Back in 1943, Irving Stone wrote a brilliant work, They Also Ran, which provides a historical analysis into the men who lost their respective presidential elections, yet, in some cases, may have actually been better Presidents than those they were defeated by.
The book ends with 1943, which means we never get to see how Stone would have rated men like Stevenson, Humphrey, or the like, which is why I decided that I'd have a few diaries on the 'Also Rans'. The people who might have made a difference, had they only been elected, and let our fellow users decide which one of these Also Rans they think might have made a difference.
And so, I'm diving this up into six separate diaries. The first three will revolve around the Democrats, the second two will revolve around the Republicans, and the final will revolve around the various third party candidates we've seen win actual electoral votes in presidential contests.
The first part will be showcasing those Democrats who were unfortunately (or fortunately, in some cases) defeated in their respective elections in the 19th Century.
Without further adieu, here they are:
Lewis Cass is our first contender. Cass should be noted as the first non-incumbent Democrat to ever lose an election in U.S. history. Cass served as both the Governor and a Senator of Michigan, as well as serving as Andrew Jackson's own Secretary of War. Cass was in favor of Stephen Douglas' 'Popular Sovereignty' in which territories could decide for themselves if they would allow slavery or not, which caused a splinter in the party following his nomination. The splinter group, the Free Soil Party, would eventually merge with former Whigs to form the Republican Party later on in history. Cass was defeated by Zachary Taylor.
John C. Breckinridge is our second contender. Breckinridge served under James Bunchanan as Vice President, and was a rather youthful candidate as well. His major flaws, however, were numerous. Breckinridge was the Southern Democratic nominee for President, running on an avidly pro-slavery and pro-State's Rights platform, much to the detriment of Northern Democrats, who formed their own party for this election. Division within the party allowed Lincoln's own victory in 1860, leaving Breckinridge to later openly support secession and even serve as both a Confederate General and Secretary of War. Breckinridge was defeated by Abraham Lincoln.
Stephen Douglas comes in third here, as the Northern Democratic candidate in 1860. Douglas is noted in history mostly as a result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, but as well as for his doctrine of 'Popular Sovereignty'. Douglas served as a Senator from Illinois before and after his defeat in 1860. Douglas was defeated by Abraham Lincoln.
George McClellan looked by early 1864 to be the next President of the United States, if not for Sherman's capture of Atlanta and a resurgence of the Union in the midst of the Civil War. McClellan, noted as one of the worst Generals of the Civil War, served under Lincoln until he was fired for not going along with Lincoln's wishes. Taking the opportunity, the Democrats nominated McClellan for the Presidency in 1864, running on a pro-peace platform with the Confederacy, something he personally didn't even agree with, and was pushed on him as a compromising factor. McClellan was defeated by Abraham Lincoln.
Horatio Seymour was a New York Governor and an avid spokesman against Lincoln's civil liberties infringements during the course of the Civil War. Seymour also served as DNC chair for a time, and was identified with President Andrew Johnson's attempts at Reconstruction, which focused less on giving rights to newly freed blacks and more on giving rights back to former Confederates. Seymour was defeated by Ulysses S. Grant.
Horace Greely a former Whig and Republican, was nominated by both a Republican splinter group, the Liberal Republican Party (Which allied closely to Lincoln's own beliefs), and the Democratic Party, in fear that a Democratic nominee would split the anti-Grant vote and allow him victory. Greeley proved hard for most Democrats to avidly support, as his previous writings were virulently anti-Democratic and pro-Republican, yet, many swallowed their pride to vote for Greeley, who ended up dying after the popular vote was even counted, leaving a number of Democrats to try and vie for his electoral votes, and inadvertently, granting the corrupt Grant a second term. Greeley was defeated by Ulysses S. Grant.
Samuel J. Tilden could be described as the Al Gore of the 19th Century. Tilden too, was robbed of his own election to the Presidency in a back room deal with Republicans to remove federal troops from the occupied South. Tilden was a Bourbon Democrat, meaning he was just as pro-business as the Republicans of the Gilded Age and at the same time, he was a man who crusaded the fight against corruption, having taken on Tammany Hall as Governor of New York. Tilden was 'defeated' by Rutherford B. Hayes.
Winfield Scott Hancock was a Civil War hero nominated by the Democrats in 1880. Hancock was well respected on both sides of the political spectrum, leading Republicans to done down their attacks in the 1880 election, yet they didn't hesitate to brand the Democrats as traitors once more, dragging up the Civil War history of many Southern Democrats. Hancock's campaign was rather uneventful, as was the election itself, in which Hancock was thoroughly beaten in the electoral vote count, but was virtually even in the popular vote count. Hancock was defeated by James Garfield.
William Jennings Bryan whom I hope all of you know, was a Democratic nominee in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and I'll probably include him in the 20th Century 'Also Rans'. Bryan was a populist orator from Nebraska, a former Representative and advocate of the common man and woman and free silver, a stringent campaign issue that sought to create a bimetallic standard of gold and silver rather than the gold standard advocated by Republicans. Bryan ran a brilliant campaign, yet, he was unable to capture the White House on the merits of his own values, as the moneyed agents of the Republicans sought to keep him out at all costs. Bryan was defeated by William McKinley.
I've included a poll as well for you to project your views and such, and please don't forget to comment! :)
They Also Ran : The Democrats - Part II of VI will probably be posted either tonight or tomorrow, and it will focus on Also Rans from Bryan to Dukakis, so keep a look out for it!