1876 United States Presidential Election

The 1876 United States presidential election was the 23rd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 1876. Darkhorse candidate James Longstreet was able to defeat a divided opposition for the Presidency, as he defeated Labor nominee Hendrick B. Wright and Populist nominee Ignatius Donnelly.

Hendrick B. Wright, the Vice President, solidly won the Labor Party nomination. A group of Populists and Pro-Silver Laborites bolted from the party and formed the Populist Party in opposition to Prohibition and Wright in particular. The Populists nominated former Speaker of the House Ignatius Donnelly for the Presidency, with Edmund R. Cocke for Vice President. The Federal Republicans, sensing an opportunity to defeat the Laborites due to the split, rushed to have their own convention. There, they surprisingly nominated Darkhorse candidate James Longstreet.

James Longstreet won the Presidency in a landslide due to the Labor-Populist split. Donnelly narrowly was able to preform better than Wright, but still came in third due to Wright winning more electoral votes than he did. The Populists and Laborites would soon create the Farmer-Labor Party in the ashes of the Labor and Populist Party's.

Federal Republican Party nomination
Also see: 1876 Federal Republican National Convention The Federal Republicans, seeing an opportunity to defeat the Laborites after the party's split, rushed to have their own convention. The Convention was packed full of big names like Frederick W. Seward, Charles F. Adams, Hiram R. Revels, and others. Though, a draft campaign for a moderate colonel named James Longstreet picked up significant popularity. Surprisingly, the draft movement was able to give Longstreet a narrow lead on the first ballot. Longstreet held his lead for five more ballots, until on the sixth ballot where he won a majority of votes and received the nomination. Many viewed Longstreet and his mostly unknown views as a good way to unite the party, as Amos Akerman of Georgia, a former delegate to have voted to draft Benjamin Bristow, would put it: “Longstreet is the only man who can unite this convention, we’ve seen corruption and division at this convention and the nation’s ready for unity and progress with a man they can respect.”

Despite his upset victory, the views of Colonel Longstreet were not well known, and the emissary sent to inform the shocked and reluctant candidate was told to ask Longstreet of any details on his views. Longstreet proceeded to telegram the convention in reply, stating that he had voted only four times before: for States’ Rights candidate Zachary Taylor in 1848, Federalist Winfield Scott in 1852, and Democrat Pierre G.T. Beauregard in 1864, all due to respect of their military service rather than political consideration; finally, he had voted for Dix in 1872. He declared himself to be “foreign to abstract political principles, but dedicated to equal rights to all, states’ rights, and understanding of the value of a sound currency and protection for industry.”

Labor Party nomination
Many candidates were present at the convention, like Vice President Hendrick B. Wright, Former Speaker of the House Ignatius Donnelly, the Governor of Nebraska John St. John, and many others. Wright was able to maintain a stable lead on all four ballots, but really only really due to divided populist opposition, being split up between Cocke, Donnelly, and others. Wright was able to solidly win the nomination, but not without opposition from Populists within the party. The Populists walked out of the convention in protest to Wrights nomination, and formed the relatively short lived Populist Party.

Populist Party nomination
After bolting from the Labor Party, the Populists held their own convention. The convention as swift and short, and it quickly nominated former speaker of the House Ignatius Donnelly for the Presidency, with Edmund R. Cocke for the Vice Presidency. The Populists would effectively be a spoiler, which allowed Longstreet and the Federal Republicans to win in a landslide.

Results
James Longstreet won the Presidency in a landslide due to the Labor-Populist split. Donnelly narrowly was able to preform better than Wright, but still came in third due to Wright winning more electoral votes than he did. The Populists and Laborites would soon create the Farmer-Labor Party in the ashes of the Labor and Populist Party's.