1824

The House decides again

Four Democratic-Republican candidates split the electoral vote, with Andrew Jackson winning both the popular vote and a plurality of electoral votes but falling short of a majority. The election was thrown to the House of Representatives, which chose John Quincy Adams in what Jackson's supporters called the 'Corrupt Bargain' — Speaker Henry Clay, who had come fourth, threw his support to Adams and was subsequently named Secretary of State. Jackson's fury over this outcome drove him to build the Democratic Party and win the presidency four years later.