Republican Ulysses S. Grant was reelected president in 1872, defeating challenger Horace Greeley, the founder and editor of the New York Tribune. Greely ran as the candidate of the Democratic Party and the Liberal Republican Party. Horace Greeley died on November 29, 1872, which was after the presidential election but before the Electoral College cast its votes. Subsequently, during a joint session of Congress on February 12, 1873, Greeley’s electoral votes* were divided between the following candidates: Thomas A. Hendricks (42 votes), Benjamin G. Brown (18 votes), Charles J. Jenkins (2 votes), and David Davis (1 vote).

The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material associated with the presidential election of 1872, including manuscripts, broadsides, prints, political cartoons, sheet music, newspaper articles, and government documents. This guide compiles links to digital materials related to the presidential election of 1872 that are available throughout the Library of Congress website. In addition, it provides links to external websites focusing on the 1872 election and a selected bibliography.

1872 Presidential Election Results [1]

Notes

1. Presidential Elections, 1789-2008. (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2010), 137, 227.