Hosta

In 1884, the Democrats gathered in Chicago for their National Convention. The leading candidate for the nomination was New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Cleveland's reputation for good government made him a national figure. The Republican Party nominated James G. Blaine for president in 1884, even though he had been implicated in a financial scandal. Many influential Republicans were outraged. They thought the time had come for a national reform administration. These Republicans, called mugwumps, withdrew from the convention and declared that they would vote for the Democratic candidate if he were an honest man. The Democrats answered by nominating Cleveland. They chose Governor Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana for vice president.^[1]

See also

• History of the United States Democratic Party

Notes