Benjamin Harrison - Constituting America

1908, William Howard Taft Defeats William Jennings Bryan

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Daniel Cotter 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1908 William Howard Taft Defeats William Jennings Bryan, Daniel Cotter, Electoral College, Supreme Court

Guest Essayist: Daniel A. Cotter

The 1908 Presidential election featured the incumbent Republican President Theodore Roosevelt following through on his promise to not seek a third term and encouraging the Republicans to nominate Secretary of War William Howard Taft. While a number of third party candidates ran against Taft, the only non-Republican candidate who garnered any significant votes was the Democratic nominee, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had been the Democratic nominee for President in 1896 and 1900, but the 1908 election was the most lopsided of his three defeats in the race for President.

Grover Cleveland: Twenty-Second And Twenty-Fourth President Of The United States

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Juliette Turner 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, Civil War, Grover Cleveland Twenty-Second And Twenty-Fourth President Of The United States, Juliette Turner

Guest Essayist: Juliette Turner

Grover Cleveland

Twenty-second and Twenty-fourth President of the United States

Nickname: The Veto President

Terms in Office: 1885–1889; 1893–1897

Fast Stats

Born March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey
Parents: Richard and Anne Neal Cleveland
Died June 24, 1908, in Princeton, New Jersey; age 71
Age upon Start of First Term: 47; Age upon Conclusion of First Term: 51
Age upon Start of Second Term: 55; Age upon Conclusion of Second Term: 59
Political Party: Democratic
Religious Affiliation: Presbyterian
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Vice Presidents: Thomas A. Hendricks (1885) and Adlai E. Stevenson (1893–1897)

1888, Benjamin Harrison Defeats Grover Cleveland: The Constitutional Issues Raised By Cleveland’s Veto Of Pension Legislation For Veterans

6. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 90 in 90 2016, Brion McClanahan, Ph.D. 6. Presidential Elections and Their Constitutional Impact, 13. Guest Constitutional Scholar Essayists, 17. Topics, 1888 Benjamin Harrison Defeats Grover Cleveland The Constitutional Issues Raised By Cleveland’s Veto Of Pension Legislation For Veterans, Brion McClanahan PhD, Electoral College

Guest Essayist: Brion McClanahan

Portions of this essay are from the chapter “Grover Cleveland” in Brion McClanahan, 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America and Four Who Tried to Save Her (Regnery History, 2016).

Grover Cleveland lost the 1888 election to Benjamin Harrison through voter fraud, and it involved what may be considered the first major lobby group in American history, the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veteran’s organization that had deep pockets and the ability to swing elections in favor of the Republican Party, the real brawn behind the organization.

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