Half-Breeds | |
|---|---|
| Leader | • George Frisbie Hoar[1] • Rutherford B. Hayes • William A. Wheeler • John Sherman • George W. McCrary • Stanley Matthews • Henry L. Dawes • Henry W. Blair • George F. Edmunds • William M. Evarts • John Davis Long • James A. Garfield[note 1] • James G. Blaine[note 1] • Justin Smith Morrill[2][note 1] • William E. Chandler[3][note 1] • William H. Robertson[note 1] |
| Founded | c. 1877 |
| Dissolved | c. 1890 |
| Preceded by | Moderate faction of the Republican Party |
| Merged into | Republican Party |
| Ideology | • Anti-corruption • Anti-Grantism • Classical liberalism[4] • Pro-industry • Protectionism • Pro-civil service reform[5] • Pro-merit system • Anti-spoils system |
| Political position | Center |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
The "Half-Breeds" were a political faction of the United States Republican Party in the late 19th century.
The Half-Breeds were a comparably moderate group, and were the opponents of the Stalwarts, the other main faction of the Republican Party. The main issue that divided the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds was political patronage. The Stalwarts were in favor of political machines and spoils system–style patronage, while the Half-Breeds, later led by Maine senator James G. Blaine,[6] were in favor of civil service reform and a merit system. The epithet "Half-Breed" was invented in derision by the Stalwarts to denote those whom they perceived as being "only half Republican".[7]
The Blaine faction in the context of the Hayes era is commonly attributed as the congressional Half-Breeds, although this is erroneous. Blaine's political organization during this time formed an informal coalition with the Stalwarts in opposition towards aspects of the Hayes administration,[8] a notion affirmed by the writings of Richard E. Welch Jr.
In spite of the faction's broad advocacy of civil service reform in their decries of corruption, several members were known to have engaged in illicit practices for personal or partisan benefits. Congressman and Senator Henry L. Dawes was revealed as a stockholder for Crédit Mobilier amidst the scandal;[9][10] George F. Edmunds of Vermont was later suspected by Richard F. Pettigrew of being "distinctly dishonest" and a "senatorial bribe-taker."[11]
- ^ Welch Jr., Richard E. (January 1, 1971). "George Frisbie Hoar and the Half-Breed Republicans". Harvard.edu. Harvard University Press. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
George Frisbie Hoar (1826–1904), whose national career spans the period from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Movement, was a Radical Republican who became one of the original Half-Breed Republicans.
- ^ Welch, Richard E. Jr. (1968). George Edmunds of Vermont: Republican Half-Breed, p. 67–69. Vermont History. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
garfieldandarthurwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Stalwarts and Half-Breeds". U-S-History.com. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "Donald Trump and Chris Christie are reportedly planning to purge the civil service". 20 July 2016.
- ^ "James A. Garfield". HISTORY. 10 June 2019.
- ^ Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
- ^ Banks, Ronald F. (June 1958). "The Senatorial Career of William P. Frye," pp. 5–6. The University of Maine. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ Martin, Edward Winslow (1873). "A Complete and Graphic Account of the Crédit Mobilier Investigation" from "Behind the Scenes in Washington". Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Kennedy, Robert C. "Every Public Question with an Eye Only to the Public Good". HarpWeek. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Pettigrew, Richard Franklin (1921). Triumphant Plutocracy: The Story of American Public Life from 1870 to 1920, pp. 125–26. Google Books. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
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