Murchison letter

Lionel Sackville-West

The Murchison letter was a political scandal during the United States presidential election of 1888 when Sir Lionel Sackville-West was entrapped by a political operative posing as a British expatriate.^[1]

History

A California Republican named George Osgoodby wrote a letter to Sir Lionel Sackville-West, the British ambassador to the U. S., under the assumed name of "Charles F. Murchison". "Murchison" described himself as a former Englishman who was now a California citizen and asked how he should vote in the upcoming presidential election. Sir Lionel wrote back and indiscreetly suggested that Cleveland was probably the best man from the British point of view.

The Republicans published this letter just two weeks before the election, where it had an effect on Irish-American voters exactly comparable to the "Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion" blunder of the previous election: Cleveland lost New York state and the presidency and Sackville-West was recalled as British ambassador.^[2]

References

1. ^ "That "Murchison" Letter. The Alleged Correspondent Of Lord Sackville. A California Man Says He Entrapped The British Minister And Wants Harrison To Know It". New York Times. January 9, 1889. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9906E7DE163AE532A2575AC0A9679C94689FD7CF. Retrieved 2010-07-19. "George Osgoodby, author of the famous "Murchison" letter, has lived at Pomona 15 years. He came to California from New-York when a boy, and has worked on farms during the greater part of his residence in California." 
2. ^ Charles W. Calhoun, Minority Victory: Gilded Age Politics and the Front Porch Campaign of 1888 (2008).