1868 United States presidential election

The **1868 United States presidential election** was the 21st election in the history of the United States. It occurred on November 3, 1868. This election was between the Republican nominee, Commanding General of the US Army Ulysses S. Grant of New York and the Democratic nominee, former Governor Horatio Seymour of New York. Grant won the election with 214 electoral votes. Seymour got only 80 electoral votes.

This was the last election until 1912 that Democrats won more electoral votes from the North (46) than from the South (34), as well as the last time the Republicans did better in the popular vote in the South than in the North until 1964, due to very large majorities in reconstruction states like South Carolina and Tennessee. This was also the last time that Missouri supported the Republican candidate until 1904.

#### Presidential

- Ulysses S. Grant, Commanding General of the US Army from Illinois <small>(1864-1869) (Nominee)</small>

#### Vice presidential

- Schuyler Colfax, 25th Speaker of the House from Indiana <small>(1863-1869) (Vice presidential nominee)</small>
- Benjamin Wade, U.S. Senator from Ohio <small>(1867-1869)</small>
- Reuben Fenton, Governor of New York <small>(1865-1868)</small>
- Henry Wilson, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts <small>(1855-1873) (later became VP in 1872)</small>
- Andrew Gregg Curtin, former Governor of Pennsylvania <small>(1861-1867)</small>
- Hannibal Hamlin, 15th Vice President of the United States <small>(1861-1865)</small>
- James Speed, former Attorney General of the United States <small>(1864-1866)</small>
- James Harlen, U.S. Senator from Iowa <small>(1855-1857, 1857-1865, 1867-1873)</small>
- John Creswell, former U.S. Senator from Maryland <small>(1865-1867)</small>
- Samuel C. Pomeroy, U.S. Senator from Kansas <small>(1861-1873)</small>
- William D. Kelley, Congressman from Pennsylvania <small>(1861-1890)</small>

#### Presidential

- Horatio Seymour, former Governor of New York <small>(1853-1854, 1863-1864) (Nominee)</small>
- George H. Pendleton, former Congressman from Ohio <small>(1857-1865)</small> and 1864 vice presidential nominee
- Thomas A. Hendricks, U.S. Senator from Indiana <small>(1863-1869) (1876 & 1884 VP Nominee) (Later became VP in 1884)</small>
- Winfield Scott Hancock, Major General of the U.S. Army <small>(1844-1886) (1880 Nominee)</small>
- Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States <small>(1865-1869)</small>
- Sanford E. Church, former State Comptroller of New York <small>(1858-1859)</small>
- Asa Packer, former Congressman from Pennsylvania <small>(1853-1857)</small>
- James E. English, 43rd Governor of Connecticut <small>(1867-1869)</small>
- Joel Parker, former Governor of New Jersey <small>(1863-1866)</small>
- James R. Doolittle, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin <small>(1857-1869)</small>
- Stephen Johnson Field, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from California <small>(1863-1897)</small>
- Francis Preston Blair Jr., former Congressman from Missouri <small>(1857-1859, 1860, 1861-1864) (Vice presidential nominee)</small>
- Salmon P. Chase, 6th Chief Justice of the United States of Ohio and 1860 Republican presidential candidate <small>(1864-1875) _(not nominated)_</small>
- John T. Hoffman, 78th Mayor of New York City <small>(1866-1868)</small>

#### Vice presidential

- Francis Preston Blair Jr., former Congressman from Missouri <small>(1857-1859, 1860, 1861-1864) (Vice presidential nominee)</small>
- Augustus C. Dodge, former U.S. Minister to Spain from Iowa <small>(1855-1859) _(Withdrew)_</small>
- Thomas Ewing Jr.,  Brevet Major General in the U.S. Army from Kansas <small>(1862-1865) _(Withdrew)_</small>
- John A. McClernand, former Congressman from Illinois <small>(1843-1851, 1859-1861) _(withdrew, declined consideration)_</small>
- William B. Franklin, Major General in the U.S. Army from Connecticut <small>(1843-1865) _(Withdrew)_</small>

## Infobox (election)

- **election name**: 1868 United States presidential election
- **country**: United States
- **flag year**: 1867
- **type**: presidential
- **ongoing**: no
- **previous election**: 1864 United States presidential election
- **previous year**: 1864
- **next election**: 1872 United States presidential election
- **next year**: 1872
- **votes for election**: 294 members of the Electoral College (United States), Electoral College
- **needed votes**: 148 electoral
- **turnout**: 80.9%   4.6 percentage point, pp
- **election date**: November 3, 1868
- **image1**:
- **nominee1**: **Ulysses S. Grant**
- **party1**: Republican Party (United States)
- **home state1**: Illinois
- **running mate1**: **Schuyler Colfax**
- **electoral vote1**: **214**
- **states carried1**: **26**
- **popular vote1**: **3,013,421**
- **percentage1**: **52.66%**
- **image2**:
- **nominee2**: Horatio Seymour
- **party2**: Democratic Party (United States)
- **home state2**: New York (state), New York
- **running mate2**: Francis Preston Blair Jr.
- **electoral vote2**: 80
- **states carried2**: 8
- **popular vote2**: 2,706,829
- **percentage2**: 47.34%
- **map size**: 350px
- **map caption**: Presidential election results map. <span style="color:red;">Red</span> denotes states won by Grant/Colfax, <span style="color:blue;">blue</span> denotes those won by Seymour/Blair, and <span style="color:#55a34f;">green</span> denotes those states that had not yet been Reconstruction era of the United States, restored to the Union and which were therefore ineligible to vote. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.
- **title**: President
- **before election**: Andrew Johnson
- **before party**: Democratic Party (United States)
- **after election**: Ulysses S. Grant
- **after party**: Republican Party (United States)
- **map image**: ElectoralCollege1868.svg