U.S. Election History

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1856 Presidential Election

6,900,000

Voting Age Population (VAP)

79.4%

Turnout by VAP

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

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

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

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Presedential Election

Democrat

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Past Election