Recap of Popular Vote
President Grant won a 56-44% victory in the national popular vote on 11/5/1872. He carried 29 states with 286 electoral votes; Greeley carried six states with 66 electoral votes. Both parties claimed Louisiana and Arkansas.
The electoral vote was complicated by the death of Horace Greeley on 11/29/1872. The Liberal Republican National Committee directed its Presidential Electors to vote for Grant for President and B. Gratz Brown for VP, but the Democratic National Committee took no action.
The Presidential Electors met in their respective state capitol buildings on 12/4/1872. In two states (LA and AR), competing Electors met and cast votes. Grant received his 286 electoral votes. Greeley’s Electors gave 42 votes to Indiana Governor-elect Thomas A. Hendricks, 18 to B. Gratz Brown, and three scattered. Three Georgia Electors voted for Greeley.
Joint Session of Congress
The joint session of Congress assembled on 2/12/1873 at 1:00 p.m. VP Schuyler Colfax presided, with House Speaker James G. Blaine to his side. The tellers were Sen. John Sherman, Rep. Henry L. Dawes, and Rep. James B. Beck. Colfax began opening the certificate of vote, beginning with Maine and proceeding south and then west. Since challenges were to take place, Colfax directed the tellers to only read the relevant portions of the certificates to save time. Sen. George F. Hoar objected to the Greeley electoral votes in Georgia. Sen. Roscoe Conkling recommended that since the vote of several states were being contested, it might be efficient to read through all certificates, then consider all challenges rather than have the Senate return to its chamber for each separate challenge. Sen. Lyman Trumbull objected to receiving the vote of Mississippi because of technical deficiencies. Rep. Clarkson N. Potter objected to receiving the vote of one Mississippi Elector (Spellman) who was appointed to replace an absent Elector but not certified by the Governor.
The Senators returned to their chamber at 2:08. The first question discussed was the Greeley vote in Georgia. Some Senators argued that Presidential Electors should not cast electoral votes for a deceased person. Other Senators stated that the role of the joint session of Congress was strictly to read the certificates and declare the winner. Under the 22d Joint Rule, no debate was allowed, which complicated the procedural maneuvering as minutiae of the election law were being voted on. The Senate voted 44-19 to count the Greeley votes in Georgia.
Trumbull withdrew his objection to Mississippi, and the objection to Spellman was rejected unanimously.
Meanwhile, the House voted 101-99 not to count Greeley’s electoral votes and 109-33 to count Mississippi.
The joint session re-convened at 3:30. Colfax read the resolutions approved by the two chambers. Under the rules, the Greeley vote could not be counted; the vote of Mississippi would be counted. When the counting resumed, Sen. Trumbull and Rep. Oliver J. Dickey objected to the vote of Texas.
At 4:24, the Senate returned to its chamber. Trumbull objected to Texas because the Governor failed to sign the certificate of vote. The Senate decided this was not relevant. It then voted 24-34 against rejecting the Texas vote because there was not a quorum of Electors present to conduct business (the Dickey complaint). The House voted 107-22 to accept the vote of Texas.
The joint session re-convened at 5:05. VP Colfax read the resolutions of the two chambers. The vote of Texas was accepted, and the reading of the certificates resumed with Iowa. Arkansas sent two returns, and Sen. Benjamin F. Rice objected to receiving either. Colfax pointed out that the Grant Electors submitted a regular return, but that the Liberal Republican Electors did not. Sen. Joseph West objected to the returns from his home state (Louisiana).
The Senate returned to its chamber at 6:20 to discuss Louisiana and Arkansas. It voted 28-24 not to count Arkansas and 33-16 not to count Louisiana. The House voted 103-26 to count the vote of the Republican Electors in Arkansas. Rep. James A. Garfield moved that no votes of Louisiana be counted. During the roll call vote, in which the House voted 59-85 not to count the vote of the Grant Electors, word was received from the Senate of its action. Garfield’s motion was adopted.
The joint session re-convened at 7:46. Colfax announced the decisions of the houses and declared Grant and Wilson to have been elected. The joint session ended at 8:05.
Congressional Globe and following pages.
Popular vote of 1872
NOTES:
14 Votes for Grant and 3 for Greeley are not counted in the total.
Grant's 8 votes from Louisiana and 6 votes from Arkansas were invalidated due to voting irregularities and suspected voter fraud.
Greeley died after the election but before the electoral college met. Greeley had earned 66 electoral votes. After his death 63 of the electors voted for 4 other candidates. 3 Georgia electors continued to vote for Greeley when the electoral votes were counted. Congress rejected those 3 votes as it was deemed Greeley was ineligible for the Office of President since he had died.
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