  the liberal republican party of the united states was a political party that was organized in cincinnati in may 1872, to oppose the reelection of president ulysses s. grant and his radical republican supporters in the presidential election of 1872. the liberal republican party's candidate was horace greeley, longtime publisher of the new york tribune. following his nomination by the liberal republicans, greeley was also nominated by the democratic party. greeley was seen as an oddball reformer with little government experience and a long record of vehement attacks against the very democrats he now called on for support. greeley was defeated, receiving approximately 43% of the popular vote, and winning only in the states of texas, missouri, kentucky, tennessee, georgia, and maryland. grant received 286 of the 352 electoral college votes. the liberal republican party vanished immediately after the election. however, historians suggest that, by loosening the allegiance of liberal elements to the republican party, the liberal republicans made it possible for many of these leaders to move to the democratic party. the others returned to the gop. ==history of the party== thumb|liberal republican campaign poster thumb|interior of the convention hall during the announcement of horace greeley as the party's nominee for president in 1872 the party began in missouri in 1870 under the leadership of carl schurz and spread nationwide.gerber (1975) it had strong support from powerful republican newspaper editors such as murat halstead of the cincinnati commercial, horace white of the chicago tribune, henry watterson of the louisville courier-journal, samuel bowles of the springfield republican and especially whitelaw reid and horace greeley of the new york tribune.summers, 1994) the liberal republicans thought that the grant administration, and the president personally, were fully corrupt. more important they thought that the goals of reconstruction had been achieved. these goals were first the destruction of slavery and second the destruction of co
1872_establishments_in_the_United_States 1876_disestablishments Defunct_liberal_political_parties Defunct_political_parties_in_the_United_States Political_parties_established_in_1872 Political_schisms Presidency_of_Ulysses_S._Grant