Title: The Game of Politics or, The Race for the Presidency.
Board game, printed Feb. 19th 1889.
Manufactured by the W.S. Reed Toy Co., Leominster, Mass.
Copyright 1887, by Jeanie P. Clarke.
Forbes Co. Boston.
Board size 18 1/2 x 18 1/4" (47 x 46.4 cm).

The Game of Politics was created by newspaperman James W. Clarke and his wife Jeanie in Boston. The board game is centered around how American politics worked and simulated the electoral college process. Decorating the left and right most sides are portraits of all the US presidents from George Washington to Benjamin Harrison, in order of service. At the bottom is a view of the Senate Chambers. At the center is a table outlining how many Electoral College votes each state was allowed at the time of publication.

The columns on which players would move are designed like a ladder, to depict how one "climbs the ladder" to new political positions. They are labeled "Mayor's Chair Nomination" (left), "Governor's Chair Nomination" (tops), and the "Congressman's Chair Nomination" (right). Each of the ladder slots indicates how many votes were received, with 5,000 also being marked "withdrawn."

From the United States Senate website, "Players acted as candidates competing against each other to reach the office of mayor, governor, and congressman before moving on to battle over each state's electoral college votes for the U.S. presidency. The game's design was no doubt inspired by the passage of the Electoral Count Act of 1887. The result of a special committee charged with investigating the allegations of fraud in the disputed presidential election of 1876, this legislation clarified procedures for the submission and counting of electoral votes. The February 19, 1889 patent described in detail the rules of the game, including the requirement of a majority, 201 electoral votes (out of 401 total), to win the game."

Condition: Fair condition, splitting along centerfold, some rubbing in the ink.