Ulysses S. Grant gets his Third-Term

In 1879, the "Stalwart" faction of the Republican Party led by Senator Roscoe Conkling sought to nominate Grant for a third term as president. He counted on strong support from the business men, the old soldiers, and the Methodist church. Publicly Grant said nothing, but privately he wanted the job and encouraged his men.[25] His popularity was fading however, and while he received more than 300 votes in each of the 36 ballots of the 1880 convention, the nomination went to James A. Garfield. Grant campaigned for Garfield, who won by a very narrow margin. Grant supported his Stalwart ally Conkling against Garfield in the terrific battle over patronage in spring 1881 that culminated in Garfield's assassination.



So What If...Grant is able to best Garfield in the Delegate totals and is able to clinch the Republican Party Nomination? Might he keep Garfield as his Vice President or might he choose another Candidate? Could he win the General Election? How would another four years of Grant shape the US? Is he assasinated in 1881 by Charles Julius Guiteau? Or would the stress of another Presidency accelerate his throat cancer and cause an earlier death than OTL while in Office?...Please Discuss

Historico said:

In 1879, the "Stalwart" faction of the Republican Party led by Senator Roscoe Conkling sought to nominate Grant for a third term as president. He counted on strong support from the business men, the old soldiers, and the Methodist church. Publicly Grant said nothing, but privately he wanted the job and encouraged his men.[25] His popularity was fading however, and while he received more than 300 votes in each of the 36 ballots of the 1880 convention, the nomination went to James A. Garfield. Grant campaigned for Garfield, who won by a very narrow margin. Grant supported his Stalwart ally Conkling against Garfield in the terrific battle over patronage in spring 1881 that culminated in Garfield's assassination.



So What If...Grant is able to best Garfield in the Delegate totals and is able to clinch the Republican Party Nomination? Might he keep Garfield as his Vice President or might he choose another Candidate? Could he win the General Election? How would another four years of Grant shape the US? Is he assasinated in 1881 by Charles Julius Guiteau? Or would the stress of another Presidency accelerate his throat cancer and cause an earlier death than OTL while in Office?...Please Discuss

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Grant would be impeached. Prior to Harding and Nixon, Grant was the most
corrupt President in U.S. history. Let's take a look at Grant's two terms. Grant's Attorney General was forced to resign because he accepted bribes. Most, if not all, of Grant's Cabinet officers, were corrupt. There was the
Credit Mobilier scandal, in which representatives of the railroads, including Leland Stanford, were selling stocks to members of Congress on the House floor and the Senate floor. Aside from creating Yellowstone National Park in 1872, there was nothing good that came out of the Grant Administration.

bard32 said:

Prior to Harding and Nixon, Grant was the most
corrupt President in U.S. history. Let's take a look at Grant's two terms. Grant's Attorney General was forced to resign because he accepted bribes. Most, if not all, of Grant's Cabinet officers, were corrupt. There was the Credit Mobilier scandal, in which representatives of the railroads, including Leland Stanford, were selling stocks to members of Congress on the House floor and the Senate floor. Aside from creating Yellowstone National Park in 1872, there was nothing good that came out of the Grant Administration.

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Grant was inexperienced - he had no previous political career and was the youngest President when he was elected in 1868. He was not corrupt. There's no evidence of this whatsoever.

He was also popular and not just in the north. Grant carried Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina in 1868; Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, and South Carolina in 1872. After all, period southerners knew and appreciated his magnanimous terms to Lee and his willingness to resign in protest when the Johnson Administration considered arresting Lee.

He supported amnesty for Confederate leaders and protection for the civil rights of African-Americans. He favored a limited number of troops to be stationed in the South. He worked to wipe out the first Klu Klux Klan.

Yes, there were scandals, but Grant worked to expose and end them, even if he wasn't completely successful and too trusting of certain men. Ambrose's 'Nothing Like It in the World' mentions that one of the first things Grant did as President was appoint people to investigate the Credit Mobilier. (At which point the railroads bribed the investigating committer.) Once he realized Gould and Fisk were manipulating the gold market, Grant broke the scheme. Grant's Secretary of the Treasury exposed the Whiskey Ring.

Under Grant, his Treasury Secretary reorganized the Department. The National Debt was reduced, taxes were reduced, interest rates were reduced, inflation was reduced, and the balance of trade was improved.

His administration amicably settled the claims against Britain for their construction of Confederate commerce raiders. It saw the creation of The Department of Justice, the Offices of Solicitor General and Surgeon General, and the National Weather Service.

As to the claim that most of his Cabinet was corrupt – only two men (perhaps three) were, his second choice for Secretary of War and his second choice for Secretary of the Treasury, who lasted just over a year. (The perhaps is Grant’s second Secretary of the Interior who resigned because his son had been given partnerships in surveying contracts over which the Interior Department had control.)

The claim that his Attorney General was forced to resign because he accepted bribes is false. None of Grant’s five Attorney Generals were. Akerman (a former Confederate officer) took on both the Credit Mobilier and the Klu Klux Klan.

Neither of Grant’s Secretaries of State were corrupt, nor his other three Secretaries of the Treasury were not corrupt, nor his other three Secretaries of War. None of his four Postmaster Generals was corrupt, neither of his Secretaries of the Navy was corrupt, nor his other two Secretaries of the Interior. In fact, many of these men actively worked to root out corruption in their departments.

This should be interesting. I want to see someone new break Washington's tradition.

I doubt Grant could win the Election of 1880, that one was a close one to begin with and considering the corruption of Grant's previous administrations and his waning popularity coupled with the Democratic Candidate's prior military experience (Hancock was at Gettysburg). I'd say the Dem's win this one...

I'd also wager that they'd win the House of Representatives as well although the Senate would still be Republican I think...

I'd also wager that the taboo surrounding Washinton's tradition is enforce seeing Grant handing the GOP it's first loss since 1860... Other presidents might be hesistant to break it as a result...

I don't think that Grant could get third-term. If Grant gots the nomination and win the election, I think Grant would be impeached and by 1883, he would be ousted from the presidency due to the impeachment vote that doesn't favors on him.

Grant was significantly more popular than Garfield, so if he got the nomination, he'd likely to win the election by a sigificant amount, not squeak by like Garfield did. And for those saying Grant would be impeached - on what grounds?

Historico said:

In 1879, the "Stalwart" faction of the Republican Party led by Senator Roscoe Conkling sought to nominate Grant for a third term as president. He counted on strong support from the business men, the old soldiers, and the Methodist church. Publicly Grant said nothing, but privately he wanted the job and encouraged his men.[25] His popularity was fading however, and while he received more than 300 votes in each of the 36 ballots of the 1880 convention, the nomination went to James A. Garfield. Grant campaigned for Garfield, who won by a very narrow margin. Grant supported his Stalwart ally Conkling against Garfield in the terrific battle over patronage in spring 1881 that culminated in Garfield's assassination.



So What If...Grant is able to best Garfield in the Delegate totals and is able to clinch the Republican Party Nomination? Might he keep Garfield as his Vice President or might he choose another Candidate? Could he win the General Election? How would another four years of Grant shape the US? Is he assasinated in 1881 by Charles Julius Guiteau? Or would the stress of another Presidency accelerate his throat cancer and cause an earlier death than OTL while in Office?...Please Discuss

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Correction: There was no presidential election in 1879. 1876 was a presidential election year and the Republicans decided not to renominate Grant. They chose Rutherford B. Hayes instead.