1836 Presidential Election

The United States presidential election of 1836 is predominantly remembered for three reasons:

  • It was the last election until 1988 to result in the elevation of an incumbent Vice President to the nation's highest office through means other than the president's death or resignation.

  • It was the only race in which a major political party intentionally ran several presidential candidates. The Whigs ran four different candidates in different regions of the country, hoping that each would be popular enough to defeat Democratic standard-bearer Martin Van Buren in their respective areas. The House of Representatives could then decide between the competing Whig candidates. This strategy failed: Van Buren won a majority of the electoral vote and became President.

  • This election is the first (and to date only) time in which a Vice Presidential election was thrown into the Senate.

  • Source: Wikipedia

    1836 Election Results

    Candidate Party Electoral Votes Popular Votes
    Martin Van Buren Democratic 170 762,678
    William H. Harrison Whig 73 735,651
    Hugh L. White Whig 26 146,107
    Daniel Webster Whig 14 41,201
    W.P. Mangum Independent 11 Unknown

    1836 Election Facts

    • Welcome: Arkansas and Michigan become states during this election cycle
    • The Whig Party ran three regional candidates in this election in an unsuccessful strategy
    • Issues of the Day: States' Rights