| June
14-16 |
The Republican National Convention in Cincinnati
nominates Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio for president and Congressman
William Wheeler of New York as vice president.
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| June
27-29 |
The
Democratic National Convention in St. Louis nominates Governor Samuel J. Tilden
of New York for president and Governor Thomas Hendricks of Indiana as vice
president.
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November 7 |
Democrat
Samuel Tilden wins a narrow majority of the popular vote against Republican
Rutherford Hayes, but both sides claim to have won the presidency in the
Electoral College vote. The 19 electoral votes in three states—South
Carolina (7), Florida (4), and
Louisiana
(8)—are disputed. They are the only remaining Southern states with federal
troops stationed under Reconstruction policy. One elector in
Oregon
is also disputed. Tilden’s total stands at 184 electoral votes, one short
of a majority, with Hayes at 165 needing all 20 of the disputed electoral votes
to win the presidency.
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December 6 |
The
Electoral College meets in all the states and cast ballots for president and
vice president. The results are certified and sent to Congress. Two
sets of results are returned for Florida,
Louisiana,
Oregon, and South Carolina.
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December 7 |
The
Congressional session opens. This is the final session for the lame-duck
Congress which leaves office on March 5, 1877 (the day for inaugurating the new
president and swearing in the new Congress). Republicans control the
Senate and Democrats control the House in both the outgoing and incoming
Congresses.
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December 21 |
A special Senate committee for establishing a process for resolving the
disputed electoral count is announced. It is chaired by Republican
George Edmunds of Vermont. Other Republican majority members are:
Roscoe Conkling of New York; Frederick Frelinghuysen of New Jersey; and
Oliver Morton of Indiana. Democratic minority members are:
Thomas Bayard of Delaware; M. W. Ransom of North Carolina; and Allen
Thurman of Ohio. |
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|
December 22 |
A special
House committee for establishing a process for resolving the disputed electoral
count is announced. It is chaired by Democrat Henry Payne of Ohio.
Other majority Democratic members are: Abram Hewitt of New York; Eppa
Hunton of Virginia; and William Springer of Illinois. Republican minority
members are: George Hoar of Massachusetts, George McCrary of Iowa, and
George Willard of Michigan.
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January 25, 1877 |
The Senate passes the Electoral Commission bill, which establishes a
15-member commission—of five senators, five representatives, and five
Supreme Court justices—to decide the disputed election. Its
decisions will be considered final unless overridden by both houses of
Congress. The bill is approved by the Senate, 47-17, with
Democrats voting 23-1 and Republicans voting 24-16 in the affirmative.
Justice David Davis, an independent assumed to be the deciding vote
on the Electoral Commission, is elected to the U.S. Senate by a
Democratic - Greenback coalition in the Illinois state legislature,
101-99. He later resigns from the Supreme Court and refuses to
serve on the commission. His place on the Electoral
Commission is filled by Justice Joseph Bradley, a Republican. |
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January 26 |
The House
passes the Electoral Commission bill, 191-86, with Democrats voting 158-18 in
the affirmative. A majority of House Republicans voted against the
measure, 68-33. In both houses combined, Democrats overwhelming favored
the measure, 181-19, while Republicans opposed it, 84-57. |
Back to top
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January 29 |
President
Grant signs the Electoral Commission Act into law. |
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February 1 |
Congress
meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes for president and vice
president. Senator Thomas Ferry of Michigan, a Republican and president
pro tempore of the Senate, opens the electoral reports and begins the count of
states in alphabetical order. Conflicting sets of returns are presented
for Florida, which are referred to the
Electoral Commission.
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February 2-3 |
The case of
Florida is argued by lawyers for both
the Republicans and the Democrats before the Electoral Commission.
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February 5 |
William
Evarts, lead counsel for the Republicans, argues for admitting only the evidence
already submitted to the joint session of Congress. Charles O’Conor,
counsel for the Democrats, argues for admitting other evidence. The
Electoral Commission dismisses the lawyers and audience, then deliberates in a
secret session.
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February 8 |
By an 8 to
7 party-line vote, the Electoral Commission accepts Evarts proposal to disallow
the presentation of additional evidence.
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February 9 |
The
Electoral Commission votes 8 to 7 to give
Florida’s four electoral votes to the Republican ticket of Rutherford Hayes
and William Wheeler.
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February 10 |
A joint
session of Congress receives the Electoral Commission directive that
Florida’s electoral votes be counted for Hayes/Wheeler. The two houses
meet separately, with the Senate affirming the decision of the Electoral
Commission.
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February 12 |
The House
rejects the Electoral Commission’s report on
Florida, 168-103.
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February 13-15 |
The
Electoral Commission hears arguments from both sides on the case of
Louisiana, then goes into secret deliberations on the 15th.
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Back to top
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February 15 |
According
to Harper’s Weekly, an assassination
attempt is made on the life of Governor Stephen Packard of Louisiana, a
Republican. The governor knocks down the gun aimed at his heart, and the
bullet grazes his knee. The perpetrator is taken into custody.
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February 16 |
The
Electoral Commission, on an 8 to 7 party-line vote, awards
Louisiana’s eight electoral votes to the Republican ticket of Hayes/Wheeler.
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February 18 |
Congress
receives the official word of the Electoral Commission’s decision to award
Louisiana’s electoral votes to Hayes/Wheeler. The House is in recess.
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February 19 |
A joint
session of Congress announces the Electoral Commission’s findings on
Louisiana. After a two-hour debate, the Senate approves the decision,
41-28. The House recesses until the next day.
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February 20 |
The House
rejects the Electoral Commission’s directive on
Louisiana, 172-99. The joint session of Congress reassembles.
The electoral count continues until the state of Michigan, at which time a
Democratic objection is made to one Republican elector from that state.
The houses separate, and both overrule the objection.
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February 21 |
The joint
session of Congress continues the electoral count through the state of Ohio.
The disputed electoral return in Oregon
is submitted to the Electoral Commission.
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February 22 |
Lawyers for
both sides argue before the Electoral Commission concerning
Oregon, then the commission goes into secret session.
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February 23 |
By an 8 to
7 party-line vote, the Electoral Commission awards
Oregon’s three electoral votes to the Republican ticket of
Hayes/Wheeler.
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Back to top
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February 24 |
Congress
receives the Electoral Commission directive to grant
Oregon’s electoral votes to Hayes/Wheeler. The Senate affirms the
finding, 40-24, while the House rejects it, 151-107. The joint session of
Congress reassembles, and the electoral count continues.
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February 26 |
Democratic
objections are made to the electoral returns of Pennsylvania and Rhode Island,
but are overruled by both houses meeting separately. The
South Carolina returns are referred to the Electoral Commission, which hears
arguments from lawyers for both sides.
Negotiations begin at the Wormley House hotel in Washington D.C. between a group
of Southern Democrats and Ohio Republican supporters of Hayes.
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February 27 |
The
Electoral Commission, on an 8 to 7 party-line vote, awards
South Carolina’s seven electoral votes to the Republican ticket of
Hayes/Wheeler.
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February 28 |
A joint session of Congress receives the directive from the Electoral Commission
to count South Carolina’s electoral
votes for Hayes/Wheeler.
The Senate affirms this finding, while the House rejects it.
The Congress reassembles in joint session, and the electoral count
continues.
Congressman Abram Hewitt, the Democratic party chairman, presents a
second set of electoral returns for Vermont, but Senate President Ferry refuses
to accept it.
Meeting in separate session, the Senate votes down the objection to
Vermont’s electoral report.
In the House, Democrats filibuster the vote on Vermont by a series of
delaying tactics.
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| March
1 |
In a
late-night session, the objection to Vermont is finally overruled at 10 p.m.,
and Vermont’s electoral votes are awarded to Hayes/Wheeler.
The electoral count continues, but a Democratic objection is made against
one Republican elector from Wisconsin.
The Houses separate, and the Senate quickly overrules the objection,
voting to grant Wisconsin’s votes to Hayes/Wheeler.
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Back to top
|
| March
2 |
After a
long, boisterous session, the House finally overrules the objection at 3:38 a.m.
and approves Wisconsin’s votes for Hayes/Wheeler.
At 4:10 a.m., a joint session of Congress then awards Wisconsin’s
electoral votes to the Republicans.
Rutherford Hayes is declared president of the United States and William
Wheeler is declared vice president; winning 185-184 in the Electoral College.
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| March
5 |
Rutherford
B. Hayes is sworn in publicly as president of the United States.
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Spring 1877 |
President
Hayes removes the remaining federal troops in the South from political duty
(guarding the statehouses) and the era of Reconstruction formally ends.
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Timeline
