U.S. presidential election, 1896
This is often considered a realigning election.
William Jennings Bryan defeated incumbent president Grover Cleveland to win the Democratic party nomination for president. Just thirty-six, Bryan managed to attract the support of mainstream Democrats as well as disaffected third party Populists and Free Silverites. His moving "Cross of Gold" speech, delivered prior to his nomination, lambasted Eastern monied classes for supporting the gold standard at the expense of the average worker. Bryan's stance, directly opposing conservative Grover Cleveland, united splintered Democrats and won the handsome "Boy Orator of the Platte" the nomination.
James Weaver of the People's Party, who had finished a respectable third 4 years before, threw his support to Bryan. John M. Palmer of the National Democratic Party received 133,435 votes (1.0%), and the Prohibition Party's Joshua Levering 125,072 votes (0.9%). Many of the Prohibition voters went to Bryan in this election, but this was insufficient to overcome McKinley.
McKinley's campaign manager, Mark Hanna, raised $3.5 million and McKinley outspent Bryan 20 to 1. Hanna's tactics are still in use in U.S. politics today.
Vice President Garret A. Hobart died on November 21, 1899.
See also: President of the United States, 1896, History of the United States (1865-1918)
