Images provided by the Grand Rapids Public Library Archives Collection show historic front pages of The Grand Rapids Press sharing presidential election results.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As we know on Wednesday morning that it will be sometime before we know who will become America’s 46th president, it has already told us how Michigan has leaned in past elections.
Archivists with the Grand Rapids Public Library team spent hours digging through their collections for snapshots of White House history. Here’s a look back at how the last century of presidential races have panned out nationwide and at home:
Nov. 2, 1920:Warren G. Hardingvs. James Cox
(An image provided by the Grand Rapids Public Library Archives Collection shows The Grand Rapids Press’ front page on Nov. 3, 1920.)
The race:It was the battle of newspaper editors from Ohio: Republican Warren G. Harding of the Marion Star against Democrat and Ohio Governor James Cox of the Dayton Daily News.
How we voted:On Nov. 3, 1920, The Grand Rapids Press reported Kent County voters were “firmly for Harding,” with the Ohio Republican winning every rural precinct and building a lead of nearly 27,000 votes.
How he left the White House:As a post-war depression eased into a new era of prosperity, America’s 29th president was hailed by newspapers for carrying out a campaign promise of “Less government in business and more business in government.”
Harding was focused on how to deal with corruption within his administration when he died of a heart attack three years into his presidency.
Nov. 4, 1952:Dwight D. Eisenhowervs. Adlai E. Stevenson
The race:America liked Ike and it showed. In The Grand Rapids Press, the Associated Press reported “Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower smashed all voting records” with well over 27 million votes and won by a landslide against Democratic Gov. Adlai E. Stevenson, who lost his own state of Illinois. Eisenhower took 39 states and 442 electoral votes.
How we voted:A day after the election, Michigan “seemed to be safely in the ranks of Dwight D. Eisenhower as his margin neared 275,000 and seemed to withstand all Democratic pressure in populous Wayne County,” The Grand Rapids Press reported.
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