Presidents During the Gilded Age

1
Presidents During the Gilded Age

• Chapter 15
• Section 3 Notes

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Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) Republican

• Didnt deal from a position of strength
• Shady Election nickname was Rutherfraud and his
  Fraudulency
• Announced he would only serve 1 term (lame duck)

3

• Problems during administration
• Great Railway Strike (1877) sent fed. Troops to
  help settle
• Money Question
• Inflation
• Deflation existed in US 1865-1896
• Bland-Allison Act 1878- govt. would buy and coin
  2 million worth of gold and silver a month
  (inflationary). Hayes vetoed, but congress
  passed it
• Spoils System and New York Customs House
• Asked 2 Stalwarts (old fashion Rep. Political
  bosses led by Roscoe Conkling) to resign. One
  was Chester A. Arthur
• Hayes won point but made enemies
• Split Rep. Party into Stalwarts and Half-Breeds
  (Rep. Who are only half as loyal to old Rep.
  Ways. They also want Civil Service Reform) for
  1880 election

4
James Garfield (1881-1881) Republican

• Dark Horse- compromise candidate from Ohio
• Chester A. Arthur made VP in effort to appease
  Stalwarts
• Waved Bloody Shirt to win election
• Solid South (South voting Dem.) emerges in this
  election
• Shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2 and died Sept.
  19, 1881. Guiteau was a disappointed office
  seeker

5
Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885) Republican

• No VP
• Pendleton Civil Service Act passed 1885
• Worked hard in areas of tariff reform and
  modernizing Navy. He did rise above party
  politics
• Lost re-election nomination to James G. Blaine
  b/c people kept asking Can a leopard change his
  spots?

6
Grover Cleveland (1885- 1889) Democrat

• Background Information
• Big Man (weighed 260 lbs. and only 5 ft. tall)
• Reformer
• Self-trained lawyer
• Went from mayor of Buffalo to Gov. of NY to Pres.
  of US in about 3.5 yrs.
• Only Pres. to serve 2 non-consecutive terms
• Developed cancer in mouth in 1893 and had to have
  part of jaw removed. Replaced with vulcanized
  rubber. Kept secret until 1917.
• Paid for child support for sun born out of
  wedlock to a woman in Buffalo
• Baby Ruth candy bar named after his daughter
• His 1st daughter Esther was first child born in
  the White House

7

• Mugwumps emerged during this election-
  Republican reformers
• Major accomplishments during 1st term
• Interstate Commerce Act passed 1887
• Set rates proportional to distance
• Banned rebates and other favors
• Made rate schedule public
• Pension Vetoes
• Presidential Succession Act 1886
• Tried to reduce tariff
• Opposed by both big business and big labor
• Dont need 100 mill. a yr. coming into Treasury
• Dec. 1887- tariffs lowered
• 1st term considered a success

8
Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) Republican

• General Information
• Grandson of Pres. Wm. Henry Harrison
• Conducted Front Porch campaign
• Corrupt campaign- bought votes in NY and IN
• Lost pop. vote but won electoral college vote

9

• Major Legislation (led through House by Thomas B.
  Reed- Czar of House Filibuster used in Senate
  to stop legislation)
• Sherman Silver Purchase Act 7/4/1890
• Govt. purchase 4.5 million oz. of silver per
  month
• Issue Treasury notes to full amount of silver
  purchased (inflation help farmers and western
  states) b/c gold supply draining
• McKinley Tariff 10/1/1890
• Protective
• Passed b/c Sherman Silver Purchased Act passed
  (part of a package deal)
• Sherman Anti-Trust Act July 1890
• Outlawed monopolies
• Vague
• Not enforced until T. Roosevelt became Pres.
• Billion Congress depleted surpluses by 1894

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Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) Democrat

• (populist candidate James Weaver also ran against
  Cleveland)
• Problems and Accomplishments
• Treasury losing gold repealed Sherman Silver
  Purchase Act in 1893
• High tariff allowed Wilson/Gorman Tariff to
  become law
• Treasury losing gold ask J.P. Morgan to help
  shore up gold supply
• Term considered failure

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William McKinley (1897-1901) Republican

• (William Jennings Bryan Dem. Populist opposed
  him)