<P> Grover Cleveland Democratic </P> <P> William McKinley Republican </P> <P> The United States presidential election of 1896 was the 28th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1896 . Former Governor William McKinley, the Republican candidate, defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan . The 1896 campaign, which took place during an economic depression known as the Panic of 1893, was a realigning election that ended the old Third Party System and began the Fourth Party System . </P> <P> Incumbent Democratic President Grover Cleveland did not seek for reelection for a second (or third non-consecutive) term, leaving the Democratic nomination open . Bryan, an attorney and former Congressman, galvanized support with his Cross of Gold speech, which called for a reform of the monetary system and attacked business leaders as the cause of ongoing economic depression . The 1896 Democratic National Convention repudiated the Cleveland administration and nominated Bryan on the fifth presidential ballot . Bryan then won the nomination of the Populist Party, which had won several states in 1892 and shared many of Bryan's policies . In opposition to Bryan, some conservative Bourbon Democrats formed the National Democratic Party and nominated Senator John M. Palmer . McKinley prevailed by a wide margin on the first ballot of the 1896 Republican National Convention . </P>

Who were the candidates in the 1896 election