Daring Whig Plan to Thwart Van Buren Backfired in 1836 Election
The presidential election of 1836 could have been a pivotal moment in American history, coming as it did at the end of the two terms of Andrew Jackson. The policies and personal style of Jackson had disrupted the political landscape and inspired widespread opposition.
A new political party, the Whigs, developed essentially as an opposition to the man criticized as "King Andrew." And the newly formed party believed it could defeat Jackson's handpicked successor, New York's Martin Van Buren.
The strategy employed by the Whigs in 1836 was inventive and it would have been a brilliant stroke had it worked. Van Buren's opposition felt its best chance was to run multiple candidates, creating a situation in which no one could win a majority in the electoral college.
In that scenario, the Constitution requires that the election is to be decided in the House of Representatives. And the Whigs believed they had enough strength on Capitol Hill to eliminate Van Buren and choose a winner from among their own candidates.
Planning on such an outcome seems bizarre today. But in 1836 things appeared quite differently. Only 12 years earlier, the election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives, in balloting which became notorious as "The Corrupt Bargain." And the presidential election of 1800 had also been decided after balloting in the House.
In 1836 the Whig plan backfired, and Van Buren managed to win a majority in the electoral college. With the various Whig candidates splitting the opposition votes, it appears, simply looking at the numbers, that Van Buren trounced his adversaries.
However, if the results of one state, Pennsylvania, had gone differently, Van Buren would have been denied an electoral college majority. And the plan to have the election decided on Capitol Hill would have succeeded.
The leading opponent to Jackson and his policies had been Henry Clay, but he had lost the election of 1832 when Jackson won a second term. That defeat effectively eliminated Clay for serious consideration in 1836.
The next logical candidate was another political heavyweight, Daniel Webster, who was representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. A problem with Webster was that he was tied to New England manufacturers and establishment bankers which made his candidacy unacceptable to voters in the South and West.
A man respected in the West, William Henry Harrison, who had been the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 25 years earlier, emerged as a contender. Harrison had served in Congress but did not have extensive political experience.
In the South, Alabama senator Hugh White also became a Whig candidate.
When the votes were counted, the Whig strategy of have several candidates deny Van Buren a majority failed. Van Buren received 170 electoral votes, followed by Harrison with 73, White with 26, and Webster with 14. The state of South Carolina cast its 11 electoral votes for a man who wasn't really running, Willie Mangum, a North Carolina politician.
William Henry Harrison had lost the state of Pennsylvania by only 4,000 votes. And had Pennsylvania's electoral votes had gone to Harrison instead of Van Buren, no one would have received a majority in the electoral college.
The Whig strategy of splitting the vote failed, and Van Buren won. Yet the Whigs, in their first national election, had some cause for optimism. They had won a number of states, including some in the South. And the party, which had been formed in opposition to one person, seemed to have a future.
In the election of 1840, William Henry Harrison triumphed over Van Buren. The first Whig presidency, however, was doomed, as Harrison died a month after taking office. And his vice president, John Tyler, became notable for antagonizing the Whigs, and only served one troubled term.
Other American elections would feature multiple presidential candidates. But the 1836 strategy of purposely running candidates in hopes of sending the election to the House of Representatives was never repeated.
A new political party, the Whigs, developed essentially as an opposition to the man criticized as "King Andrew." And the newly formed party believed it could defeat Jackson's handpicked successor, New York's Martin Van Buren.
The strategy employed by the Whigs in 1836 was inventive and it would have been a brilliant stroke had it worked. Van Buren's opposition felt its best chance was to run multiple candidates, creating a situation in which no one could win a majority in the electoral college.
In that scenario, the Constitution requires that the election is to be decided in the House of Representatives. And the Whigs believed they had enough strength on Capitol Hill to eliminate Van Buren and choose a winner from among their own candidates.
Planning on such an outcome seems bizarre today. But in 1836 things appeared quite differently. Only 12 years earlier, the election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives, in balloting which became notorious as "The Corrupt Bargain." And the presidential election of 1800 had also been decided after balloting in the House.
In 1836 the Whig plan backfired, and Van Buren managed to win a majority in the electoral college. With the various Whig candidates splitting the opposition votes, it appears, simply looking at the numbers, that Van Buren trounced his adversaries.
However, if the results of one state, Pennsylvania, had gone differently, Van Buren would have been denied an electoral college majority. And the plan to have the election decided on Capitol Hill would have succeeded.
The Whig Candidates of 1836
The leading opponent to Jackson and his policies had been Henry Clay, but he had lost the election of 1832 when Jackson won a second term. That defeat effectively eliminated Clay for serious consideration in 1836.
The next logical candidate was another political heavyweight, Daniel Webster, who was representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. A problem with Webster was that he was tied to New England manufacturers and establishment bankers which made his candidacy unacceptable to voters in the South and West.
A man respected in the West, William Henry Harrison, who had been the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe 25 years earlier, emerged as a contender. Harrison had served in Congress but did not have extensive political experience.
In the South, Alabama senator Hugh White also became a Whig candidate.
The Results
When the votes were counted, the Whig strategy of have several candidates deny Van Buren a majority failed. Van Buren received 170 electoral votes, followed by Harrison with 73, White with 26, and Webster with 14. The state of South Carolina cast its 11 electoral votes for a man who wasn't really running, Willie Mangum, a North Carolina politician.
William Henry Harrison had lost the state of Pennsylvania by only 4,000 votes. And had Pennsylvania's electoral votes had gone to Harrison instead of Van Buren, no one would have received a majority in the electoral college.
Legacy of the Election of 1836
The Whig strategy of splitting the vote failed, and Van Buren won. Yet the Whigs, in their first national election, had some cause for optimism. They had won a number of states, including some in the South. And the party, which had been formed in opposition to one person, seemed to have a future.
In the election of 1840, William Henry Harrison triumphed over Van Buren. The first Whig presidency, however, was doomed, as Harrison died a month after taking office. And his vice president, John Tyler, became notable for antagonizing the Whigs, and only served one troubled term.
Other American elections would feature multiple presidential candidates. But the 1836 strategy of purposely running candidates in hopes of sending the election to the House of Representatives was never repeated.
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