The Election of 1872 saw President Ulysses S. Grant, the Union’s war hero, seek a second term against newspaper editor Horace Greeley. Though Grant entered the race with strong popularity, his administration faced corruption scandals, fierce opposition, and one of the most unusual campaign endings in U.S. history.
Grant’s Popularity and Achievements
Grant remained widely admired in the aftermath of the Civil War, particularly among African Americans. His administration supported the 15th Amendment (ratified in 1870), which guaranteed voting rights regardless of race, colour, or previous servitude. Grant also took aggressive action against the Ku Klux Klan, using the Enforcement Acts to prosecute and convict members in federal courts, temporarily curbing the group’s violence.
With these successes, Grant easily secured the Republican nomination for re-election. His running mate was Henry Wilson, a Massachusetts Senator and outspoken abolitionist, chosen to replace Vice President Schuyler Colfax, who had been tainted by scandal.
Scandals and “Grantism”
Despite these achievements, Grant’s first term was plagued by accusations of corruption, known as “Grantism.” Critics accused him of nepotism and appointing friends to powerful posts, many of whom became embroiled in scandal.
The most infamous case was the Credit Mobilier scandal, involving kickbacks to members of Congress in exchange for railroad contracts. Vice President Colfax was implicated, forcing the Republicans to replace him on the ticket.
Other scandals included the “Gold Ring” conspiracy of 1869, where speculators tried to corner the gold market, and allegations of bribery within the Attorney General’s office. Though Grant himself was not directly involved, his loyalty to friends gave the impression of a corrupt presidency.
The Liberal Republican Revolt
Discontent with Grant’s leadership prompted a splinter group to form the Liberal Republican Party in 1872. Advocating for civil service reform, reconciliation with the South, and an end to military occupation, they appealed to reform-minded voters.
Surprisingly, the party nominated Horace Greeley, the outspoken editor of the New York Tribune, as their candidate. His running mate was Benjamin Gratz Brown, the Governor of Missouri.
The Democrats, desperate to unseat Grant, abandoned their own slate and endorsed Greeley — creating a bizarre alliance between Democrats and a Republican reform faction.
The Equal Rights Party
The election also saw a historic first: the Equal Rights Party nominated Victoria Woodhull, making her the first woman to run for U.S. president. Her symbolic running mate was abolitionist Frederick Douglass, though he never formally accepted.
Woodhull’s campaign, centred on women’s suffrage and equal rights, broke new ground despite lacking electoral impact. Days before the election, she was arrested for publishing material deemed “obscene,” underlining the challenges faced by early female reformers.
A Bitter Campaign
The campaign turned vicious. Republicans painted Greeley as erratic, pointing to his history of radical views and his supposed associations with corrupt Democratic machines like Tammany Hall. Political cartoons by Thomas Nast mocked him mercilessly, even depicting him shaking hands with John Wilkes Booth over Lincoln’s grave.
Democrats and Liberal Republicans attacked Grant’s administration as corrupt and authoritarian. They also revived charges of alcoholism against him and criticised his wartime General Order No. 11, which had expelled Jews from his military district (a policy Grant later renounced).
Greeley’s Misfortunes
As if political attacks weren’t enough, Greeley endured personal tragedies during the campaign. His wife, Mary, died of tuberculosis in late October, sending him into depression. Soon after, he was pushed out of the New York Tribune by his colleagues, deepening his despair.
Sick and broken, Greeley spent his final weeks in a sanatorium. On November 29, just three weeks after the election and the same day electoral votes were counted, he died — making him the only major-party presidential candidate in U.S. history to die during the electoral process.
Results of the 1872 Election
With every former Confederate state readmitted to the Union, a candidate needed 177 electoral votes to win.
- Ulysses S. Grant (Republican) – 286 electoral votes; 55.6% of the popular vote
- Horace Greeley (Liberal Republican/Democrat) – 66 electoral votes (but reallocated after his death); 43.8% of the popular vote
Grant’s landslide secured him a second term, making him the first Republican president to serve two full terms. Greeley’s death meant most of his electoral votes were scattered among minor candidates — a unique footnote in presidential history.
Despite the bitter campaign, Grant attended Greeley’s funeral, offering a rare gesture of respect in an otherwise venomous election.
Legacy
The Election of 1872 was remarkable for its scandals, mudslinging, and tragedy. It underscored the fragility of Reconstruction-era politics and revealed how corruption, factionalism, and personal turmoil could shape national contests.
It followed the Election of 1868, when Grant first swept into office on his war hero reputation, and led into the Election of 1876 — one of the most disputed and consequential elections in U.S. history.