Alcohol use and abuse had long been a key issue for reformers when antiliquor activists turned to presidential politics to end what they saw as the degenerative effect of alcohol on the family and the moral fiber of the country. The Prohibition Party, formed in 1869, was a well-organized, vocal organization that had run candidates in every presidential election since 1872, reaching the peak of its influence in 1892. Unlike the Greenback and Populist Parties, the Prohibition Party did not work through coalitions. Although it also supported woman suffrage, prison reform, and the prohibition of gambling, the party focused on a single issue and pursued the dominant strategy of achieving the prohibition of alcohol by fielding a successful presidential candidate. Although no Prohibition presidential candidate was ever elected, they often received enough votes to influence the outcomes of the close presidential elections of...