The incumbent in 1880 , President Rutherford Hayes , had no interest in seeking a second term ; after 36 ballots , the Republicans nominated Ohio Representative James Garfield . The nominee had gone to the convention as manager of the campaign of his fellow Ohioan , Secretary of the Treasury John Sherman . Garfield had emerged as a candidate after delegates were impressed by his nomination speech of Sherman . Although Hanna did not attend the convention , he was very active in the fall campaign . The industrialist helped found a businessman 's fundraising club to raise money for Garfield 's personal expenses in the campaign . Garfield , who ran a front porch campaign , often had to entertain politicians and others who came to meet him at his home in Mentor . According to Charles Dick , who succeeded Hanna in the Senate after the latter 's death in 1904 , " Mr. Hanna had as much to do with the election of Mr. Garfield as any single individual in the country . " Hanna , according to his biographer Croly , was in charge of the arrangements for the campaign visit of former President Grant and New York Senator Roscoe Conkling to the state . Croly credits him with persuading the two men , who were Stalwarts hostile to Garfield 's Half-Breed wing of the party , to visit Garfield in Mentor . Having Grant go to Mentor would be an important show of party unity — Grant had sought the presidency again in 1880 , but his faction had failed to gain the nomination for him . However , later biographer Horner believes the tale dubious , suggesting that Grant made the decision unaided by Hanna . Garfield favored civil service reform , a position disliked by Hanna , who felt that public jobs should be used to reward campaign workers . Nevertheless , he strongly supported Garfield as a fellow Ohioan , and the Republican candidate defeated his fellow Civil War general Winfield Hancock by a narrow margin in the November election . Hanna did much fundraising work , roaming the state to persuade business owners to contribute to the Garfield campaign
the convention
1880 Republican National Convention
Mark Hanna