The
1900 United States presidential election was the 29th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 1900. Incumbent President George Gray of Delaware narrowly lost re-election to Republican congressman James Sherman of New York. It was the second consecutive election to require a contingent election in Congress to decide the winner, as Sherman won only 220 electoral votes, eleven
shy of the 231 necessary to win outright. It was the first time that a contingent congressional election led to the President and Vice President being from different parties. Aged 45 on inauguration day, Sherman is the youngest person to ever become President.
The American economy had recovered somewhat during the presidency of George Gray, as trade barriers were lowered, and the worst depths of the Panic of 1893 receded. However, in spite of this economic improvement, the economy was overshadowed by foreign policy, which played a much more significant role in the election than it had in 1896. The Republican Party supported the annexation of Hawai'i, which had recently seen its native monarchy overthrown and replaced by a republic dominated by American business interests. Many Republicans also supported intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence, arguing that the Monroe Doctrine required the United States to oppose the colonial efforts of Spain in the Western Hemisphere. However, there was significant opposition to both these propositions, led by anti-imperialists in the Democratic and Populist parties, with William Jennings Bryan, the Populist nominee for a second time in 1900, being one of the leading members of the faction. While President Gray was not an anti-imperialist, he was much more conservative with intervention that many Republicans thought he should have been, refusing to back
Cuba in their war against Spain, and not advocating for the annexation of Hawai'i.
Gray was re-nominated with little opposition at the Democratic National Convention in Kansas City, as Bryan decided to stick with the Populist Party, rather than trying to challenge the incumbent within his own party. Senator David Turpie of Indiana was chosen as Gray's vice presidential running mate, replacing 77-year-old Henry Davis. The platform put forth was generally conservative, supporting the gold standard and relatively low tariffs, while opposing American intervention into the Cuban war, and making no statement on the possible annexation of Hawai'i. Bryan was nominated without much controversy at the Populist convention, and many of his supporters saw it as being almost inevitable that the Populists would make even more progress in 1900 than they had in 1896 and 1892.
The Republican convention, held in Philadelphia, was significantly more competitive than the Democratic or Populist ones. Candidates under consideration included former Speaker of the House Thomas B. Reed of Maine, Senator William Allison of Iowa, and Progressive Senator Albert Beveridge from Indiana. There was even a quixotic imperialist faction that sought to re-nominate the unpopular former President McKinley against his will. However, the candidate that came out on top, after several indecisive rounds of balloting, was Representative James S. Sherman from Utica, in upstate New York. Sherman was a moderate conservative who was popular among House members, and had a strong record as a supporter of the gold standard. Sherman was able to gather the support of a considerable number of easterners, and he was an acceptable enough candidate among most of the party to receive the nomination, in spite of some opposition from progressives. Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of beloved President Abraham Lincoln, and a former Secretary of War, was nominated as the party's Vice Presidential candidate. The party's platform supported the annexation of Hawai'i, and made statements in support of Cuban independence, and in favor of some sort of American intervention, although it put forth no specific details on the party's position.
For the second election in a row, no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote. Several northeastern states which had voted for Gray in 1896 swung back to the Republicans and Sherman, now that the unpopular McKinley was not on the ticket. Moreover, the improving economy and the significant role that foreign policy played in the election resulted in disappointing losses for Bryan, who saw several states he had won in 1896 flip away from him - to both the Republicans and Democrats. However, the 53 electoral votes won by Bryan meant that neither Gray or Sherman could win a majority. The election was sent to Congress, with the Senate choosing between Lincoln and Turpie for the vice presidency, and the House choosing between Gray, Sherman, and Bryan for the presidency. The Senate majority narrowly voted for Democrat Turpie to become the Vice President, but Sherman, the Republican, was chosen by the House of Representatives, where he was a popular leader, and the Republicans were stronger. This led to the unusual situation of the President and Vice President being of different parties, which had not happened since Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson in 1864.