Constitutional Union party

American  

noun

U.S. History.

1. the political party formed in 1859 chiefly by former Whigs to rally moderates desirous of preserving the Union. In 1860 it nominated John Bell for president and Edward Everett for vice president.

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Example Sentences

Lincoln won election with just 39.8 percent 0f the vote, while a fourth candidate, John Bell, won 12.6 percent as head of the short-lived Constitutional Union party, a fragmentary Whig offshoot.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2016

The Whigs were defunct, the Americans were a dwindling fraction; the "Constitutional Union" party held a number who sought peace above all things; but the great mass divided between the Republicans and the Democrats.

From The Negro and the Nation A History of American Slavery and Enfranchisement by Merriam, George Spring

The Charleston Convention had been disrupted on the 30th of April, and adjourned on May 3; the nomination of John Bell by the Constitutional Union party occurred on May 10.

From Abraham Lincoln, a History — Volume 02 by Nicolay, John George

But the Constitutional Union party was quite as likely to attract the remnant of the old Whig party of Clay and Webster.

From Stephen A. Douglas A Study in American Politics by Johnson, Allen

They became leaders in the Constitutional Union party, which, in Georgia, succeeded the Whig.

From The Negro and the Nation A History of American Slavery and Enfranchisement by Merriam, George Spring