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Ulysses s. grant is elected president
Republican Ulysses S. Grant defeats Democrat Horatio Seymour and is elected President of the United States. Grant receives 214 of 294 votes in the electoral commission. But his margin of victory in the referendum is only 306,000 of the 5.7 million votes cast. The support of 500,000 newly enfranchised southern black voters explains Grant's victory. -
George William Curtis to head the civil service commission
President Ulysses S. Grant appoints George William Curtis to head the Civil Service Commission. As editor of Harper's Weekly, Curtis condemned corruption and advocated emulation of the British system where government positions are awarded by written test. The commission's recommendations were ignored and Curtis resigned in 1875. -
Ulysses S. Grant is Reelected
President Ulysses S. Grant is re-elected to a second term as President of the United States, defeating Horace Greeley, both Democratic and liberal Republican candidates. Grant receives 56% of the popular vote and 286,352 of the total electoral votes. Greeley dies less than a month after the election. National Labor Party (formerly National Labor Union) candidate Charles O'Connor received only 29,489 votes, ending the National Labor Union's attempt at direct political action. -
The panic of 1873
The collapse of Jay Cooke and Company, a Philadelphia investment bank, triggers a nationwide financial panic that leads to a broader economic depression that lasts until 1879. Investors began to sell their investments in American projects, especially railroads. -
Alexander Graham Bell Invents Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell successfully transmits a human voice over a wire. The telephone will revolutionize personal and business communication. -
James Garfield Elected President
Republican James Garfield is elected president of the United States. His popular vote margin over Democratic Winfield Hancock is 7,018 votes out of more than 9 million. Garfield receives 214 electoral votes; Hancock gets 155 votes. Greenback Labor candidate James Weaver received 308,578 votes. -
President Garfield Assassinated
President James Garfield is shot by Charles Guiteau, a deranged federal office-seeker. Garfield will die on September 19th. Vice President Chester A. Arthur will be sworn is as president one day later. -
Pendleton Act
The US Congress tries to reduce corruption in the distribution of government tasks and passes the Pendleton Act, which establishes an examination system for the selection of federal officials. Only 10% of all federal appointees are included in this selection process. -
Grover Cleveland elected president
Democrat Grover Cleveland defeated Republican James Blaine and is elected President of the United States. Cleveland's popular vote is 62,683 votes out of more than 10 million voters. Green Labor candidate Benjamin Butler receives 175,370 votes; Prohibition Party candidate John St. John receives 150,369 votes. Cleveland receives 219 votes to Blaine's 182 in the Electoral College. -
Haymarket Riot
A demonstration in Chicago's Haymarket Square in support of striking workers at the McCormick Harvester plant ended with a bomb being thrown, killing six police officers and injuring more than 60 others. Eight anarchists are tried for the crime, but all supporters of trade unions and the eight-hour working day are publicly condemned. The influence of the Knights of Work quickly decreases; Membership will drop by over 50% over the next year. -
Harrison Loses Popular Vote, Wins Presidency
Republican Benjamin Harrison is elected President of the United States despite receiving nearly 100,000 fewer votes nationwide than Democratic incumbent Grover Cleveland. Harrison carries critical swings in the states of Indiana and New York, winning 233 electoral college votes to the 168 of Cleveland. -
Homestead Steel Strike
Henry Frick, president of Carnegie Steel and plant manager at Carnegie's Homestead steel plant, closes the plant and lays off its workers when negotiations with representatives of the United Steel and Iron Workers Association break down. -
Populist party convention
1,300 delegates gather in Omaha, Nebraska to choose a presidential candidate and lay the foundation for the newly formed Populist (or People's) Party. James Weaver is chosen as the party's presidential candidate; James G. Field was named the party's vice presidential candidate. -
Cleveland Returns to Presidency
Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, was elected president of the United States, returning to the White House for a second term after a four-year hiatus. He receives 5,554,414 popular votes; Republican Benjamin Harrison receives 5,190,802; Populist James Weaver receives 1,027,329. In the Electoral College, Cleveland receives 277 votes, Harrison receives 145, and Weaver receives 22. -
Stanford Beats Cal
Yale football coach Walter Camp was called in to prepare the Stanford football team for a game against the University of California that marks the rise of college football as a national sport. Stanford wins the game.