The 1856 United States presidential election was held on November 4, 1856. The election was a contest between Republican Party nominee John C. Frémont, Democratic Party nominee James Buchanan, and The American Party, also known as the Know-Nothing Party, nominee Millard Fillmore. Buchanan won the presidency, securing 174 electoral votes to Frémont’s 114 electoral votes and Fillmore’s 8 electoral votes.