Originally posted by Congressman Billybob:
"The Democrat Party died yesterday in Hartford, Connecticut."
I would agree with you that the current Democrat party is dying - or splitting into two as it did before the late unpleasantness of the War between the States... Then, as now is cannot paper-over or sustain the policy dichotomy of either slavery/anti-slavery or National security/National isolationism. The Lieberman/Lamont contest just highlighted that fundamental divide, however my personal opinion is that it will takes two more Presidential election defeats before that party takes the road blazed by the Federalists.
"These major political parties have held great power usually including the Presidency and control of one or both Houses of Congress only to disappear from the political stage, remembered in history books that no one reads any more: The Federalists, the Anti-Federalists, the Republican-Democrats...."
I would differ just a bit on the history of "major" political parties in the history of the United States. By my count there have been five major political parties, with a few more influential minor parties to boot. Still hard to believe that James Monroe was elected to a second term with no opposition.
There have been five major political parties in the history of the United States, the Federalists, the Democratic-Republicans, the Democrats, the Whigs and the Republicans. Each of these major parties has in at least one Congress controlled the House, Senate and Presidency concurrently. This is what has defined them as major parties...
Congress |
Years_Term |
President |
Presidential Party |
House Majority Party |
Senate Majority Party |
The Big Tri-Fecta |
1st |
1789-1791 |
Washington |
No Party |
Administration |
Administration |
* |
2nd |
1791-1793 |
Washington |
No Party |
Administration |
Administration |
* |
3rd |
1793-1795 |
Washington |
No Party |
Opposition |
Administration |
|
4th |
1795-1797 |
Washington |
No Party |
Opposition |
Administration |
|
5th |
1797-1799 |
Adams(2) |
Federalist |
Dem-Reps |
Federalist |
|
6th |
1799-1801 |
Adams(2) |
Federalist |
Federalist |
Federalist |
* |
7th |
1801-1803 |
Jefferson |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
8th |
1803-1805 |
Jefferson |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
9th |
1805-1807 |
Jefferson |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
10th |
1807-1809 |
Jefferson |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
11th |
1809-1811 |
Madison |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
12th |
1811-1813 |
Madison |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
13th |
1814-1815 |
Madison |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
14th |
1815-1817 |
Madison |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
15th |
1817-1819 |
Monroe |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
16th |
1819-1821 |
Monroe |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
17th |
1821-1823 |
Monroe |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
18th |
1823-1825 |
Monroe |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
19th |
1825-1827 |
Adams(6) |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
20th |
1827-1829 |
Adams(6) |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
Dem-Reps |
* |
21st |
1829-1831 |
Jackson |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
22nd |
1831-1833 |
Jackson |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
23rd |
1834-1835 |
Jackson |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Whig |
|
24th |
1835-1837 |
Jackson |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
25th |
1837-1839 |
Van-Buren |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
26th |
1839-1841 |
Van-Buren |
Democrat |
Whig |
Democrat |
|
27th |
1841-1843 |
Harrison(9)/Tyler |
Whig |
Whig |
Whig |
* |
28th |
1843-1845 |
Tyler |
Whig |
Democrat |
Whig |
|
29th |
1845-1847 |
Polk |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
30th |
1847-1849 |
Polk |
Democrat |
Whig |
Democrat |
|
31st |
1849-1851 |
Taylor/Filmore |
Whig |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
32nd |
1851-1853 |
Filmore |
Whig |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
33rd |
1853-1855 |
Pierce |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
34th |
1855-1857 |
Pierce |
Democrat |
Republican |
Democrat |
|
35th |
1857-1859 |
Buchanan |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
36th |
1859-1861 |
Buchanan |
Democrat |
Republican |
Democrat |
|
37th |
1861-1863 |
Lincoln |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
38th |
1863-1865 |
Lincoln |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
39th |
1865-1867 |
Lincoln/Johnson(17) |
Republican* |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
40th |
1867-1869 |
Johnson(17) |
Republican* |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
41st |
1869-1871 |
Grant |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
42nd |
1871-1873 |
Grant |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
43rd |
1873-1875 |
Grant |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
44th |
1875-1877 |
Grant |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
45th |
1877-1879 |
Hayes |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
46th |
1879-1881 |
Hayes |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
47th |
1881-1883 |
Garfield/Arthur |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
48th |
1883-1885 |
Arthur |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
49th |
1885-1887 |
Cleveland(22) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
50th |
1887-1889 |
Cleveland(22) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
51st |
1889-1891 |
Harrison(23) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
52nd |
1891-1893 |
Harrison(23) |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
53rd |
1893-1895 |
Cleveland(24) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
54th |
1895-1897 |
Cleveland(24) |
Democrat |
Republican |
Republican |
|
55th |
1897-1899 |
McKinley |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
56th |
1899-1901 |
McKinley |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
57th |
1901-1903 |
McKinley/Roosevelt(26) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
58th |
1903-1905 |
Roosevelt(26) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
59th |
1905-1907 |
Roosevelt(26) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
60th |
1907-1909 |
Roosevelt(26) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
61st |
1909-1911 |
Taft |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
62nd |
1911-1913 |
Taft |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
63rd |
1913-1915 |
Wilson |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
64th |
1915-1917 |
Wilson |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
65th |
1917-1919 |
Wilson |
Democrat |
Republican |
Democrat |
|
66th |
1919-1921 |
Wilson |
Democrat |
Republican |
Republican |
|
67th |
1921-1923 |
Harding/Coolidge |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
68th |
1923-1925 |
Coolidge |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
69th |
1925-1927 |
Coolidge |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
70th |
1927-1929 |
Coolidge |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
71st |
1929-1931 |
Hoover |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
72nd |
1931-1933 |
Hoover |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
73rd |
1933-1935 |
Roosevelt(32) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
74th |
1935-1937 |
Roosevelt(32) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
75th |
1937-1939 |
Roosevelt(32) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
76th |
1939-1941 |
Roosevelt(32) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
77th |
1941-1943 |
Roosevelt(32) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
78th |
1943-1945 |
Roosevelt(32) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
79th |
1945-1947 |
Roosevelt(32)/Truman |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
80th |
1947-1949 |
Truman |
Democrat |
Republican |
Democrat |
|
81st |
1949-1951 |
Truman |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
82nd |
1951-1953 |
Truman |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
83rd |
1953-1955 |
Eisenhower |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
84th |
1955-1957 |
Eisenhower |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
85th |
1957-1959 |
Eisenhower |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
86th |
1959-1961 |
Eisenhower |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
87th |
1961-1963 |
Kennedy |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
88th |
1963-1965 |
Kennedy/Johnson(36) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
89th |
1965-1967 |
Johnson(36) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
90th |
1967-1969 |
Johnson(36) |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
91st |
1969-1971 |
Nixon |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
92nd |
1971-1973 |
Nixon |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
93rd |
1973-1975 |
Nixon/Ford |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
94th |
1975-1977 |
Ford |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
95th |
1977-1979 |
Carter |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
96th |
1979-1981 |
Carter |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
97th |
1981-1983 |
Reagan |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
98th |
1983-1985 |
Reagan |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
99th |
1985-1987 |
Reagan |
Republican |
Democrat |
Republican |
|
100th |
1987-1989 |
Reagan |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
101st |
1989-1991 |
Bush(41) |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
102nd |
1991-1993 |
Bush(41) |
Republican |
Democrat |
Democrat |
|
103rd |
1993-1995 |
Clinton |
Democrat |
Democrat |
Democrat |
* |
104th |
1995-1997 |
Clinton |
Democrat |
Republican |
Republican |
|
105th |
1997-1999 |
Clinton |
Democrat |
Republican |
Republican |
|
106th |
1999-2001 |
Clinton |
Democrat |
Republican |
Republican |
|
107th |
2001-2003 |
Bush(43) |
Republican |
Republican |
Rep/Dem |
*/no |
108th |
2003-2005 |
Bush(43) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
107th |
2005-2007 |
Bush(43) |
Republican |
Republican |
Republican |
* |
What say you?
dvwjr
I agree with you that only those five Parties have elected Presidents. And I wrote exactly that to the US Supreme Court in a brief in John Anderson's case there, in 1983.
Where I disagree with your chart is the Madison and Monroe years. Jefferson's Republican-Democrat Party dissolved after his two years. The Democrat Party as it is known today had not yet been born. That's my only quarrel.
John / Billybob