674 × 871 pixel, file size: 65 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://hdl. ... For the current company, see New York Central Lines LLC. The New York Central Railroad (AAR reporting marks NYC), known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. ... Chauncey M. Depew Chauncey Mitchell Depew (April 23, 1834 – April 5, 1928) served as a United States Senator from New York from 1899 to 1911. ... This article is about the state. ...
Former Governor Russell A. Alger of Michigan Download high resolution version (450x620, 16 KB)Russell Alexander Alger Source: Russell Alexander Alger in Library of Congresss The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War Photograph credited to Neil, Henry. ... Michigan Governors Territorial Governors State Governors From statehood until the election of 1966, governors were elected to two-year terms. ... {{Infobox US Cabinet official | name=Russell Alexander Alger | image=Russell Alexander Alger2. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Harrison-Morton campaign poster

At the Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Benjamin Harrison won nomination receiving 544 delegate votes, defeating John Sherman (who received 249 delegates), Russell A. Alger (142) and Walter Q. Gresham (123). New York politician and financier Levi Morton was the party's Vice Presidential choice, receiving 592 delegate votes to beat William Walter Phelps (119 delegates) and William O. Bradley (103). For other uses, see Chicago (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823–October 22, 1900) was a Senator from Ohio and a member of the United States Cabinet. ... {{Infobox US Cabinet official | name=Russell Alexander Alger | image=Russell Alexander Alger2. ... Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832–May 28, 1895) was an American statesman and jurist. ... This article is about the state. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... William Walter Phelps (August 24, 1839 - June 17, 1894), the son of a successful New York City merchant and financier, was born in Dundaff, Pennsylvania. ... William OC. Bradley William OConnel Bradley was a U.S. senator from Kentucky, born in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky on March 18, 1847. ...

Democratic Party nomination

Democratic candidates

• Grover Cleveland, President of the United States from New York

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908), was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. ... This article is about the state. ...

Candidates gallery

President Grover Cleveland of New York Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1732x2572, 411 KB) U.S. President Grover Cleveland. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908), was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. ... This article is about the state. ...

Cleveland/Thurman campaign poster

President Grover Cleveland was unanimously renominated for President at the Democratic National Convention in Saint Louis. Ohio's Allen G. Thurman was chosen as the party's Vice Presidential nominee by a large margin, garnering 684 delegate votes to Isaac P. Gray's 101 and John C. Black's 36. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 772 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (955 × 742 pixel, file size: 153 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://hdl. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 772 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (955 × 742 pixel, file size: 153 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://hdl. ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908), was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Allen Granberry Thurman (November 13, 1813_December 12, 1895) was a Democratic Representative and Senator from Ohio. ... The Vice President of the United States[1] (sometimes referred to as VPOTUS[2] or Veep) is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president. ... Isaac P. Gray (1828 1895) was the governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1880 to 1881 and from 1885 to 1889. ... John C. Black John Charles Black (January 27, 1839- August 17, 1915) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman and Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. ...

Other nominations

The Prohibition Party ticket of Clinton B. Fisk and John Brooks captured nearly a quarter million popular votes as the prohibition movement gained steam. Another group, the Union Labor Party, was formed with Alson J. Streeter as their nominee. The Union Labor Party garnered nearly 150,000 popular votes, but failed to gain widespread national support. National Prohibition Convention, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1892. ... General Clinton Bowen Fisk (1828-1890), for whom Fisk University is named, was a senior officer in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. ... John Brooks, Jr. ... The term Prohibition, also known as A Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ...

General election

Campaign

Cleveland set the main issue of the campaign when he proposed a dramatic reduction in tariffs in his annual message to Congress in December 1887. Cleveland contended that the tariff was unnecessarily high and that unnecessary taxation was unjust taxation. The Republicans responded that the high tariff would protect American industry from foreign competition, guaranteeing high wages, high profits, and high growth. The argument between protectionists and free traders over the size of the tariff was an old one, stretching back to the Tariff of 1816. In practice the tariff was practically meaningless on industrial products, since the United States was the low-cost producer in most areas (except woolens), and could not be undersold by the less efficient Europeans. Nevertheless the tariff issue motivated both sides to a remarkable extent. It has been suggested that Tariff in American history be merged into this article or section. ... Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations, through methods such as high tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, a variety of restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and anti-dumping laws in an attempt to protect domestic industries in a particular nation from foreign take-over... The Tariff of 1816 was put in place after the War of 1812, Britain had developed a large stockpile of goods, such as iron and textile. ...

Besides the obvious economic dimensions, the tariff argument also possessed an ethnic dimension. At the time, the policy of free trade was most strongly promoted by the British empire, and so any political candidate who ran on free trade instantly was under threat of being labelled pro-British and thereby losing the swing Irish-American voting bloc. Cleveland neatly neutralized this threat by pursuing punitive action against Canada (which was still viewed as part of the British empire) in a fishing rights dispute. Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ...

Harrison was well funded by party activists and mounted an energetic campaign by the standards of the day, giving many speeches from his front porch in Indianapolis which were covered by the newspapers. Cleveland adhered to the tradition that presidential candidates did not campaign, and forbade his cabinet from campaigning as well, leaving his 75 year old vice presidential candidate Thurman as the spearhead of his campaign.

Blocks of Five

One of the most notorious electoral frauds was perpetrated for this election in Indiana. William Wade Dudley, Treasurer of the Republican National Committee, wrote a circular letter to Indiana's county chairmen telling them to "Divide the floaters into Blocks of Five, and put a trusted man with the necessary funds in charge of these five, and make them responsible that none get away and that all vote our ticket." For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... William Wade Dudley (1842-1909), born in Weathersfield Bow, Vermont, started life as a soldier in the American Civil War, then became a lawyer, a government official and a Republican campaigner. ... The Blocks of Five were groups of electors whose selling of their votes to the United States Republican Party for voting in the United States presidential election, 1888 was exposed. ...

The Murchison letter

A California Republican named George Osgoodby wrote a letter to Sir Lionel Sackville-West, the British ambassador to the U. S., under the assumed name of "Charles F. Murchison". "Murchison" described himself as a former Englishman who was now a California citizen and asked how he should vote in the upcoming presidential election. Sir Lionel wrote back and indiscreetly suggested that Cleveland was probably the best man from the British point of view.

The Republicans published this letter just two weeks before the election, where it had an effect on Irish-American voters exactly comparable to the "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion" blunder of the previous election: Cleveland lost New York state and the presidency and Sackville-West was sacked as British ambassador.^[2] Presidential electoral votes by state. ...

Results

Cleveland was defeated. He actually led in the popular vote over Benjamin Harrison (48.6% to 47.8%), but Harrison won the Electoral College by a 233-168 margin, largely by virtue of his 1% win in Cleveland's home state of New York. Had Cleveland won his home state, he would have won the electoral vote by a count of 204-197 (201 votes then needed for victory). Note that Cleveland earned 24 of his electoral votes from states that he won by less than 1% (Connecticut, Virginia, and West Virginia).

Cleveland thus became one of only three men to clearly win the popular vote but lose the presidency; there would not be another such election until Al Gore's narrow loss to George W. Bush in 2000. As Frances Cleveland and the ex-president left the White House, she assured the staff that they would return in four years, which they did.

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. 1888 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (July 27, 2005). For other persons named Benjamin Harrison, see Benjamin Harrison (disambiguation). ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the state. ... Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908), was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... This article is about the state. ... Allen Granberry Thurman (November 13, 1813_December 12, 1895) was a Democratic Representative and Senator from Ohio. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... General Clinton Bowen Fisk (1828-1890), for whom Fisk University is named, was a senior officer in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. ... The Prohibition Party is a political party in the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (140,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Source (Electoral Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (July 31, 2005). is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In Popular Culture

In 1968 the Michael P. Antoine Company produced the musical film, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band which centers around the election of 1888 and the annexing and subdividing of the Dakota Territory into states (which was a central issue of the election). The year 1968 in film involved some significant events. ... The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. ... The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is a 1968 film based on the novel Nebraska by Laura Bower Van Nuys. ... Dakota Territory was the name of the northernmost part of the Louisiana Purchase of the United States. ...

See also

• American election campaigns in the 19th century
• History of the United States (1865–1918)
• History of the United States Democratic Party
• The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
• History of the United States Republican Party
• Third Party System

In the 19th century, the United States invented or developed a number of new methods for conducting American Election Campaigns. ... The history of the United States (1865–1918) covers Reconstruction and the rise of industrialization in the United States. ... The History of the Democratic Party is an account of a continuously supported political party in the United States of America. ... The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band is a 1968 film based on the novel Nebraska by Laura Bower Van Nuys. ... The Republican Party of the United States was established in 1854 and is one of the two dominant parties today. ... The Third Party System, which began in 1854 and changed over to the Fourth Party System in the mid-1890s revolved around the issues of nationalism, modernization, and race. ...

Notes

References

Primary sources

• Dawson, George Francis (1888). The Republican Campaign Text-book for 1888. New York: Brentano's. 

Secondary sources

Books

• Butterfield, Roger (1947). The American Past: A History of the United States from Concord to Hiroshima, 1775–1945. New York: Simon and Schuster. 
• Jensen, Richard (1971). The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888–1896. 
• Morgan, H. Wayne (1969). From Hayes to McKinley: National Party Politics, 1877–1896. 
• Reitano, Joanne R. (1994). The Tariff Question in the Gilded Age: The Great Debate of 1888. 
• Summers, Mark Wahlgren (2004). Party Games: Getting, Keeping, and Using Power in Gilded Age Politics. 

Journal articles

• Baumgarden, James L. (Summer 1984). "The 1888 Presidential Election: How Corrupt?". Presidential Studies Quarterly 14: 416–27. 

Web sites

• Shenkman, Rick (2004). Who Played the First Dirty Tricks in American Presidential Politics?. History News Network. Retrieved on April 4, 2005.

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• 1888 popular vote by counties
• Wrong way elections table at the Center for Range Voting
• How close was the 1888 election? - Michael Sheppard, Michigan State University

Navigation

v • d • e United States presidential elections

1789 | 1792 | 1796 | 1800 | 1804 | 1808 | 1812 | 1816 | 1820 | 1824 | 1828 | 1832 | 1836 | 1840 | 1844 | 1848 | 1852 | 1856 | 1860 | 1864 | 1868 | 1872 | 1876 | 1880 | 1884 | 1888 | 1892 | 1896 | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | List by state See also: House | Senate | Governors | Presidential Primaries