In the United States presidential election of 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant, leader of the Radical Republicans, was easily elected to a second term in office with Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts as his running mate, despite a split within the Republican Party that resulted in a defection of many Liberal Republicans to opponent Horace Greeley.

On November 29, 1872, after the popular vote but before the Electoral College cast its votes, Greeley died. It is so far the only election in which a Presidential candidate died during the electoral process.

Electoral votes:

Ulysses 214 Horatio 80

Popular votes:

Ulysses 3,013,421

Horatio 2,706,829

"I shall on all subjects have a policy to recommend, but none to enforce against the will of the people"