| Description | James G(illespie) Blaine (1830-1893): Known as "The Plumed Knight." One of the major figures in Republican politics in the late nineteenth century. One of the first Republicans, he was nonetheless relatively mild toward the South after the Civil War. Many expected him to be Republican nominee for President in 1876, but his candidacy was stalled by graft charges. In 1880, he lost the nomination again, this time to James A. Garfield, but became Garfield's secretary of state, resigning in 1881. He finally became the Republican nominee in 1884, but lost to Grover Clevelent. He refused the nomination in 1888 but served as Secretary of State in the Harrison administration, leaving the post in 1892. |
