U.S. Election History

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1856 Presidential Election

Results of the presidential election of 1856, won by James Buchanan with 174 electoral votes.

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James Buchanan's Cabinet

President: James Buchanan (1857-1861)

Vice President: John C. Breckinridge (1857-1861)

Secretary of State: Lewis Cass (1857-1860), Jeremiah S. Black (1860-1861)

Secretary of the Treasury: Howell Cobb (1857-1860), Philip Francis Thomas (1860-1861)

Secretary of War: John B. Floyd (1857-1860)

Attorney General: Jeremiah S. Black (1857-1860), Edwin Stanton (1860-1861)

Postmaster General: Aaron V. Brown (1857-1859), Joseph Holt (1859-1860)

Secretary of the Navy: Isaac Toucey (1857-1861)

Electoral Vote Totals

174 for James Buchanan (Democrat)
114 for John C. Frémont (Republican)
8 for Millard Fillmore (Whig-American)

Other Sources

1856 Candidate Electoral Votes

174

James Buchanan

114

John C. Frémont

149 to win

1,836,072 popular votes (45.3%)
Running Mate: John C. Breckinridge

1,342,345 popular votes (33.1%)
Running Mate: William L. Dayton

John C. Frémont is first candidate of new Republican Party, organized largely around the opposition to slavery.

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State Electoral Votes

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Past Election