The 1816 presidential election was the eighth presidential election in the United States. James Monroe, who served as Secretary of State during the administration of President James Madison, became the Democratic-Republican nominee for president.
Before the 1816 election, the United States had been involved in the War of 1812 with the British Empire, which lasted until 1815. The end of the War of 1812 ushered in the Era of Good Feelings, which lasted from 1815 to around 1825 and reduced animosity between the political parties and increased nationalism. The ruling Democratic-Republican government was credited with guiding the country successfully through the war, despite their ultimate loss. On the other side, the Federalists had opposed the war, further weakening the already dwindling party.
On major incident during the 1816 presidential election involved Indiana’s status as a state. Though the state was formally recognized as a state before the votes were counted, some political leaders, including John Taylor, argued that the state had only been a territory when its people had voted, though it had already joined the Union months before, in June. The dispute would not have changed the final result of the election, however.
The outcome of the 1816 presidential election was nearly inevitable once the Democratic-Republican Party nominated Monroe as their presidential candidate. Daniel Tompkins was chosen to be Monroe’s running mate. The Federalists backed New York Senator Rufus King, as their presidential candidate.
James Monroe of Democratic-Republic secured a total of 183 electoral votes and became the President of the United States. Federalist Rufus King managed only thirty-four electoral votes, and was defeated for the second time. The electoral votes for the position of King’s vice president were spread among several people, including John Howard, who received twenty-two electoral votes, James Ross, who had five, John Marshall, who attained four votes, and Robert Goodloe Harper, with three electoral votes. Four electors (one from Delaware and three from Maryland) abstained from voting in this election.
The electoral votes for the 1816 election were distributed as follows:
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