1872 US Elections: When An Incumbent President Ran Against A Dead Opponent

The US Presidential election is a high-stakes affair, full of drama, intrigue, and sometimes even chaos. But no matter how intense or unusual, modern elections pale in comparison to the strange, unforgettable polls of 1872 when incumbent President Ulysses S Grant ran for reelection against a man in the grave.

The 1872 US Elections

The 1872 US elections, held on November 5, is arguably the most unusual in American history. Incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant, who was running for a second term, against Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the New York Tribune, and an outspoken critic of Grant’s administration. Despite a split in the Republican Party, Grant ultimately defeated Horace Greeley in a race that would become infamous due to an unprecedented twist: Greeley died just weeks after the popular vote, effectively making Grant’s primary opponent a “candidate from the grave.” This left the Electoral College scrambling to figure out how to handle a candidate who had died before they could cast their votes.

Ulysses Grant’s Campaign 

Ulysses Grant, a former popular Civil War general, was unanimously re-nominated by the Republican Party. But not everyone was happy with his leadership. A breakaway faction, the Liberal Republicans, opposed Grant’s approach to Reconstruction and government reform. They held their convention and nominated Greeley, hoping to unseat Grant. Seeing a rare chance to unite with Republicans against Grant, the Democratic Party decided to endorse Greeley as well, forming a temporary alliance with the Liberal Republicans.

Horace Greeley’s Campaign

Horace Greeley was known as a fiery editor of the New York Tribune but had little experience in politics. His blunt opinions and unpolished campaign style didn’t resonate well with many voters. Though Greeley campaigned hard, he struggled to compete with Grant’s popularity, especially in Southern states, which supported Grant in large numbers – a rarity for a Republican.

1872 US Election Outcome

When the votes were counted, Grant registered a landslide win, taking 31 of the 37 states and securing a comfortable victory. It looked like a straightforward re-election for Grant, but Greeley’s health had been deteriorating, and just three weeks after the election, he died on November 29, 1872.

Greeley’s death created confusion in the Electoral College. Since he had already won electoral votes, the electors were left with an unusual dilemma. With Greeley no longer alive to serve, his electoral votes were scattered among other Democratic candidates. None of these votes could change the outcome, as Grant’s victory was already assured, but it was the only time in American history that electors faced the task of reassigning votes for a candidate who had died.

The 1872 US elections was the first – and only – time that a major presidential candidate died between the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. Ulysses Grant’s victory marked the beginning of the longest Republican winning streak in the US elections, lasting until 1884.