Liberal Republican Party

The Liberal Republican Party was a short-lived political movement in the United States that emerged in the early 1870s. It was founded by a faction of the Republican Party that opposed the policies of President Ulysses S. Grant, particularly his approach to Reconstruction and corruption within his administration. The Liberal Republicans advocated for civil service reform, a more conciliatory approach to the South post-Civil War, and an end to military Reconstruction. They also supported a more limited government and a return to classical liberal principles, including individual liberty and free-market economics.

The Liberal Republican Party nominated Horace Greeley as their candidate for the presidency in the 1872 election. Greeley ran on a platform of civil service reform, an end to the patronage system, and reconciliation with the South. However, the movement failed to gain widespread support, and Greeley was soundly defeated by Grant. After the 1872 election, the Liberal Republican Party quickly dissolved, with many of its members returning to the Republican fold or joining the Democratic Party.