21. The Murchison letter and the introduction of foreign influence in American elections
During the election of 1888, a contest between incumbent Democrat Grover Cleveland and Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison, a letter appeared in newspapers nationwide from the British ambassador, Lionel Sackville-West, addressed to Charles F. Murchison. It clearly stated the British government preferred Cleveland to be elected over Harrison, as he was more likely to ease trade restrictions between the two countries and with Canada. The letter appeared two weeks before election day, and had the effect of turning the Irish-American vote in several major cities against Cleveland. Then it was revealed that the letter had been solicited by a Republican operative.
The operative, George Osgoodby, had written to the Ambassador, identified himself as Murchison, and claimed to be an expatriate Englishman living in California. He asked the Ambassador for advice on which way to vote so as to best benefit Great Britain. Once he had the reply in hand he distributed it to the newspapers. After losing the election, Cleveland had the ambassador recalled in one of the last acts of his first administration. In interviews before his dismissal, Sackville-West defended his expression of his views, saying it was in the best interests of “Her Majesty” for him to address domestic politics in the land where he represented her government.