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18th Vice President of the United States | |
| Predecessor | Augustus C. Dodge |
| Successor | Chauncey Depew |
| President | Samuel J. Tilden |
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15th Governor of Indiana | |
| Predecessor | Oliver P. Morton |
| Successor | James D. Williams |
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U.S. Senator from Indiana | |
| Predecessor | David Turpie |
| Successor | Daniel D. Pratt |
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U.S. Representative from Indiana's 6th district | |
| Predecessor | Willis A. Gorman |
| Successor | Lucien Barbour |
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U.S. Representative from Indiana's 5th district | |
| Predecessor | William Brown |
| Successor | Samuel W. Parker |
| Born | September 7, 1819 Fultonham, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 1885 (aged 66) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Spouse | Eliza Morgan |
| Political Party | Democratic |
Thomas Andrews Hendricks (September 7, 1819 – October 11, 1885) was an American politician who served as the 18th Vice President of the United States and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1884.
Early Life[]
Political career[]
Vice President of the United States[]
Hendricks won the governorship of Indiana in 1868, serving in that role until 1873. He then ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 1876, losing out to Samuel J. Tilden. He accepted the offer to be Tilden's running mate, balancing out Tilden's hard money stance. The two won a convincing victory, despite only winning 47.5% of the popular vote.
Like most vice presidents, Hendricks did not have much of an impact on the country during his tenure. His health began declining around 1878, and he was unable to even stand for long periods of time by 1882. Nonetheless, he hid his crippling health issues from the public and even his friends and successfully won renomination for vice president in 1880. This election was much closer, but he and Tilden still managed to win a second term.
Despite some differences in ideology, Hendricks and Tilden got along well. They continually praised the other's work and good morals while in office.
With both the president's and vice president's health failing, there were concerns that one or both of them could die before their terms were up. Privately, Hendricks expressed concern about the possibility of becoming president, unsure if he could handle the pressure in his weak state. He unexpectedly won the 1884 Democratic nomination for president as a compromise candidate, despite his repeated protests that he was not physically up to the job or the campaign. He reluctantly accepted the nomination and did his best to represent the party. Illness meant that he was unable to even run a front porch campaign for most of the election.
Despite Hendricks' popularity nationwide, 1884 was simply not the Democrats' year. Hendricks lost by a large margin to the National American candidate William B. Allison. Privately, he felt some relief that he would be able to retire to Indiana.
Post-Vice Presidency[]
Hendricks returned home after his term was up and died in October 1885, just over a month after Samuel J. Tilden died in New York. Surprisingly, though, he outlived President Allison, who was assassinated in June 1885.
Legacy[]
Hendricks was revered in his home state for the next 50+ years after his death. He did not accomplish much of note in the executive branch due to the nature of the office of vice president, and because of his poor health throughout his term. As such, his time as vice president is mostly forgotten. Historians also consider him to be a somewhat poor choice as a presidential nominee. He was not up to the rigors of a campaign and the wide public knowledge of the state of his health made voters less willing to support him.
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