Editing James G. Blaine (section)

== Legacy ==
A towering figure in the Republican party of his day, Blaine fell into obscurity fairly soon after his death.{{sfn|Rolde|p=xiii}} A 1905 biography by his wife's cousin, Edward Stanwood, was written when the question was still in doubt, but by the time David Saville Muzzey published his biography of Blaine in 1934, the subtitle "A Political Idol of Other Days" already spoke to its subject's fading place in the popular mind, perhaps because of the nine men the Republican Party nominated for the presidency from 1860 to 1912, Blaine is the only one who never became president. Although several authors studied Blaine's foreign policy career, including [[Edward P. Crapol]]'s 2000 work, Muzzey's was the last full-scale biography of the man until [[Neil Rolde]]'s 2006 book. Historian [[R. Hal Williams]] was working on a new biography of Blaine, tentatively titled ''James G. Blaine: A Life in Politics'', until his death in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smu.edu/News/2016/hal-williams-18feb2016 |title=SMU mourns loss of former dean and professor R. Hal Williams |publisher=Smu.edu |date= February 18, 2016 |access-date= May 8, 2016}}</ref>

During the [[2016 United States presidential election]], both [[Donald Trump]] and [[Hillary Clinton]] were compared to Blaine for their controversies. Blaine's status as a former Secretary of State who sought to erase evidence of his personal corruption drew parallels to Clinton,<ref>Dibacco, Thomas V. (May 19, 2016). [https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-1884-elections-deja-vu-052016-20160519-story.html 2016 contest could be like 1884 all over again]. ''Orlando Sentinel''. Retrieved March 3, 2022.</ref> while his appeals to anti-Chinese sentiment were compared to Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric.<ref>Gyory, Andrew (December 8, 2015). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/12/08/the-gop-front-runner-wants-to-ban-a-whole-group-of-people-this-isnt-the-first-time-thats-happened/ Don't think Trump will ever pass a Muslim Exclusion Act? Just ask Sen. James G. Blaine.] ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved March 3, 2022.</ref> Similarly, the Mugwumps who opposed Blaine in 1884 have been compared to the [[Never Trump movement]].<ref>Demaria, Ed (May 9, 2016). [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/nevertrump-movement-echoes-1884-s-mugwumps-n570486 In #NeverTrump Movement, Echoes of 1884's 'Mugwumps']. ''NBC News''. Retrieved March 3, 2022.</ref>