[Illustration: A. K. McCLURE] OUR PRESIDENTS AND HOW WE MAKE THEM BY A. K. McCLURE, LL.D. ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 1900 Copyright, 1900, by A. K. MCCLURE. _All rights reserved._ CONTENTS PAGE THE WASHINGTON ELECTIONS, 1789–92 1 THE ADAMS-JEFFERSON CONTEST, 1796 7 THE JEFFERSON-ADAMS-BURR CONTEST, 1800–1 12 THE JEFFERSON-PINCKNEY CONTEST, 1804 21 THE MADISON-PINCKNEY-CLINTON CONTESTS, 1808–12 25 THE MONROE ELECTIONS, 1816–20 32 THE ADAMS-JACKSON-CRAWFORD-CLAY CONTEST, 1824 39 THE JACKSON-ADAMS-CLAY CONTESTS, 1828–32 47 THE VAN BUREN-HARRISON CONTEST, 1836 59 THE HARRISON-VAN BUREN CONTEST, 1840 65 THE POLK-CLAY CONTEST, 1844 75 THE TAYLOR-CASS-VAN BUREN CONTEST, 1848 94 THE PIERCE-SCOTT CONTEST, 1852 115 THE BUCHANAN-FRÉMONT-FILLMORE CONTEST, 1856 130 THE LINCOLN-BRECKENRIDGE-DOUGLAS-BELL CONTEST, 1860 154 THE LINCOLN-MCCLELLAN CONTEST, 1864 183 THE GRANT-SEYMOUR CONTEST, 1868 202 THE GRANT-GREELEY CONTEST, 1872 221 THE HAYES-TILDEN CONTEST, 1876 244 THE GARFIELD-HANCOCK CONTEST, 1880 270 THE CLEVELAND-BLAINE CONTEST, 1884 288 THE HARRISON-CLEVELAND CONTEST, 1888 316 THE CLEVELAND-HARRISON-WEAVER CONTEST, 1892 337 THE MCKINLEY-BRYAN CONTEST, 1896 361 ILLUSTRATIONS A. K. McCLURE _Frontispiece_ GEORGE WASHINGTON _Facing p._ x JOHN ADAMS “ 12 THOMAS JEFFERSON “ 20 JAMES MADISON “ 24 JAMES MONROE “ 32 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS “ 38 ANDREW JACKSON “ 46 MARTIN VAN BUREN “ 58 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON “ 64 JOHN TYLER “ 70 JAMES K. POLK “ 74