Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a mid-19th century political party in the United States. Alongside the Democratic Party, it was one of two major parties from the late 1830s until the early 1850s and part of the Second Party System. As well as four Whig presidents (William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore), other prominent members included Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Rufus Choate, William Seward, John J. Crittenden, and John Quincy Adams (whose presidency ended prior to the formation of the Whig Party). The Whig base of support was amongst entrepreneurs, professionals, Protestant Christians (particularly Evangelicals), the urban middle class, and nativists. It had much less backing from poor farmers and unskilled workers. The party was hostile towards the ideology of "manifest destiny", territorial expansion into Texas and the Southwest, and the Mexican–American War. It disliked presidential power, as exhibited by Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, and preferred congressional dominance in lawmaking. Members advocated modernization, meritocracy, the rule of law, protections against majority rule, and vigilance against executive tyranny. They favored an economic program known as the American System, which called for a protective tariff, federal subsidies for the construction of infrastructure, and support for a national bank. The party was active in both the Northern and Southern United States and did not take a firm stance on slavery, but Northern Whigs tended to be less supportive than their Democratic counterparts. The Whigs emerged in the 1830s in opposition to U.S. president Andrew Jackson, pulling together former members of the National Republican Party, the Anti-Masonic Party, and disaffected Democrats. The Whigs had some weak links to the defunct Federalist Party, but the Whig Party was not a successor to that party, and many Whig leaders, including Henry Clay, had aligned with the rival Democratic-Republican Party. In the 1836 presidential election, four different Whig candidates received electoral votes, but the party failed to defeat Jackson's chosen successor, Martin Van Buren. Whig nominee William Henry Harrison unseated Van Buren in the 1840 presidential election but died one month into his term. Harrison's successor, John Tyler, a former Democrat, broke with the Whigs in 1841 after clashing with Clay and other party leaders over economic policies such as the re-establishment of a national bank. Clay clinched his party's nomination in the 1844 presidential election but was defeated by Democrat James K. Polk, who subsequently presided over the Mexican–American War. Whig nominee Zachary Taylor won the 1848 presidential election, but Taylor died in 1850 and was succeeded by Millard Fillmore. Fillmore, Clay, Daniel Webster, and Democrat Stephen A. Douglas led the passage of the Compromise of 1850, which helped to defuse sectional tensions in the aftermath of the Mexican–American War for a time. Nonetheless, the Whigs suffered a decisive defeat in the 1852 presidential election partly due to sectional divisions within the party. The Whigs collapsed following the passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in 1854, with most Northern Whigs eventually joining the anti-slavery Republican Party and most Southern Whigs joining the nativist American Party and later the Constitutional Union Party. The last vestiges of the Whig Party faded away after the start of the American Civil War, but Whig ideas remained influential for decades. During the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, ex-Whigs dominated the Republican Party and enacted much of their American System. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, Chester A. Arthur, and Benjamin Harrison were Whigs before switching to the Republican Party, from which they were elected to office. It is considered the primary predecessor party of the modern-day Republicans.

Infobox

Colors

mw- Buff Blue

Leader

Henry ClayDaniel WebsterWilliam Henry HarrisonZachary Taylor

Founded

1833; 192 years ago (1833)

Founder

Henry Clay

Ideology

mw- American nationalism American System Anti-expansionism Anti-Jacksonianism Classical liberalism Protectionism Parliamentarism Traditionalist conservatism

Dissolved

1854; 171 years ago (1854)

Newspaper

The American Review

Merger of

National Republican PartyAnti-Masonic Party

Headquarters

Washington, D.C.

Preceded by

Federalist PartyNational Republican PartyAnti-Masonic PartyNullifier Party (minority)

Succeeded by

Republican Party (de facto)Know NothingsOpposition PartyConstitutional Union Party

Senate (1841–1843)

29 / 52 (peak)

House of Representatives (1841)

142 / 242 (peak)

Tables

· Electoral history › Presidential tickets

Presidential nominee

Election

Presidential nominee

Ticket

Running mate

Ticket

Popular vote

Electoral results

Electoral votes

Electoral results

Ranking

1836

Election

1836

Ticket

William Henry Harrison

Ticket

Francis Granger

Electoral results

36.6%

Electoral results

73 / 294

Electoral results

Hugh Lawson White

Election

Hugh Lawson White

Ticket

John Tyler

Ticket

9.7%

Electoral results

26 / 294

Electoral results

Daniel Webster

Election

Daniel Webster

Ticket

Francis Granger

Ticket

2.7%

Electoral results

14 / 294

Electoral results

Willie Person Mangum

Election

Willie Person Mangum

Ticket

John Tyler

Ticket

Electoral results

11 / 294

Electoral results

1840

Election

1840

Ticket

William Henry Harrison

Ticket

John Tyler

Electoral results

52.9%

Electoral results

234 / 294

Electoral results

1844

Election

1844

Ticket

Henry Clay

Ticket

Theodore Frelinghuysen

Electoral results

48.1%

Electoral results

105 / 275

Electoral results

1848

Election

1848

Ticket

Zachary Taylor

Ticket

Millard Fillmore

Electoral results

47.3%

Electoral results

163 / 290

Electoral results

1852

Election

1852

Ticket

Winfield Scott

Ticket

William Alexander Graham

Electoral results

43.9%

Electoral results

42 / 296

Electoral results

1856

Election

1856

Ticket

Millard Fillmore

Ticket

Andrew Jackson Donelson

Electoral results

21.5%

Electoral results

8 / 296

Electoral results

Election	Ticket		Electoral results
Election	Presidential nominee	Running mate	Popular vote	Electoral votes	Ranking
1836	William Henry Harrison	Francis Granger	36.6%	73 / 294	2
	Hugh Lawson White	John Tyler	9.7%	26 / 294	3
	Daniel Webster	Francis Granger	2.7%	14 / 294	4
	Willie Person Mangum	John Tyler	0%	11 / 294	5
1840	William Henry Harrison	John Tyler	52.9%	234 / 294	1
1844	Henry Clay	Theodore Frelinghuysen	48.1%	105 / 275	2
1848	Zachary Taylor	Millard Fillmore	47.3%	163 / 290	1
1852	Winfield Scott	William Alexander Graham	43.9%	42 / 296	2
1856	Millard Fillmore	Andrew Jackson Donelson	21.5%	8 / 296	3

· Electoral history › Congressional representation

Total

Congress

Total

Years

Democrats

Col 3

Whigs

Senate

Others

Senate

Vacancies

Senate

Total

Senate

Democrats

Senate

Whigs

Col 9

Others

House of Representatives

Vacancies

25th

Congress

25th

Years

1837–1839

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

—

Senate

242

Col 9

128

House of Representatives

100

House of Representatives

—

House of Representatives

Martin Van Buren

26th

Congress

26th

Years

1839–1841

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

—

Senate

242

Col 9

125

House of Representatives

109

House of Representatives

—

27th

Congress

27th

Years

1841–1843

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

242

Col 9

House of Representatives

142

House of Representatives

—

House of Representatives

John Tyler

28th

Congress

28th

Years

1843–1845

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

—

Senate

223

Col 9

147

House of Representatives

—

29th

Congress

29th

Years

1845–1847

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

228

Col 9

142

House of Representatives

—

House of Representatives

James K. Polk

30th

Congress

30th

Years

1847–1849

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

230

Col 9

110

House of Representatives

116

House of Representatives

—

31st

Congress

31st

Years

1849–1851

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

233

Col 9

113

House of Representatives

108

House of Representatives

Zachary Taylor

32nd

Congress

32nd

Years

1851–1853

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

233

Col 9

127

House of Representatives

—

House of Representatives

Millard Fillmore

33rd

Congress

33rd

Years

1853–1855

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

234

Col 9

157

House of Representatives

—

House of Representatives

Franklin Pierce

Congress

Years

Col 3

Total

Senate

Democrats

Senate

Opposition

Senate

Others

Senate

Vacancies

Senate

Total

Col 9

Democrats

House of Representatives

Opposition

House of Representatives

Others

House of Representatives

Vacancies

House of Representatives

President

34th

Congress

34th

Years

1855–1857

Col 3

Senate

—

Senate

234

Col 9

House of Representatives

100

House of Representatives

—

House of Representatives

Franklin Pierce

Congress	Years	Senate					House of Representatives					President
Congress	Years	Total	Democrats	Whigs	Others	Vacancies	Total	Democrats	Whigs	Others	Vacancies	President
25th	1837–1839	52	35	17	—	—	242	128	100	14	—	Martin Van Buren
26th	1839–1841	52	30	22	—	—	242	125	109	8	—	Martin Van Buren
27th	1841–1843	52	22	29	—	1	242	98	142	2	—	John Tyler
28th	1843–1845	52	23	29	—	—	223	147	72	4	—	John Tyler
29th	1845–1847	58	34	22	—	2	228	142	79	7	—	James K. Polk
30th	1847–1849	60	38	21	1	—	230	110	116	4	—	James K. Polk
31st	1849–1851	62	35	25	2	—	233	113	108	11	1	Zachary Taylor
32nd	1851–1853	62	36	23	3	—	233	127	85	21	—	Millard Fillmore
33rd	1853–1855	62	38	22	2	—	234	157	71	6	—	Franklin Pierce
Congress	Years	Total	Democrats	Opposition	Others	Vacancies	Total	Democrats	Opposition	Others	Vacancies	President
34th	1855–1857	62	39	21	2	—	234	83	100	51	—	Franklin Pierce

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