America's Ten Most Peculiar Presidential Elections
Part one of three installments.
BY MARTIN H. LEVINSON, PH.D

At left, John Quincy Adams.

Do you know the names of the two candidates who took part in the most disputed presidential election in U.S. history? (Hint- the names aren't Bush and Gore.) Who was the first dark horse presidential nominee? What third-party candidate received the most votes recorded in the annals of American presidential contests? (It wasn't Ross Perot.)

This article describes America's 10 most peculiar presidential elections. Aside from the fascinating facts that surround each of the contests, these elections helped set the stage for the quirks in our modern-day presidential campaigns. They show that, to paraphrase the great writer Pearl S. Buck, "If you want to understand the present, you have to search the past."

The Election of 1828: A Real Mudslinger- John Quincy Adams versus Andrew Jackson

The election of 1828 was one of the ugliest presidential elections in American history, pitting the incumbent, John Quincy Adams, against an angry Andrew Jackson who believed that he had won the election in 1824. In that contest Jackson won the popular vote but lost to Adams in the Electoral College.

Andrew Jackson, above.

The 1828 election included many personal attacks on each of the candidates. Jackson's supporters accused Adams of having premarital sex with his foreign-born wife and living in "kingly pomp and splendor". Adams was also accused of misusing public funds- he had supposedly purchased gambling devices for the presidential residence. In point of fact, he had simply bought a chessboard and a pool table.

Adam's supporters attacked Jackson as being uneducated and reckless and said that he and his wife Rachel were adulterers. Rachel Jackson was a divorcee and she and Jackson believed that her divorce was finalized before their marriage. The papers were incomplete, however, and Jackson's political opponents publicly branded Rachel Jackson an adulteress. Mrs. Jackson was humiliated by the accusations, became ill and died before the inauguration. Jackson believed the personal attacks against his wife caused her death and said, "May God Almighty forgive her murderers as I know she forgave them. I never can."

Amidst all the mudslinging, Adams lost the election in a landslide. He was so upset over the defeat that he didn't attend Jackson's inauguration. Like his father, John Adams, he sneaked out of the capital and returned home.

Martin Van Buren, above.

The Election of 1840: The First Image Campaign- Martin Van Buren versus William Henry Harrison

The election of 1840 was the first presidential campaign with slogans, songs, and modern campaign paraphernalia. It was also the first image campaign, since rather than talking about issues Harrison ran on the notion that he was a man of the people. His commoner message involved hauling log cabins around, to show that he was brought up in modest circumstances, and providing his audiences with free alcohol. Actually, Harrison was a wealthy aristocrat who grew up on a plantation and owned slaves- his manor in Ohio had 22 rooms and employed numerous servants. Predictably, the public bought the fabricated image of Harrison, and he won handily. However, his tenure in office didn't last very long.

Harrison presented his inaugural address, the longest in American history, on March 4, 1841. It was a cold and rainy day, and he refused to wear a hat and a warm winter coat. After the address he attended a round of receptions in his wet clothing. Catching a cold, which turned into pneumonia, he expired a month later.

At right, William Henry Harrison.

The Election of 1844: The First Dark Horse Nominee: Henry Clay vs. James Polk

At the Democratic convention in Baltimore in May 1844, the expected candidate was former President Martin Van Buren. However, he didn't receive the required two-thirds vote and as a result the convention seemed near a deadlock. Finally, on the ninth ballot, the convention swung behind James Polk. This was the first time that a dark horse (an unknown) was nominated.

Polk faced a formidable challenger in the general election in the person of Whig candidate Henry Clay. At first, the Whigs had fun with Polk's candidacy. They thought he was a nonentity who had no chance of beating their well-known nominee. Clay was even quoted as asking, "Who is James Polk?" His tune soon changed.

Polk ran for office on a limited platform, making only a few campaign promises instead of presenting a major agenda as is common today. His main theme in the campaign was the territorial expansion of the United States, a policy known as "Manifest Destiny", and a promise to reoccupy the Oregon territory, re-annex Texas, and acquire California.

At left, Henry Clay.

Clay was the early front-runner, and expected to have an easy victory. However, his opposition to the annexation of Texas lost him support in the South, and a third party abolitionist candidate named James Bireny siphoned off enough support in the North to hurt Clay. The election was very personal with newspaper attacks calling Polk a coward and Clay a drunkard. The final result was close: Polk beat Clay by about 38,000 votes, and the unexpected candidate went on to become one of our most highly revered presidents.

James Polk, above.