1956 United States presidential election
The 1956 United States presidential election happened on November 6, 1956. President Dwight D. Eisenhower won reelection to a second term. He defeated former Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson in a rematch of the 1952 presidential election.
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531 members of the Electoral College 266 electoral votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 60.6%[1] 11px 2.7 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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350px Presidential election results map. Red denotes those won by Eisenhower/Nixon, Blue denotes states won by Stevenson/Kefauver. Orange denotes won by Walter Burgwyn Jones by an Alabama faithless elector. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent president Dwight D. Eisenhower won the election by 457 electoral votes. Adlai Stevenson got 73 electoral votes. Walter Burgwyn Jones got one vote by a faithless elector in Alabama.
This was the last election in which Alaska and Hawaii were not states.[3]
Eisenhower suffered a heart attack in September 1955 while in Colorado for a vacation. His doctors told him not to run for another election. However, Eisenhower announced his candidacy for re-election on television in early 1956.
Candidates
Republican Party
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| Dwight D. Eisenhower | Richard Nixon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| for President | for Vice President | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) |
36th Vice President of the United States (1953–1961) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Campaign | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Republican candidates
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States (1953-1961) from Pennsylvania (Nominee)
- John W. Bricker, U.S. Senator (1947-1959) and 1944 vice presidential nominee from Ohio
- William F. Knowland, U.S. senator from California (1947-1959)
- S. C. Arnold, Secretary of State of Montana (1955-1957) (Favorite son candidate)
- Joe Foss, Governor of South Dakota (1955-1959) (Favorite son candidate)
President of the United States
Dwight D. Eisenhower
from Pennsylvania
(1953–1961)- S. C. Arnold (Montana Secretary of State).jpg
Montana Secretary of State
S. C. Arnold
from Montana
(1955–1957) - John W. Bricker cph.3b31299 (cropped 3x4).jpg
Senator
John W. Bricker
from Ohio
(1947–1959) - William F. Knowland headshot.jpg
Senator
William Knowland
from California
(1945–1959) - Joe Foss official portrait as Governor.jpg
Governor
Joe Foss
from South Dakota
(1955–1959)
Democratic Party
| 1956 Democratic Party Ticket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adlai Stevenson II | Estes Kefauver | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| for President | for Vice President | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31st Governor of Illinois (1949-1953) |
U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1949–1963) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Campaign | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Former Governor
and 1952 nominee
Adlai Stevenson II
of Illinois
(1949–1953)Senator
Estes Kefauver
from Tennessee
(1949–1953)Governor
W. Averell Harriman
of New York
(1955-1958)Former Governor
John S. Battle
of Virginia
(1950-1954)
(Favorite son)
Governor
Happy Chandler
of Kentucky
(1935-1939, 1955-1959)
(Favorite son)U.S. Representative
James C. Davis
from Georgia
(1947–1963)
(Favorite son)Governor
Frank Lausche
of Ohio
(1945-1947, 1949–1957)
(Favorite son)U.S. Representative
John W. McCormack
from Massachusetts
(1928–1971)
(Favorite son)- SC Gov. George Timmerman (cropped).jpg
Governor
George Bell Timmerman Jr.
of South Carolina
(1955–1959)
(Favorite son)
.jpg)
1956 United States Presidential Election Media
Republican Party (United States)
Formal portrait of Richard M. Nixon, 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953-1961.
Democratic Party (United States)
- 1956DemocraticPresidentialPrimaries.svg
Results of the 1956 Democratic presidential primaries.
- SenatorKefauver(D-TN).jpg
- SenatorKefauver(DTN)
- John F. Kennedy - NARA - 518134.jpg
John F. Kennedy - NARA - 518134
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References
- ↑ "Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections". The American Presidency Project. UC Santa Barbara.
- ↑ "1956 Electoral College Results". National Archives. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ↑ "1956 Presidential Election". 270 To Win. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
Other websites
16x16px Media related to 1956 United States presidential election at Wikimedia Commons
