Samuel J. (Samuel Jones) Tilden

author

Samuel J. (Samuel Jones) Tilden

1814–1886

Best remembered for the fiercely disputed U.S. presidential election of 1876, he was also a reform-minded New York governor who built a reputation by taking on political corruption. Trained as a lawyer, he moved comfortably between high-stakes politics, public reform, and the powerful business world of 19th-century New York.

2 Audiobooks

Letters and Literary Memorials of Samuel J. Tilden, v. 1

Letters and Literary Memorials of Samuel J. Tilden, v. 1

by Samuel J. (Samuel Jones) Tilden

Letters and Literary Memorials of Samuel J. Tilden, v. 2

Letters and Literary Memorials of Samuel J. Tilden, v. 2

by Samuel J. (Samuel Jones) Tilden

About the author

Born in New Lebanon, New York, in 1814, Samuel Jones Tilden studied for periods at Yale and the University of the City of New York before turning to law. Chronic ill health interrupted his formal education, but he went on to become a successful lawyer and an influential figure in Democratic politics.

Tilden became widely known as a reformer in New York. He helped expose corruption linked to Tammany Hall and the Tweed Ring, then served as governor of New York from 1875 to 1876. His reform image made him a major national figure and helped win him the Democratic nomination for president in 1876.

That election made him famous. Tilden won the popular vote, but the electoral result was bitterly disputed and ultimately went to Rutherford B. Hayes after a political settlement. He never became president, yet he remained a major public figure, and his estate later helped support the creation of the New York Public Library.