which president lost both the popular and electoral college vote
Answer: Four presidents took office without winning the popular vote. In other words, they did not receive a plurality in terms of the popular vote. They were elected, instead, by the electoral college or in the case of John Quincy Adams by the House of Representatives after a tie in the electoral votes. They were: 1  John Quincy Adams who lost by 44,804 votes to Andrew Jackson in 1824. 2  Rutherford B. Hayes who lost by 264,292 votes to Samuel J. Tilden in 1876.