1887 French presidential election

Presidential elections were held in France on 3 December 1887, to elect the fourth president of the Third French Republic. The elections were triggered by the resignation of President Jules Grevy.

Background
The election was triggered by the resignation of President Grevy, which resulted from the decorations scandal of 1887. This scandal forced Prime Minister Maurice Rouvier into resignation, with no other figure agreeing to be appointed by Grevy as the next prime minister. This caused a government crisis which forced Grevy to resign. The French National Assembly met for a joint sitting on December 3 to elect a new president.

Election
Jules Ferry, the former prime minister, was initially seen as the front-runner in the race due to his name recognition and experience, but the more-left wing Republicans disliked him. The Radicals within the Assembly, led by Georges Clemenceau, backed an outsider in the form of former Finance Minister Sadi Carnot.

Conservative Monarchists within the assembly rallied behind General Félix Gustave Saussier.

On the first ballot, Carnot came in first with 303 votes (35.69%) while Ferry came in second place with just 212 (24.97%). Both had come short of the majority needed. Seeing he had been outflanked, Ferry withdrew from the race and Carnot was easily elected president on the second ballot with 616 votes (74.49%)