1872 Presidential Election

November 5, 1872 · Civil War & Reconstruction · 352 electoral votes, 177 to win

Grant routed Greeley, the strange Liberal Republican-Democratic fusion nominee, who died between the election and the electoral count, his votes scattering among four men. The only major-party nominee to die mid-election.

Elected

Ulysses S. Grant

Republican

Electoral vote

286 of 352

Popular vote

55.6%

3,598,235 votes

Turnout

72.1%

The result

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Ulysses S. Grant

Republican · 55.60% of votes

286

electoral votes

Thomas A. Hendricks

Democratic

electoral votes

Benjamin Gratz Brown

Liberal Republican

electoral votes

Charles J. Jenkins

Democratic

electoral votes

David Davis

Liberal Republican

electoral votes

Horace Greeley

Liberal Republican · 43.80% of votes

electoral votes

Charles O'Conor

Straight-Out Democrats · 0.30% of votes

—

electoral votes

James Black

Prohibition · 0.10% of votes

—

electoral votes


Ulysses S. Grant	Republican	Henry Wilson	286	3,598,235	55.60%	29
Thomas A. Hendricks	Democratic	—	42	—	—	—
Benjamin Gratz Brown	Liberal Republican	—	18	—	—	—
Charles J. Jenkins	Democratic	—	2	—	—	—
David Davis	Liberal Republican	—	1	—	—	—
Horace Greeley	Liberal Republican	Benjamin Gratz Brown	0	2,834,761	43.80%	6
Charles O'Conor	Straight-Out Democrats	John Quincy Adams II	—	18,602	0.30%	—
James Black	Prohibition	John Russell	—	5,607	0.10%	—

6,457,205 votes recorded for the candidates listed.

Results by state

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Alabama

Ulysses S. Grant · 53.2% · runner-up Horace Greeley 46.8%

electoral votes

Arkansas

Ulysses S. Grant · 52.2%

—

electoral votes

California

Ulysses S. Grant · 56.4% · runner-up Horace Greeley 42.5%

electoral votes

Connecticut

Ulysses S. Grant · 52.4% · runner-up Horace Greeley 47.6%

electoral votes

Delaware

Ulysses S. Grant · 51.0% · runner-up Horace Greeley 46.8%

electoral votes

Florida

Ulysses S. Grant · 53.5% · runner-up Horace Greeley 46.5%

electoral votes

Georgia

Horace Greeley · 55.0% · runner-up Ulysses S. Grant 45.0%

electoral votes

Illinois

Ulysses S. Grant · 56.3% · runner-up Horace Greeley 43.0%

electoral votes

Indiana

Ulysses S. Grant · 53.2% · runner-up Horace Greeley 46.8%

electoral votes

Iowa

Ulysses S. Grant · 60.8% · runner-up Horace Greeley 32.9%

electoral votes

Kansas

Ulysses S. Grant · 66.5% · runner-up Horace Greeley 32.8%

electoral votes

Kentucky

Horace Greeley · 52.3% · runner-up Ulysses S. Grant 46.4%

electoral votes


Alabama	Ulysses S. Grant	53.2%	10	Horace Greeley · 46.8%
Arkansas	Ulysses S. Grant	52.2%	—	—
California	Ulysses S. Grant	56.4%	6	Horace Greeley · 42.5%
Connecticut	Ulysses S. Grant	52.4%	6	Horace Greeley · 47.6%
Delaware	Ulysses S. Grant	51.0%	3	Horace Greeley · 46.8%
Florida	Ulysses S. Grant	53.5%	4	Horace Greeley · 46.5%
Georgia	Horace Greeley	55.0%	11	Ulysses S. Grant · 45.0%
Illinois	Ulysses S. Grant	56.3%	21	Horace Greeley · 43.0%
Indiana	Ulysses S. Grant	53.2%	15	Horace Greeley · 46.8%
Iowa	Ulysses S. Grant	60.8%	11	Horace Greeley · 32.9%
Kansas	Ulysses S. Grant	66.5%	5	Horace Greeley · 32.8%
Kentucky	Horace Greeley	52.3%	12	Ulysses S. Grant · 46.4%
Louisiana	Ulysses S. Grant	55.7%	—	—
Maine	Ulysses S. Grant	67.9%	7	Horace Greeley · 32.1%
Maryland	Horace Greeley	50.3%	8	Ulysses S. Grant · 49.7%
Massachusetts	Ulysses S. Grant	69.3%	13	Horace Greeley · 30.7%
Michigan	Ulysses S. Grant	62.6%	11	Horace Greeley · 35.5%
Minnesota	Ulysses S. Grant	61.4%	8	Horace Greeley · 38.5%
Mississippi	Ulysses S. Grant	63.5%	8	Horace Greeley · 36.5%
Missouri	Horace Greeley	55.5%	15	Ulysses S. Grant · 43.7%
Nebraska	Ulysses S. Grant	70.7%	3	Horace Greeley · 29.3%
Nevada	Ulysses S. Grant	57.4%	3	Horace Greeley · 42.6%
New Hampshire	Ulysses S. Grant	53.9%	5	Horace Greeley · 45.6%
New Jersey	Ulysses S. Grant	54.5%	9	Horace Greeley · 45.5%
New York	Ulysses S. Grant	53.2%	35	Horace Greeley · 46.8%
North Carolina	Ulysses S. Grant	57.4%	10	Horace Greeley · 42.5%
Ohio	Ulysses S. Grant	53.2%	22	Horace Greeley · 46.2%
Oregon	Ulysses S. Grant	58.8%	3	Horace Greeley · 38.5%
Pennsylvania	Ulysses S. Grant	62.3%	29	Horace Greeley · 37.8%
Rhode Island	Ulysses S. Grant	71.9%	4	Horace Greeley · 28.1%
South Carolina	Ulysses S. Grant	75.7%	7	Horace Greeley · 23.8%
Tennessee	Horace Greeley	52.2%	12	Ulysses S. Grant · 47.8%
Texas	Horace Greeley	58.5%	8	Ulysses S. Grant · 41.4%
Vermont	Ulysses S. Grant	79.2%	5	Horace Greeley · 20.9%
Virginia	Ulysses S. Grant	50.5%	11	Horace Greeley · 49.5%
West Virginia	Ulysses S. Grant	51.7%	5	Horace Greeley · 47.3%
Wisconsin	Ulysses S. Grant	54.6%	10	Horace Greeley · 44.9%

The state table accounts for 289 of Ulysses S. Grant's 286 official electoral votes; 66 of Horace Greeley's 0 official electoral votes. The remainder reflect split delegations, district allocations, faithless electors or votes not counted, as recorded at the electoral count.

The Congress it seated

43th Congress

1873–1875

Unified government

Senate

19–54

Republican control · Democratic–Republican

House

88–203

Republican control · Democratic–Republican