Former President Grover Cleveland elected 24th president of the United States, defeating incumbent President Benjamin Harrison 130 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 8 1892)


Video: 'The American Presidential Election of 1892'

(Tuesday, November 8, 1892; during the 1892 United States presidential election) — In a rematch of the closely contested 1888 election, Democratic former President Grover Cleveland of New York was elected the 24th president of the United States today, defeating Republican incumbent President Benjamin Harrison of Indiana, and Populist James B. Weaver of Iowa.


Video: 'The Election of 1892 Explained'

Cleveland and his running mate, former U.S. Rep. Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, received 46.0 percent of the popular vote. Harrison and his new running mate, former U.S. Ambassador to France Whitelaw Reid of New York (Vice President Levi Morton was dumped from the ticket, as Harrison was not particularly fond of him), received 43.0 percent.

Weaver and his running mate, former Attorney General of Virginia James G. Field, received 8.5 percent.

The Democratic ticket was officially elected on Jan. 9, 1893, when members of the Electoral College met and cast 277 votes for Cleveland and Stevenson and 145 votes for Harrison and Reid. Weaver and Field picked up 22 votes. Cleveland became the only person in American history to be elected to a second, non-consecutive presidential term.

The electors’ votes were tabulated and certified on Feb. 8, 1893, during a joint session of Congress. Cleveland and Stevenson were inaugurated on March 4, 1893.