We can’t imagine that anyone is tired of hearing about U.S. presidential elections, right? (heh-heh). But wait – we’re not asking you to vote again anytime soon! We’re talking about a few fascinating presidential contests from more than 150 years ago, involving Ulysses S. Grant.
When the U.S. Civil War ended in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was serving his second term as President. General Grant, the military hero of the Union war effort, agreed with many of his policies and had little interest in seeking elected office. “Everybody who knows me knows that I have no political aspirations either now or for the future,” he wrote in a letter. “I hope to remain a soldier as long as I live.”
President Johnson, photo by A. Gardner (Library of Congress)
However, Grant’s political aspirations changed after the assassination of President Lincoln. Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, was a Unionist Southerner who became increasingly lenient toward former Confederates. Johnson vetoed all civil rights legislation passed by Congress, putting him at odds with numerous prominent leaders including Grant, a supporter of African American civil rights.
The Republican Party persuaded Grant to run for president in 1868 against New York governor Horatio Seymour. The party’s platform included ongoing support for Reconstruction, protecting the rights of loyal southerners including African Americans, and ultimately granting all male citizens the right to vote. Other issues included reducing taxes, working towards the elimination of the national debt, and promoting westward expansion and economic growth. Grant’s campaign slogan was “Let Us Have Peace.” He won the 1868 popular vote by 300,000, helped by the newly enfranchised Blacks in some Southern reconstructed states.
After his first term in office, Grant’s popularity was still high, though there was increasing opposition from those who favored replacing Reconstruction in the South with local self-government, i.e., white rule. The Democratic party nominated Horace Greeley as its candidate in 1872, but once again Grant prevailed, this time by a margin of 56 to 44 percent.
Grant’s two terms as the 18th U.S. president are marked by a number of accomplishments. He supported and signed the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, giving African American men the right to vote. He fought to protect Native Americans from people who wanted their land, although the eventual results of this “peace policy” were mixed. He sought free public education for all, regardless of race, gender, or religion. Grant signed legislation establishing Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park in 1872. And on the international front, he peacefully settled major disputes with England over its support for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
After eight years in office, Grant looked forward to retirement, and Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president in 1876. But as the 1880 elections loomed, supporters of Grant urged him to run for an unprecedented third term. They favored his strong advocacy for Black civil rights and his diplomatic efforts to strengthen the U.S. at home and abroad. Others, however, were concerned about corruption among some of Grant’s former White House aides, and they formed an “anybody but Grant” coalition.
Grant did not actively seek the Republican Party’s 1880 nomination, but he didn’t turn it down either. He stood for election during the party’s convention
in Chicago, as did several other candidates. But after numerous votes, the delegates failed to select a presidential candidate. Congressman James A. Garfield made a persuasive speech calling for party unity, after which the party nominated him. Garfield went on to be elected president later that year.
If you’re interested in learning more about the 1880 election, the staff at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site has compiled a small temporary exhibit in the site’s visitor center that examines Grant’s “surrendering” the nomination to Garfield. It runs through mid-November.
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