Video: 'Election Night 1896: William McKinley Vs William Jennings Bryan'

(Tuesday, November 3, 1896, during the 1896 presidential campaign) — Republican former Governor William McKinley of Ohio was elected President of the United States today over Democratic former Rep. William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska.

Video: 'The American Presidential Election of 1896'

McKinley and his running mate, former state Senator Garret A. Hobart of New Jersey, overwhelmingly defeated Bryan and his Democratic running mate, industrialist Arthur Sewall, 51.03-46.70% in the national popular vote.

That vote resulted in a 271-176 victory in the Electoral College (Sewall received 149 electoral votes for VP; 27 electors for Bryan cast their vice-presidential vote for Bryan’s Populist running mate former Georgia Rep. Thomas E. Watson instead of Sewall; the electoral votes were cast Jan. 11, 1897, and tabulated by a joint session of Congress on Feb. 10, 1897).

Video: 'The Election of 1896 Explained'

McKinley and Hobart would be sworn in for their first four-year terms on March 4, 1897.