1872 Token DeWitt HG 1872-10 Brass Horace Greeley Campaign

Coin Details

Description

This brass campaign token for Horace Greeley from the 1872 presidential election is cataloged as DeWitt HG 1872-10. Greeley, the famous editor of the New York Tribune and one of the most prominent journalists in American history, ran as the Liberal Republican and Democratic nominee against incumbent President Grant. The Liberal Republican movement arose from disillusionment with Grant's administration, particularly its corruption, its aggressive Reconstruction policies, and its failure to implement civil service reform. Greeley's candidacy was eccentric from the start — he was an intellectual journalist with no political experience, whose personal appearance (bald head, white chin-curtain beard, spectacles, and disheveled clothing) made him an easy target for caricaturists. His campaign promised reconciliation with the South and an end to Reconstruction, positions that alienated African American voters and radical Republicans while failing to energize a sufficient Democratic base. Greeley lost in a landslide, winning only 66 electoral votes to Grant's 286. He died on November 29, 1872, just weeks after the election, broken by the campaign's brutality and his wife's death.

Rarity Notes

Brass campaign token from 1872. DeWitt HG 1872-10. Greeley 1872 material is scarce. His death shortly after the election adds poignancy to surviving campaign pieces.

Cross References

PCGS #910845; DeWitt HG 1872-10; 1872 Presidential Election; Horace Greeley; Liberal Republicans