The term Loco-foco came to be applied to a splinter wing of the Democratic party beginning in 1835. It first referred to an upstart faction of the party, specifically to those who were the most egalitarian of the supporters of Andrew Jackson.

Over time the term came to be associated with the Democratic Party in general, and by the late 1840s and well into the 1850s the term Loco-foco was commonly used in newspapers.

The Whigs, perennial opponents of the Democrats, seemed to relish throwing around the term with the implication that it was demeaning. Yet Democrats seemed to consider it a badge of honor and did not shrink from using the term themselves.

Origin of the Term Loco-foco

The word Loco-foco had been coined in 1834 by a New York businessman named John Marck, who had invented a new type of self-igniting match. As the word locomotive was coming into style with the development of American railroads, Marck came up with the brand name Loco-Foco as a play on words.

The term picked up its political meaning in 1835, at a meeting held at Tammany Hall, the headquarters of the legendary Democratic Party political machine in New York City. Two factions were battling over the nomination of a candidate for Congress, Gideon Lee, and a fateful meeting was held on the evening of October 29, 1835.

Supporters of Mr. Lee, who thought of themselves as Tammany loyalists, tried to pack the nomination meeting. But Lee's opponents, who called themselves anti-monopolists, also tried to participate in the meeting.

The Tammany loyalists, seeking to shut down the proceedings, turned off the gas lamps in the building, plunging the meeting into darkness. Apparently prepared for that ploy, the anti-Lee faction took out Loco-Foco matches, and lit candles.

The use of the matches became a legendary event in New York politics, and the upstart faction of Tammany Hall thus became famous as "loco-focos."

Platform of the Loco-focos

According to a book published in 1842, The History of the Loco-Foco or Equal Rights Party, a number of resolutions were adopted at that first candle-lit meeting. Among them was the faction's stated opposition to the Bank of the United States, which put it firmly on the side of Andrew Jackson, who had been waging the Bank War.

The Loco-focos also stated their opposition to monopolies, and stated that the only acceptable money should be gold or silver.

As the Loco-foco faction seemed to have a lot of energy within the party, the ideas expressed by its members soon began to dominate the Democratic Party. And, when Martin Van Buren, a New Yorker strongly connected with the Democratic Party, became president following Jackson's two terms, Loco-foco ideas became mainstream within the federal government.

Resilience of the Loco-focos

While the Loco-foco faction essentially originated at one meeting in New York City, it was not an entirely isolated incident. The men associated with the Loco-focos had their roots in earlier factions within the Democratic Party, and once they had consolidated power at Tammany Hall their ideas spread.

New York State at that time, largely due to the commercial success of the Erie Canal, was becoming a major political center in the United States. And as the Loco-focos became powerful in New York their style of politics spread to other states.

After Martin Van Buren lost the election of 1840 to the Whig candidate, William Henry Harrison, the Loco-focos faded in influence. However, the name was applied to Democratic candidates well into the 1850s.

The Loco-foco faction was also sometimes known as the Equal Rights Party.

Gratitude is expressed to the New York Public Library Digital Collections for the illustration of Tammany Hall in 1830