The United States Presidential Election of 1880, the 24th U.S. presidential election, took place on November 2, 1880. In the first election contested by the National American Party, incumbent President Samuel J. Tilden defeated Elihu B. Washburne by 12 electoral votes.
Background[]
Samuel J. Tilden only received 47.5% of the popular vote en route to a victory in the 1876 election, owing his victory only to disorganized and divided opposition. His presidency was seen as somewhat illegitimate from the start due to this fact, and the stain of President Pendleton's visit with the Confederate President Stonewall Jackson led Americans to be suspicious of their new leader. President Tilden, however, managed to win over the public through his honesty and eloquence. He distanced himself from the actions of Pendleton and pushed through several reforms in his first term. By the time 1880 rolled around, the Democratic Party was still unpopular. Tilden, on the other hand, was well-liked.
Democratic Nomination[]
The Democratic National Convention was held from June 22 to 24, 1880. President Samuel J. Tilden, despite facing some opposition from anti-reform Democrats, was nominated easily on the first ballot.
National American Nomination[]
The first ever National American National Convention was held from June 28 to July 3, 1880. The National Party and the American Party had officially unified only a year prior and now had to find a way to coexist as a single unit. As part of the merger agreement, an equal number of delegates was awarded to members of each former party, and it was acknowledged that they would have trouble choosing a single candidate considering the ideological rift between them. It was considered important for the party to make a strong and organized entrance onto the national stage. This meant they had to avoid a divided, deadlocked, and indecisive convention. It also meant they wished to avoid any kind of dark horse compromise candidate, as the new party needed name value on the ticket, not some unknown.
Thus, most of the negotiations for who the candidate would be occurred months before the convention. It was agreed that the person should be an elder statesmen that also didn't have too much association with the old Republican Party and the failed war effort. It was also acknowledged that one of the factions would have to accept someone from the other, with the knowledge that it was better than a Democratic president would be. Tilden's presidency helped tip the scales towards a non-reformist choice that would contrast with the incumbent.
Top candidates included former vice president Hannibal Hamlin- long retired from politics-, Henry L. Dawes- the vice presidential nominee of both parties in 1876-, George F. Edmunds, John Sherman, and Elihu B. Washburne. Some of these candidates had weak points that took them out of the running early. Hamlin was seen as too close to the Lincoln administration- the party wanted to avoid strong reminders of the Republicans' failure. Sherman was uncharismatic and bland at a time when the party was looking for someone with vigor.
Washburne was eventually settled on to head the ticket. He certainly fit the elder statesman description, having first been elected to the House of Representatives in the 1850's as a member of the Whig Party. He aligned closely with the American Party, but the National Party was willing to accept him and his radicalism due to his well-established reputation and removal from recent partisan politics. In exchange, they also were given more influence over the party's official ticket.
Two other factors made Washburne's nomination acceptable. First, it was seen as natural for the first unified opposition to the Democrats in a decade to feature someone who represented a stark contrast to their ideals. Secondly, it was known that the new party had a National Party slant over the less successful American Party, and former members of that party knew they would likely be able to nominate their own candidates in the future after the aging Washburne retired.
The vice presidential pick would naturally be a former National Party member. This nomination went to William A. Wheeler, who was broadly liked and would help the ticket compete in his home state of New York.
The convention itself wasn't much more than an enthusiastic rubber stamp for the arrangements that had already been made.
The Campaign[]
The unpopularity of the Democratic Party contrasted with President Tilden's high approval among the public. Generally, the people were tired of Democratic economic and social policies and believed it was time for fresh leadership. Tilden, however, had done such a solid job and maintained such a clean profile that they found it hard to vote against him.
The Democrats attacked the National American Party as being a return to the old ideas that had landed the country in such ruin, ruin that the Democrats claimed they fixed. A National American victory, according to the Democrats, would return rule of the country to foolish radical elites who cared nothing for the well being of the common man. Washburne was attacked for being a former leader of the Republican Party and its radical agenda, although he was benefited by not being closely linked to the Lincoln administration itself. His decade-long separation from politics both served him and worked against him. It made him out to be a respectable figure above the fray of partisan bickering, but it also made him appear to be a figure of the past, possibly out of touch with modern issues.
National Americans focused their attacks on Pendleton and the Democrats as a whole, finding Tilden's character and record to be nearly unassailable. Attacks on the party were easy to make. All they had to do was point to the infamous meeting in 1876, paint the Democrats as southern sympathizers still beholden to slave power and the Confederacy.
In the end, the public had to choose if they wanted to oust the deeply unpopular ruling party, or re-elect their very popular ruling president.
Results and Aftermath[]
The outcome of the election was controversial. Tilden won enough electoral votes by a small margin in the vital state of Pennsylvania. He lost the popular vote soundly to Washburne, and the National Americans immediately began to call it a corrupt fluke. The solid loss in the popular vote can be largely attributed to the absence of the former Solid South vote for Democrats. In addition, Tilden won slim victories in the pivotal states such as New York and Pennsylvania, while Washburne won by large margins in former Republican strongholds that were also heavily populated. Washburne believed he ran a good campaign, although some said that his negatives as a candidate were what lost the election.
The National Americans were frustrated at the loss and were forced to gear up for yet another 4 years of a Democrat in the White House. The party achieved widespread victories across the country in the 1880 elections, winning majorities in both houses of Congress.
Tilden's second term began similarly to his first- mired in questions about his popular mandate. However, he remained personally well-liked and set his sights on pursuing more civil service reform. This would not come to pass as he was in a weakened position politically and could not compel Congress to act.
He did make a very major legislative accomplishment during his second term, that being the abolition of slavery, which he helped pass with the help of the National Americans in Congress. This action divided the Democratic Party into two factions united around Tilden and Pendleton. Tilden himself took great pride in the accomplishment and considered his presidency to be a success. He also worked with the National Americans to put the country on the gold standard, a move which caused the Panic of 1883 and landed the country in a years long economic recession. Tilden lost his popularity among the public but continued to personally believe he did the right things whenever he could. He died shortly after he left office.
The factions of the National American Party pointed fingers at each other over the loss. There would be no predetermined candidate in 1884, and some feared that the party may once again fall apart. Members of the party remained determined to get the Democrats out of the White House, only disagreeing on how they would be able to do it.
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