William Wirt with the Anti-Masonic Party was the first third party candidate to win electoral votes when Vermont cast seven electoral votes for him. In 1824, there were four candidates who split the vote sufficiently to put the election into the House of Representatives. But all four candidates were from the same Democratic-Republican Party! (Some sources list the party affiliation of these candidates as "none." Either way, not even two parties were involved in the 1824 election.) In 1912, 1924 and 1860, third party candidates received votes, but all after William Wirt in 1832.
Copyright © 2000 by Richard Warren Field