Description
Signed by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, the first edition of Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876.
Octavo, ix, 274pp, [2]. White cloth, blue spine, title stamped in gilt on spine. Stated “first edition” on copyright page. Appears unread. In the publisher’s near fine dust jacket, light shelf wear, $26.00 retail price on front flap. Signed on the half title by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, with personalization in another hand.
The 1876 election contest between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden is considered the most contentious election in history, resulting in an informal deal called the Compromise of 1877. The Democratic candidate, Tilden, won the popular vote and initially won the electoral college, but 20 votes from 4 states remained in contention. In an informal deal between Republicans and Democrats, in return for Hayes removing troops from the South and ending Reconstruction, Hayes was awarded the 20 outstanding electoral votes. President Hayes agreed to serve only one term. William Rehnquist, who served as an Associate Justice and later as the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, authored several books during his lifetime. “The Supreme Court: How It Was, How It Is” (1987), “All the Laws but One: Civil Liberties in Wartime” (1998), and “Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876” (2004).
