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Grover Cleveland Democratic. Elected President. William McKinley Republican. The 1896 United States presidential election was the 28th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley, the Republican nominee, defeated former Representative William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nominee.
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United States presidential election of 1896, American presidential election held on November 3, 1896, in which Republican William McKinley defeated Democrat-Populist William Jennings Bryan.
The presidential campaign of 1896 was one of the most exciting in American history. The central issue was the country’s money supply. An economic depression had begun in 1893, and public opinion—and even the Democratic Party—was split between those who favoured the gold standard and those who favoured free silver, a type of currency inflation, to help alleviate the depression. Most Republicans, as well as Democratic supporters of Pres. Grover Cleveland, were in favour of the gold standard. Southern and western Democrats and Populists (also known as the People’s Party)—many of them farmers who were suffering financially—vied for free silver, which ultimately helped bring those two parties together.
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In June at the Republican national convention in St. Louis, Missouri, former Ohio congressman and governor William McKinley, who was popular in his party for his moderate views on gold and silver, easily won the Republican presidential nomination. Garret A. Hobart of New Jersey was chosen as his running mate after Thomas Reed, who had vied for the presidential ticket, rejected the vice presidential nomination.
McKinley ran on a Republican platform emphasizing maintenance of the gold standard, while his opponent called for the bimetallic standard of gold and silver. Bryan campaigned vigorously, traveling thousands of miles and delivering hundreds of speeches in support of an inflated currency that would help poor farmers and other debtors. McKinley remained at home in Canton, Ohio, greeting visiting delegations of Republicans at his front porch and giving carefully prepared speeches promoting the benefits of a gold-backed currency. Prominent Republican industrialist Mark Hanna tapped big businesses for enormous campaign contributions while directing a network of Republican speakers who portrayed Bryan as a dangerous radical and McKinley as “the advance agent of prosperity.” Although Bryan rallied a devoted voter base, sweeping the South and most of the mountain West, McKinley won the election decisively, carrying the North and Pacific West and becoming the first president to achieve a popular majority since 1872. In the electoral college, McKinley defeated Bryan 271 to 176.
For the results of the previous election, see United States presidential election of 1892. For the results of the subsequent election, see United States presidential election of 1900.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Aug 5, 2020 · As the presidential election year of 1896 began, things were looking rosy for the Republicans. But the emergence of a brash, young politician, William Jennings Bryan, soon turned the tide.
- Sarah Pruitt
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William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan in the election of 1896 in a contest that largely came down to economic conditions and monetary policy.
The election of 1896 is seen as the beginning of a new era in American politics, or a “realignment” election. Ever since the election of 1800, American presidential contests had, on some level, been a referendum on whether the country should be governed by agrarian interests (rural indebted farmers–the countryside–“main street”) or industrial interests (business–the city ...
Jul 29, 2021 · William McKinley won the election of 1896 with 271 Electoral College votes, 47 more than needed. He garnered 51% of the popular vote, the highest percentage since Grant’s reelection and over 2 million more than Harrison received in 1892.
The United States presidential election of November 3, 1896, saw Republican William McKinley defeat Democrat William Jennings Bryan in a campaign considered by historians to be one of the most dramatic and complex in American history.
