Presidential Nominations and Elections: A History of American Conventions, national campaigns, Inaugurations and Campaign Caricature

A PORTION of the material in this volume appeared in a book published by me in 1904, entitled "Our Political Drama," which is now out of print. It consisted mainly of articles published at various times in the Century Magazine, and was a compilation of notable phases of presidential politics, together with personal anecdotes and incidents, rather than a comprehensive survey of the field. In the present volume the original material has been retained, and to it has been added sufficient new matter to present a complete review of presidential conventions, elections, and inaugurations down to the present time. Chapters have been added also giving an account of the electoral machinery and the results of each national election. I am much indebted to Stanwood's "History of the Presidency," which is an inexhaustible mine of exact information upon all subjects connected with conventions, campaigns, and elections, and to Colonel A. K. McClure's "Our Presidents and How We Make Them." I have drawn freely from these and also from Thurlow Weed's "Autobiography," from Greeley's "Recollections of a Busy Life," and from the volumes of "The American Statesman Series'' published by Houghton, Mifflin & Company. I wish also to make grateful acknowledgment to the Century Company for permission to use the illustrations which accompanied my articles in their magazine, to Harper Brothers for the illustrations reproduced from Harper's Weekly, and to the former firm of Messrs. Keppler & Schwarzmann, for the Gillam cartoons from Puck.