Hayes had pledged himself to a one-term presidency , and the Republican nomination in 1880 attracted many candidates , including Sherman . Hayes 's preference was for Sherman to succeed him , but he made no official endorsement , and he did not think Sherman could win the nomination . Among the early favorites for the nomination were former President Grant , Senator James G. Blaine of Maine , and Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont . Grant did not actively promote his candidacy , but his entry into the race energized his partisans , and when the convention met in Chicago in June 1880 , they instantly divided the delegates into Grant and anti-Grant factions , with Blaine the most popular choice of the latter group . After Grant and Blaine had been nominated , James Garfield nominated Sherman with an eloquent speech , saying " You ask for his monuments , I point you to twenty-five years of national statutes . Not one great beneficent statute has been placed in our statute books without his intelligent and powerful aid . " The speech , while heartfelt , was not particularly stirring . As Senator George Frisbie Hoar later explained , " t here was nothing stimulant or romantic in the plain wisdom of John Sherman "
the convention
1880 Republican National Convention
John Sherman