United States Presidential Election of 1824

No majority in the college as Jackson led Adams 99 to 84, and the House elected John Quincy Adams.

Overview

With the Democratic-Republican Party splintering, four candidates divided the vote: Andrew Jackson 99 electoral votes and a popular and electoral plurality, John Quincy Adams 84, William Crawford 41, and Henry Clay 37. No one reached 131, so under the Twelfth Amendment the House chose among the top three. Clay, eliminated, threw his support to Adams, who won on the first ballot and made Clay secretary of state. Jackson's camp cried corrupt bargain, and the rage fueled his 1828 victory and the Democratic Party's birth.