Origin of the Independent Liberal Republican Party
After the Liberal Republican Party nominated Horace Greeley for President in 1872, many of the early leaders of the party faced a dilemma. They believed that Greeley was unsuitable to serve as President, that he was unelectable, and that he would not be able to reach the moderate Southerners who would be needed in order to gain popular sentiment for ending Reconstruction. Consequently, a series of meetings were held in which anti-Greeley LRP leaders discussed their options. Finally, a national conference was called to set a new course before the Democratic National Convention assembled.
Independent Liberal Republican National Convention, 1872 |
 | |
| Presidential Nominee | Vice Presidential Nominee |
Former U.S. Rep.
William S. Groesbeck OH | Frederick L. Olmsted NY |
Convention Organization
The delegates gathered in the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. They were dubbed the “Soreheads,” the “Free Traders,” and the “Bolters” by the contemporary press. The delegates met in secret in a mee
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Origin of the Independent Liberal Republican Party
After the Liberal Republican Party nominated Horace Greeley for President in 1872, many of the early leaders of the party faced a dilemma. They believed that Greeley was unsuitable to serve as President, that he was unelectable, and that he would not be able to reach the moderate Southerners who would be needed in order to gain popular sentiment for ending Reconstruction. Consequently, a series of meetings were held in which anti-Greeley LRP leaders discussed their options. Finally, a national conference was called to set a new course before the Democratic National Convention assembled.
Independent Liberal Republican National Convention, 1872 |
| |
| Presidential Nominee | Vice Presidential Nominee |
Former U.S. Rep.
William S. Groesbeck OH | Frederick L. Olmsted NY |
Convention Organization
The delegates gathered in the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. They were dubbed the “Soreheads,” the “Free Traders,” and the “Bolters” by the contemporary press. The delegates met in secret in a meeting room down a long hallway in the hotel. The sixty delegates were individually queried about the status of the LRP in their home states. The meeting was divided equally between those who felt that there was not time to offer an alternate ticket and those who believed that the cause was too critical to offer no one more qualified than Greeley. The delegates remained in session until 1:30 the next morning, then adjourned sine die.
The next morning, 23 of the delegates re-assembled in secret. They discussed alternate tickets, and at the end of the day announced they supported William S. Groesbeck OH for President and Frederick L. Olmsted NY for Vice President.
Chairman: J.D. Cox OH (first day), Thomas Gaunt MO (second day)
Campaign
The campaign of the party was quite brief. Olmsted immediately declined to run on the ticket, and the very next day newspapers ran his statement. On 6/26/1872, Groesbeck announced that he would support the ticket of the Democratic National Convention, leaving open the possibility that he might be chosen. When he was not chosen, Groesbeck declined to run with the ILRP.
Popular vote of 1872
Electoral vote of 1872
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