Video: 'The American Presidential Election of 1884'
(Tuesday, November 4, 1884, during the 1884 presidential campaign) — Democratic Governor Grover Cleveland of New York was elected as the 22nd president of the United States today, defeating Republican former U.S. House Speaker James G. Blaine of Maine.
Cleveland and his running mate, former Governor Thomas A. Hendricks from Indiana, received 48.85% of the national popular vote. Blaine and his running mate, Senator John A. Logan of Illinois, received 48.28%.
The Democratic ticket was officially elected on Dec. 3, 1884, when the nation’s presidential electors met and cast 219 Electoral votes for Cleveland-Hendricks and 182 votes for Blaine-Logan.
Video: 'The Election of 1884 Explained'
The electors’ votes would be tabulated and certified on Feb. 11, 1865, during a joint session of Congress.
Cleveland was the first Democrat elected president of the United States since James Buchanan in 1856, the first to hold office since Andrew Johnson left the White House in 1869.
Incumbent President Chester A. Arthur had acceded to the presidency in 1881 following the assassination of James A. Garfield, but he was unsuccessful in his bid for the GOP nomination to a full term.
Cleveland and Hendricks would be inaugurated on March 4, 1885.
