Washburne left France at the end of Grant 's term in 1877 , and returned to Galena . When Grant decided to run for an unprecedented third term in 1880 , Washburne agreed to support him , and disavowed attempts by his own supporters to make Washburne a candidate . Despite Washburne 's disavowals , he was a contender at the 1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago . With 379 votes required to win the nomination , he consistently received support from 30 to 40 delegates ; Grant had been the early front runner , and consistently received between 300 and 315 votes . Recognizing after more than 30 ballots that neither Grant nor the other leading contenders , James G. Blaine and John Sherman could be nominated , delegates began to search for a dark horse . Having failed to build momentum for Washburne on an earlier ballot , on the 34th ballot 16 Washburne delegates from Wisconsin cast their votes for James A. Garfield without warning . This surprise action started a groundswell of support for Garfield , and he was nominated on the 36th ballot
1880 Republican National Convention
1880 Republican National Convention
Elihu B. Washburne