The Ohio legislature had just chosen James A. Garfield in 1879 for the U.S. Senate seat when a faint movement began for Garfield as the next Republican nominee for President to succeed Hayes, who had chosen not to stand for reelection.

Garfield had endorsed John Sherman in early 1880 for the party's Presidential nomination in exchange for Sherman's earlier support of Garfield for the Senate.

However, at the outset of the Republican convention, a deadlock had ensued between supporters of former President Grant, James G. Blaine, and Sherman; the delegates began to look to Garfield as an optimal compromise choice.

Garfield had eloquently defended dissenting West Virginia delegates in his speech against Sen. Conkling's convention rule that stated all state delegates must vote unanimously for only one candidate.

After over thirty ballots, the vote totals for the leading contenders were within five votes of where they had been on the first ballot.

With the 34th ballot, Wisconsin began the break to Garfield that ends with his nomination as the party's Presidential candidate.

Garfield's capture of the 1880 nomination for the Presidency over the prominent contenders is considered historic.

Garfield defeats the front runner Ulysses S. Grant's controversial third term bid for the nomination.

Thomas Nichol, Wharton Barker, and Benjamin Harrison are widely considered to be the primary architects of Garfield's ascendancy during the convention, but no one could have controlled this unpredictable outcome for such a dark horse—one who had personally objected at every step.

To obtain Republican Stalwart support for the ticket, former New York customs collector Chester A. Arthur is chosen as the vice-presidential nominee and Garfield's running mate.

The outlook for Garfield's campaign is less than optimal in the wake of such a fractured convention.

In an effort to heal residual wounds from the convention, Garfield travels to New York to bring the party's warring factions together in what is called the "New York Conference", and what is considered a personal triumph.

This is the only trip of consequence that Garfield makes away from home during the campaign.

Powerful railroad interests are courted by the party in the wake of Supreme Court decisions that had been adverse to their interests.

After assuring them that they will have the President's ear in such matters, Garfield gains their support.

Chinese immigration is another issue in the U.S. Presidential Election of 1880; those in the West, particularly California, are opposed to Chinese immigration, considered antithetical to normal economic growth in that region.

Easterners, such as Senator George F. Hoar, take a more philosophical and religious stand in favor of Chinese immigration.

On the eve of the election, the Democrats widely publish a letter—allegedly over Garfield's signature—which favors Chinese immigration, in an attempt to affect the outcome of the election.

The timing of the letter's publication, some obvious inconsistencies in the letter's wording, and even the handwriting itself, lead many to believe it to be a forgery.

In the general election, Garfield defeats the Democratic candidate Winfield Scott Hancock, another distinguished former Union Army general, by two hundred and fourteen electoral votes to one hundred and fifty-five.

The popular vote has a plurality of just over seven thousand votes out of more than eight million, eight hundred and eighty-nine thousand cast.

He becomes the only man ever to be elected to the Presidency directly from the House of Representatives and is for a short period a sitting Representative, Senator-elect, and President-elect.

Northeastern North America

(1888 to 1899 CE): Industrial Titans, Immigration, Public Health, and Cultural Evolution

Between 1888 and 1899, Northeastern North America witnessed extraordinary industrial expansion, intensified immigration, health crises, cultural shifts, and significant political evolution. These years shaped the region through economic consolidation, urbanization, and profound social changes.

Rise of Industrial Titans

Rapid economic growth gave rise to powerful industrialists, including Cornelius Vanderbilt in railroads, John D. Rockefeller in petroleum, and Andrew Carnegie in steel. Banking emerged as a key economic driver, notably under the guidance of financier J. P. Morgan. Technological innovations by Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla transformed urban life, distributing electricity broadly for industry, home use, and street lighting.

Trusts and Monopolies

Corporations such as Standard Oil dominated their industries. The formation of monopolistic trusts extended beyond oil to sugar, whiskey, and lead. After the Sugar Trust was ruled illegal in 1891, Henry Osborne Havemeyer and Theodore A. Havemeyer were elected chairman and president, respectively, of the American Sugar Refining Company, which in May 1896 became one of the original twelve companies listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. After absorbing the E.C. Knight Company and others, it controlled ninety-eight percent of sugar refining in America, surviving a Supreme Court antitrust challenge in 1895.

Immigration and Urbanization

Urban centers swelled with immigrants, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe, creating labor surpluses fueling industrial growth and significantly transforming regional culture. Nearly a quarter of the Canadian population emigrated southward to the U.S. between 1871 and 1896, reshaping the demographics further.

Public Health Challenges

Massive immigration and urban growth intensified public health crises. Infectious diseases caused severe fatalities, with an estimated twenty-five to thirty-three percent mortality among European immigrants to Canada before 1891. Cholera outbreaks, notably in Chicago in 1854, underscored ongoing urban health vulnerabilities.

Cultural and Social Shifts

The late nineteenth century saw heightened narcotic consumption, particularly opium. By 1896, American addiction peaked at over three hundred thousand individuals. Sensationalist media coverage by publishers like William Randolph Hearst fueled xenophobic fears, associating narcotic use with immigrants and criminals, prompting early narcotics regulation.

Intellectual and Cultural Trends

Robert G. Ingersoll, known as "the great agnostic," popularized scientific rationalism, humanism, and higher criticism of religious texts. His compelling lectures attracted national attention, influencing public discourse with intellectual vigor and challenging established orthodoxies.

Hudson River School artists, including John Frederick Kensett, George Inness, and Frederick Edwin Church, reached the zenith of their influence, romanticizing American landscapes and reinforcing the cultural identity rooted in the natural environment.

Fashion shifted toward more relaxed, country-inspired attire, with Norfolk jackets and knickerbockers—named after Washington Irving's fictional Dutch family—becoming popular among men.

Political Dynamics

Presidential elections reflected shifting political landscapes and changing cultural norms. Benjamin Harrison, notable for his full beard, defeated mustachioed incumbent Grover Cleveland in 1888. However, Cleveland reclaimed the presidency in 1892, overcoming Harrison and Populist candidate James A. Weaver. In 1896, clean-shaven Republican William McKinley defeated similarly beardless Democrat and Populist William Jennings Bryan, reflecting evolving political and social attitudes.

Legacy of the Era (1888–1899 CE)

This transformative period, marked by powerful industrial leaders, massive immigration, evolving cultural practices, and shifting political alliances, established a framework that profoundly shaped Northeastern North America's socioeconomic and cultural landscapes for decades to follow.

The incumbent U.S. president,  the mustachioed Grover Cleveland, is defeated in 1888 by the bearded Benjamin Harrison.

Cleveland returns to the fray in 1892, however, and defeats his old rival, together with the Populist candidate, the mustachioed James A. Weaver.

William McKinley, the clean-shaven Republican nominee in the 1896 election, defeats the equally beardless William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic and Populist candidate.

The 1888 Republican Convention opens at the Auditorium Building in Chicago on June 19.

Benjamin Harrison and Levi P. Morton win the nominations for President and Vice President of the United States, respectively. 

Democratic Party incumbent Grover Cleveland wins the popular vote on November 6, 1888, but loses the Electoral College vote to Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison, therefore losing the election.

Benjamin Harrison is sworn in as the 23rd President of the United States on March 4, 1889.

Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House on January 2, 1890.

Her appointment may have been a nod to the growing women’s suffrage movement that is gathering momentum during Benjamin Harrison’s presidency, although it is not known whether or not Sanger actively supported women’s suffrage.

Two of the most influential organizations involved in the women’s suffrage movement, the American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman Suffrage Association, will combine forces later in 1890 and become the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), representing a coalition of women’s suffrage activists, social reformers and temperance advocates.

Their demands include stronger female property rights, employment and educational opportunities for women, improved divorce and child custody laws, and reproductive freedom.

The Oklahoma Organic Act, under which Oklahoma Territory is organized, a prerequisite for later statehood, is signed by U.S. President Benjamin Harrison on May 2, 1890.