Would Samuel J. Tilden have made a good president?

Tilden, however, allowed the Democratic party to intimidate black voters. Hayes’ Compromise of 1877 undoubtedly hurt black America. However, we don’t know how much would have happened to black America had Tilden been elected. A Tilden presidency would have probably been a precursor to the trust-busting of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. read more

Tilden was approached again by the Democrats in 1880 and 1884, but he refused to consider another nomination. A portion of Tilden’s fortune was left for the creation of a free public library; that bequest was merged with others in 1895 to establish the New York Public Library. Samuel J. Tilden was a strange mixture for a politician. read more