Excerpt taken from The Historic Rise of Old Hickory by Suzanne B. Williams Four major candidates ran in the 1824 election, all under the "Democratic-Republican" name. One of the candidates, Andrew Jackson, was already famous. In the 1780s, he earned the right to practice law and served in various offices of the state government, including senator. He earned the nickname "Old Hickory" for his toughness as a general during the War of 1812 and First Seminole War. Jackson supported slavery and "Indian removal." This earned him support from voters in southern and frontier states. The other three candidates were John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, Henry Clay of Kentucky, and William Crawford of Georgia. U. S. presidents are elected through the Electoral College. The Founding Fathers worried that Americans were too spread out to learn enough about the candidates. Under the Electoral College, Americans cast their ballot for the popular vote, which chooses the electors for each state. The number of electoral votes each state equals the number of representatives and senators combined. The candidates must win an absolute majority of electoral votes to win the election. In 1824, Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, but he did not win it in each state. Jackson and Adams both won many electoral votes. Jackson won the most with 99. However, a candidate needs an absolute majority of electoral votes to win. In 1824, Jackson needed 131 to win. When there is not majority winner, the election goes to the House of Representatives. This has only happened twice in U. S. history. Even though he won the popular vote and many electoral votes, Andrew Jackson lost the presidency in 1824. John Quincy Adams was the Secretary of State at this time. Henry Clay was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, receiving the least, was left out. However, as a leader in the House of Representatives, he had influence over the other members. Clay openly hated Jackson and there were rumors that Clay made a deal with Adams in exchange fo