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Presidential Election of 1896: A Resource Guide

William McKinley was elected president in 1896, defeating William Jennings Bryan. This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, links to external websites, and a print bibliography.

Introduction

William McKinley (Republican) defeated William Jennings Bryan (Democratic/Populist) in the 1896 presidential election. The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material associated with the presidential election of 1896, including manuscripts, broadsides, prints, political cartoons, sheet music, and newspaper articles.

This guide compiles links to digital materials related to the presidential election of 1896 that are available throughout the Library of Congress website. In addition, it provides links to external websites focusing on the 1896 election and a selected bibliography.


1896 Presidential Election Results [1]


Political Party Presidential Nominee VP Nominee Electoral College Popular Vote
Republican William McKinley Garret Hobart 271 7,105,144
Democratic/Populist William Jennings Bryan Arthur Sewall/Thomas Watson 176 6,370,897

Notes

1. Presidential Elections, 1789-2008. (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2010), 143, 233.