Presidential Legacies: The Gilded Age 1881-1901

The Gilded Age Presidencies are generally defined by their laissez faire administrations. This reputation is only partially deserved. America changed at such a pace, it was difficult for government to change with the times. The presidents did push for change. However, the party bosses still had a lot of power. That power would not be completely crushed until the advent of the primary system. Even then, it took almost the entire century to rid the system of the party bosses. The first two presidents of this era battled the party bosses and scored some victories. However, one was assassinated by an insane office seeker while the other was shoved aside by the bosses for being too reformist.

James Garfield (1881): Garfield spent his transition period working on a cabinet designed to pacify all his party’s factions. His last appointment angered New York Party Boss and U.S. Senator Roscoe Conkling. The feud peaked when Garfield nominated Conkling’s enemy to be Collector of the Port in New York. This was a highly coveted and highly lucrative post. Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling and the boss decided to resign from the Senate in order to vindicate himself. His home state refused to send him back to the Senate. Garfield won a complete victory. By September of 1881, Garfield would be dead.

Chester Arthur (1881-1885): Garfield’s assassination led to Chester Arthur’s ascension. In the aftermath of the assassination, Arthur pushed a reform agenda. The Pendleton Act created the Civil Service Commission and ended the old spoils system. Garfield was murdered by a disgruntled office seeker. Pendleton took federal job appointments away from the politicians and led to less cronyism and more professionalism in government. Like Garfield, Arthur refused to play ball with the party bosses. It cost him the Republican Nomination for President in 1884.

Grover Cleveland (1881-1885, 1893-1897): Cleveland was the first Democrat since James Buchanan in 1857 to be elected president. He would be the last until Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Cleveland’s first term was rather successful. He pushed for several reforms and was a solid economic manager. When he ran for re-election, he won the popular vote. However, his opponent, Benjamin Harrison, won the electoral college. Cleveland swore he’d return. In 1888, he defeated Harrison and then experienced one of the worst economic downturns in history. Cleveland is the only man to be elected to two non-consecutive terms.

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893): Harrison’s economic policies helped bring about the Panic of 1893. Harrison supported the McKinley Tariff which dramatically raised tariffs. He supported the Sherman Silver Purchasing Act which led to inflation. Harrison also passed a Civil War Pension which dramatically depleted federal funds. The combination of inflationary government policy, higher taxes in the form of tariffs, and the pension payments combined with railroad failures to send America into it’s worst economic downturn of the 19th Century. Ironically, the current administration is attempting to replicate the economic policies of the Harrison Administration with high spending, high taxes, and inflationary monetary policy.

William McKinley (1897-1901): America’s economy rebounded under McKinley. However, his legacy is entwined with the Spanish American War. McKinley did not want war. He fought in the Civil War and did not want to put people through that again. However, he had no choice once the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor. Americans blamed Spain. The war was on. America clubbed Spain and conquered Guam, The Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Cuba was later granted their independence, but America negotiated the right to lease Guantanamo Bay in perpetuity. Interestingly, historians rank James K. Polk higher than McKinley despite the fact the two men had similar accomplishments.