Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate in the most controversial presidential election in American history. An attorney who rose to become governor of New York in the 1870s, Tilden established a reputation as an effective and dedicated reformer. He lost the 1876 presidency to Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes in a bitterly-disputed election. Born February 9, 1814, in New Lebanon, New York, Tilden became immersed in the world of politics at a relatively young age. A talented writer, he penned a number of political papers while in his twenties for his friend Martin Van Buren (1782-1862; see entry in volume 1), president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. Around this same time, Tilden studied law at the University of the City of New York, and he passed the state bar exam to become a certified lawyer in 1841. He became counsel for the City of New York two...