While President Jackson remained personally popular, the Democratic Party was unable to lock its hold on the American public. Opposition groups, primarily the National Republican Party and the Anti-Masonic Party, began the process of creating an organized anti-Jackson Party in 1834, with remarkable success.

Presidential Maneuvering for 1836

The Whig Party did not hold a national convention for the election of 1836. While it is usually reported that the party ran four candidates in the hopes of denying the Democrats an electoral vote majority, newspapers of the time never discussed such a strategy. The evidence points to weak organization of the new Whig Party and sectional differences leading to the different nominees.

Candidacy of Hugh L. White

The first Whig candidate in the field was Senator Hugh L. White of Tennessee. At the time of his break with President Jackson in 1834, many Southern newspapers began to tout him as presidential material for 1836. Almost all Tennessee newspapers endorsed him in 10/1834 [Fayetteville (NC) Observer, 10/24/1834], and the Alabama legislature nominated him on 12/29/1834 [Boston Daily Atlas, 12/30/1834]. When Whig members of Congress pressed White for a statement, he wrote a reply dated 12/30/1834 in which he stated that he had never sought the office of President but would be willing to have his name offered [Daily National Intelligencer, 3/2/1835].

Candidacy of Daniel Webster

By early 1835, it was becoming obvious to northern Whigs that White did not have the popular support to win. The Massachusetts legislature placed Daniel Webster in nomination on 1/21/1835 [Boston Daily Atlas, 1/22/1835], and Northern Whigs generally endorsed the Webster candidacy.

Candidacy of William Henry Harrison

Speculation of a candidacy by William Henry Harrison was in the air by 4/16/1835, when the Boston Daily Atlas reported on a scheme for an independent nomination for Harrison as a tactic to undermine the Whig Party. The Daily Cleveland Herald reported on 7/1/1835 that "The idea of Hugh L. White becoming the Whig candidate for the Presidency is daily becoming more absurd." The Herald speculated that Webster would be the nominee with Harrison for Vice President.

The White Campaign, late 1835 and early 1836

White's support peaked in 1835. His moderate states rights stance was not acceptable in the North but was welcomed in the South, where he was vigorously supported by Whigs. In 10/1835 White was unanimously re-elected to the U.S. Senate by the Tennessee legislature [Daily Cleveland Herald, 10/21/1835]. Soon thereafter, the legislature officially nominated him for U.S. President by a nearly unanimous vote [Scioto Gazette, 11/4/1835]. The Alabama legislature rescinded his nomination in 12/1835 by a vote of 48-36 [Washington Globe, 1/6/1836]. Southern anti-Jackson leaders worried that the North would abandon White, so they held state caucuses to nominate him in NC and GA to keep him in the race [Washington Globe, 1/9/1836]. The Virginia State Whig Convention nominated White for President and Senator John Tyler for Vice President on 2/10/1836 and selected its slate of Presidential Electors [Fayetteville Observer, 2/18/1836].

Harrison Campaign, late 1835 and early 1836

In the North, where Webster had been the presidential favorite throughout 1834 and early 1835, a noticeable shift to Harrison was taking place by late 1835. The Cleveland Daily Herald mentioned this shift on 10/2/1835 and urged Massachusetts Whigs to drop Webster and follow suit. The Indianapolis Journal reported on 10/9/1835 that mass meetings were being held throughout Ohio for Harrison. The Maryland Whig convention nominated Harrison for President and Tyler for Vice President in 12/1835 [Salem (MA) Gazette, 12/29/1835]. This was the first nomination of Tyler as a VP candidate.

Throughout the north, Harrison's running mate was Francis Granger, an Anti-Masonic Party leader. The Pennsylvania Anti-Masonic Party nominated Harrison and Granger in 12/1835, and thereafter Harrison slates of Presidential Electors listed Granger as the VP nominee, including in Ohio [Scioto Gazette, 3/9/1836] and Indiana [Indiana Journal, 3/19/1836]. Granger became Webster's running mate on 3/9/1836 [New Bedford Mercury, 3/11/1836].

More and more states placed Harrison at the head of their tickets in 1836. Vermont Whigs switched from Webster to Harrison on 2/24/1836 and nominated Granger for VP [Connecticut Courant, 3/7/1836]. Kentucky dropped White at their state convention on 4/19/1836 and nominated Harrison and Granger [Essex (MA) Gazette, 5/7/1836]. Connecticut Whigs nominated Harrison & Granger on 5/18/1836 [Connecticut Courant, 5/23/1836]. Rhode Island Whigs followed suit on 9/7/1836 [New Hampshire Sentinel, 9/15/1836].

The Whig Tickets

Harrison was the Whig nominee in free states except Massachusetts and the slave states of KY, MD, and DE. In other slave states except SC, the Whig nominees were Hugh L. White for President and John Tyler for VP. In SC, the Whig ticket was Willie P. Mangum for President and John Tyler for VP. The ticket in Massachusetts was Webster and Granger.

1st Whig National Convention (1840)

Popular Vote of 1836

Electoral Vote of 1836

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