Democratic National Political Conventions …

           Democratic National Political Conventions
                          1832-2004

                             1832 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic convention of 1832, held on May 21 - 22 in Baltimore, is notable as the
convention where the Democratic Party formally adopted its present name. The party had
previously been known as "Republican Delegates from the Several States." The convention
nominated President Andrew Jackson for a second term and nominated Martin Van Buren of
New York for vice president.

Delegates to the 1832 Democratic convention refused to renominate John C. Calhoun as vice
president. Many Democrats opposed Calhoun because of his tariff policy and his defense of the
doctrine of nullification, which claimed that a state had a right to nullify federal laws within its
own borders. South Carolina, with Calhoun's backing, supported the nullification doctrine. The
nullification debate foreshadowed the slavery controversy that would become the most divisive
national political issue in U.S. history.

The 1832 conventions played a crucial role in making organized parties a fixture of the U.S.
political system. The Democratic convention adopted rules that succeeding conventions retained
well into the 20th century. One rule based each state's convention vote on its electoral vote, an
apportionment method that remained unchanged until 1940. The 1832 convention also adopted
the procedure of having one person from each delegation announce the vote of his state.


                             1835 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The second Democratic National Convention was held in Baltimore on May 20 - 23. It was held
a year and a half before the election in order to prevent the emergence of opposition to President
Andrew Jackson's hand-picked successor, Vice President Martin Van Buren. There were 265
delegates from twenty-two states and two territories. Alabama, Illinois, and South Carolina were
unrepresented at the convention. The nomination of Van Buren was unanimous on the first
ballot. However, Jackson's favorite for Vice President, Richard M. Johnson, barely reached the
necessary two-thirds majority on the first ballot, receiving 178 votes, just one over the required
minimum.

No platform was passed at the convention. The convention debated the issues that were most
pressing in 1835; slavery and states rights were major ones. There was a consensus for a
moderate position on slavery. In order to maintain the support of southern states, a majority of
the delegates felt that the decision to keep or abolish slavery should be made by the states and
not the federal government. In a letter accepting the nomination Van Buren wrote that he would
generally continue the political policies of the Jackson administration.

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                            1840 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION


The Democratic National Convention was held in Baltimore on May 5 - 6. President Martin Van
Buren was renominated by acclamation. However, the convention refused to nominate a vice
president in response to controversy regarding Vice President Richard M. Johnson. He had been
a weak candidate in the general election of 1836 which had led to his distinction as the only vice
president elected by the U. S. Senate under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment. A large
contingent of delegates was opposed to renominating him because of growing dissatisfaction
regarding his personal life. Johnson had lived for many years with Julia Chinn (deceased in
1833), a slave he inherited from his father. They had lived together with their two daughters
whom Johnson educated. This relationship was unacceptable to southern Democrats; at the same
time, Johnson continued to own slaves which led to a loss of support for Johnson in the North.
The convention decision was to allow state Democratic leaders to select the vice-presidential
candidates for their states.

The 1840 convention is notable for being the first in which a party platform was adopted.
The delegates clearly stated their belief that the Constitution represented the primary guide for
political affairs in all of the states. Where the Constitution did not define a role for the federal
government, the delegates determined that states should take the lead. For example, the platform
stated that the federal government should not become involved in subsidizing the building of
roads and canals. The delegates adopted a moderate stand on slavery. Once again slavery was
said to be an issue which should be decided by the states. Regarding taxes the platform stated
that no more should be raised than was necessary to defray the necessary expenses of the
government. Once again the Democrats opposed the establishment of a national bank. The
platform said that such an institution would concentrate monetary power in Washington in such a
way that would be harmful to the best interests of the people.


                            1844 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Delegates from every state except South Carolina assembled in Baltimore on May 27 - 29 for the
Democratic convention. The frontrunner for the presidential nomination was former president
Martin Van Buren, whose status was threatened on the eve of the convention by his statement
against the annexation of Texas. Van Buren's position jeopardized his support in the South, and
with a two-thirds majority apparently necessary, diminished his chances of obtaining the
presidential nomination.

Van Buren led the early presidential balloting, but on succeeding roll calls, his principal
opponent, Lewis Cass of Michigan, gained strength and took the lead. Neither candidate,
however, approached the 178 votes needed for the nomination. With a deadlock developing,
delegates began to look for a compromise candidate. James K. Polk, former speaker of the
Tennessee House and former governor of Tennessee, emerged as an acceptable choice and won

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the nomination on the ninth ballot. This marked the first time in U.S. history that a dark-horse
candidate had won a presidential nomination.

Sen. Silas Wright of New York, a friend of Martin Van Buren, was the nearly unanimous
nominee of the convention for vice president. But Wright refused the nomination, quickly
notifying the delegates by way of Samuel Morse's new invention, the telegraph. George M.
Dallas of Pennsylvania was then chosen as Polk's running mate. The 1844 Democratic
convention was the first to be reported by telegraph.


                            1848 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic Party's fifth national convention welcomed all 30 states of the union to
Baltimore, Maryland on May 22 - 25, 1848. The front runner for the nomination was Lewis
Cass, a former Michigan senator, with a respected career in the military, cabinet and
international diplomacy. A full field of contenders arose after Polk declined to run for a second
term, but the numbers thinned by early 1848. Running against Cass were Secretary of State,
James Buchanan of Pennsylvania and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Levi Woodbury of New
Hampshire. Cass won the nomination on the fourth ballot. Two ballots assured William O. Butler
of Kentucky of the vice-presidential nomination.

The most contentious issue of the 1848 convention and campaign was slavery. A Democrat had
introduced the controversial Wilmot Proviso into Congress, which, if passed, would have
prevented the introduction of slavery into the western territories acquired from Mexico. Cass had
favored the Wilmot Proviso, but later realized its divisiveness for the northern and southern
states. His nomination may, in part, have been due to his choice to support the ambiguous
position of Congressional and government nonintervention or "popular sovereignty" - leaving
the choice for or against slavery to the territories themselves.

The Democratic platform set limits on federal power over commerce, internal improvements, and
slavery, noting that "States are the sole and proper judges of everything appertaining to their
own affairs." The platform decried the concept of a national bank and applauded the Mexican
war as "just and necessary." The 1848 convention is noteworthy for the formation of a national
committee which would attend to party business between conventions.


                            1852 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Benjamin F. Hallett of Massachusetts, the first national chairman, called the Democratic Party to
order on June 1 - 5, 1852, again in Baltimore, Maryland. Procedural matters, including the
retention of the two-thirds rule, were quickly handled. The balloting for the nomination,
however, took two long days and 49 ballots. The major contenders were Lewis Cass of Michigan
who had won the 1848 nomination along with James Buchanan of Pennsylvania, William L.
Marcy of New York and the much younger Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. Each candidate

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represented the views of a section of the fractionalized democratic party and traded front-runner
status as the balloting continued, none gaining enough votes to meet the two thirds needed to win
the nomination.

In pre-conference discussions New England Democrats had persuaded dark-horse candidate
Franklin Pierce to consider running for the nomination. Pierce, an affable, undistinguished party
follower with two terms in the House and one in the Senate, agreed - against his wife's wishes 
to run for the nomination if a stalemate occurred. His name was entered on the thirty-fifth ballot
as a compromise choice. He gained support in subsequent ballots and won on the forty-ninth
vote. Senator William R. King from Alabama was chosen as the vice-presidential nominee.

The Democratic platform reiterated many of the party's resolutions from the previous
convention, including limits to the power of the federal government, the right of states to manage
their own affairs and opposition to a national bank. Exhausted by years of wrangling over the
economic, political and emotional issues of slavery, they resolved "That the democratic party
will resist all attempts at renewing, in congress or out of it, the agitation of the slavery question,
under whatever shape or color the attempt may be made."


                             1856 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

On June 2 - 6, the delegates to the 1856 Democratic convention gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This was the first Democratic convention to be held outside of Baltimore. Three men were in
contention for the party's presidential nomination: President Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire,
James Buchanan of Pennsylvania and Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. The Democratic
Party platform consisted of two segments, with the domestic and foreign policy sections debated
separately. Dominating the domestic section was the Democrats' concept of a limited federal
government and the slavery question. The foreign policy section expressed a nationalistic and
expansionist spirit that was absent from previous Democratic platforms.

After 15 ballots, none of the three candidates had received the number of votes necessary to win
the nomination. On the 16th ballot, Stephen Douglas withdrew, and on the 17th roll call, James
Buchanan received all 296 votes, securing the nomination. Buchanan was popularly known as
"Old Buck."

On the first ballot for the vice presidency, 11 individuals received votes. Representative John A.
Quitman, Mississippi, led with 59 votes, followed by Representative John C. Breckinridge of
Kentucky, with 50. Early in the second ballot, the New England delegations voted
overwhelmingly for Breckinridge, resulting in his nomination for the vice presidency.
Breckinridge was in the convention hall and announced his acceptance of the nomination. His
presence for both of these events was unusual during the early conventions.




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                           1860 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION


Rarely in U.S. history has a convention been as tumultuous as the Democratic Party convention
of 1860. It was clear that the explosive question of slavery would be the dominant issue.
Delegates to the national Democratic convention met in Charleston, South Carolina on April 23 
May 3. A bitter dispute between Northern and Southern delegates over the wording of the
platform's slavery plank resulted in a walkout by several dozen Southern delegates. The
remaining delegates, led by Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, supported the Supreme
Court decision in the 1857 Dred Scott case, which nullified the Missouri Compromise's
provisions giving Congress the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. The convention
adjourned on May 3 without making any nominations.

On June 18 - 23, the Democratic convention reconvened in Baltimore with less than two-thirds
of the delegates to the original convention present. The delegates nominated Senator Douglas
for president and Herschel V. Johnson, the former governor of Georgia, for vice president. The
platform adopted acknowledged the difference of opinion on slavery among delegates to the
Democratic Party and underscored that the party would abide by the decision of the Supreme
Court regarding the question of congressional authority over the issue of slavery within the
territories.

The Southern Democrats who had walked out of the convention in Charleston met later that June
in Richmond, Virginia. Vice President John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky won the presidential
nomination, and Senator Joseph Lane of Oregon was chosen as his running mate. Their platform
supported slavery in the territories. The failure to reach agreement on the slavery question was
the most disruptive sectional split in the history of U.S. political parties.


                           1864 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1864 Democratic national convention was held in the Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois on
August 29 - 31. George B. McClellan and George H. Pendleton were nominated as the
presidential and vice presidential candidates.

The Democratic Party was splintered by opposing views of the ongoing Civil War. There had
been no clear leader of the party since Stephen A. Douglas had died in 1861. Those party
members wishing to see the Union preserved, even at the expense of war, allied themselves with
the Republicans as War Democrats or Unionists. Other Democrats (anti-war, often called
Copperheads) were willing to allow Southern independence including a return to antebellum
conditions. The lack of success in local elections by the anti-war Democrats weakened their
standing and the more moderate Democrats had a greater voice at the 1864 convention. These
moderates were willing to allow Southern independence but realized this was an unpopular idea
among the public and instead tried to play upon Northern discomfort with wartime restrictions
and changes. They appealed to Northern white social and economic fears regarding emancipated
African Americans.

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Even with the party being divided, Democrats attending the 1864 convention had high hopes of
winning the upcoming election. The Republican Party was badly fractured along ideological
lines as well and faced a restless northern populace and an increasingly unpopular war.

George B. McClellan, former commander of Union armies, was nominated on the first ballot.
McClellan had not thought the war unwinnable, but believed Republican interference had cost
the North victory in the field. Democrats could now offer McClellan as a patriot who had tried to
win the war but now would end it by any means, even if it meant allowing the South its
independence. George H. Pendleton, an anti-war Democrat, was chosen as McClellan's running
mate.

The party platform focused on the failure of the war, Republican excesses in the curtailing of
individual and state's rights, and called for an immediate armistice with the South. The platform
decried the altering of pre-war racial balances through emancipation of slaves. McClellan would
later disavow the peace before reunion platform plank, and instead called for reunion to be a
condition of peace, in hopes of appealing to public sentiment.


                             1868 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1868 Democratic national convention was held in Tammany Hall, New York, NY on July 4
- 9, 1868. Horatio Seymour and Francis P. Blair, Jr. were nominated as the presidential and
voice presidential candidates.

The Democratic Party suffered from remaining internal fractures that did not split the party but
caused party disharmony. The party's depiction as the party of wartime disloyalty was an image
rightly or wrongly reinforced by the fact it was more popular and stronger in the South. President
Andrew Johnson, a War Democrat and Abraham Lincoln's successor, sought to unify with other
Democrats and was at odds with Republicans, who eventually impeached him. Reconstruction of
the South and African American civil rights were important issues in 1868.

At the convention, Democrats emphasized their party's stand for constitutional conservatism and
advocacy of limited government. A petition presented by the Women's Suffrage Association
asking for the party's support in gaining women the right to vote was not seriously considered.
Economic issues in the 1868 platform such as lower taxes, a low tariff, and a plan to pay off the
public debt were considered more important by the party. Slavery and secession were
considered closed matters. Immediate restoration of Southern states to the Union, amnesty for
political offenses, state regulation of suffrage, a reduction in the size of the military, and equal
protections for native and foreign-born U.S. citizens were other platform planks. Convention
attendees included William M. "Boss" Tweed, Clement L. Vallandigham, and former general
Nathan Bedford Forrest, a founder of the Ku Klux Klan.

Eight nominees were considered for the presidential slot, including Horatio Seymour, Andrew
Johnson, General Winfield Scott Hancock and Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase.

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After twenty-three ballots a reluctant Seymour won the nomination. Seymour was seen as an
acceptable alternative for each faction rather than having to acquiesce to another's candidate.
Francis P. Blair, Jr., a close associate of President Johnson was quickly chosen as Seymour's
running mate.


                            1872 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Democrats convened on July 9 - 10 in Baltimore, Maryland, for one of the strangest political
conventions in history. In truth, the Democrats did not offer a candidate as the party was in deep
disarray. Instead, the Democrats endorsed the presidential and vice presidential candidates
representing the Liberal Republican Party, demonstrating their belief that this was the only way
to defeat a second presidential term for Ulysses S. Grant. The Liberal Republican Party, which
was short-lived, was created by members of the Republican Party who were disgusted with the
corruption and policies of the Grant administration. In particular, the Liberal Republican Party
objected to the "carpetbag" governments established in the South following the Civil War,
advocating the restoration of home rule in the southern states.

The presidential candidate selected by the Liberal Republican Party and endorsed by the
Democratic Party was Horace Greeley, who founded the New Yorker in 1834, and in 1841, the
New York Tribune, which became one of the most influential dailies of the nineteenth century.
Through editorials in his publications, Greeley advocated the rights of workingmen, promoted a
protective tariff, encouraged development of the frontier, and opposed slavery. At the
Democratic convention nominating speeches were forbidden and Greeley won on the first ballot
with 686 votes of the allotted 732. Governor B. Gratz Brown of Missouri, again the Liberal
Republican nominee for vice president, was the unanimous choice of the Democrats with 713
votes.

Debate on the Democratic platform was limited to one hour, and once again the delegates
endorsed the same platform approved by the Liberal Republic Party. Key elements of the
platform included a call for the end of reconstruction and complete amnesty for citizens of the
South, a limit on the powers of the federal government, civil service reform, adoption of a hard-
money policy, and bringing to an end the policy of giving grants of public land to railroads and
corporations. The platform was adopted by a vote of 671 to 62. In all, the delegates to the 1872
Democratic convention met, voted, and completed their work in a total of six hours.


                            1876 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1876 Democratic Convention was held on June 27 - 29 in St. Louis, Missouri. This marked
the first time that a national convention was held west of the Mississippi River. Reconstruction,
the corruption of the Grant administration and the lingering sectional animosity between the
North and the South following the Civil War were dominant themes at the convention.


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Two governors, Samuel J. Tilden of New York and Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana, were the
principal contenders for the presidential nomination. Tilden, a proven reformer and enemy of
corruption, was elected on the second ballot. Hendricks, the runner-up, was the nearly
unanimous choice of the delegates for the vice presidency.

Democratic platform issues included a call for the repeal of the Resumption Act of 1875, a hard-
money measure that called for the payment of Civil War bonds in coin rather than paper money,
and extensive civil service reform. In addition, the platform called for restrictions on Chinese
immigration and a new policy on the distribution of public land that would benefit homesteaders
and not the railroads.


                            1880 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Cincinnati, Ohio was the setting for the 1880 Democratic convention, which was held June 22 
June 24 in the modernized Gothic Music Hall. As delegates walked into the hall's auditorium,
they were greeted with a gigantic blue and white streamer which read "OHIO GREETS THE
NATION." No one candidate stood out to the generally apathetic delegates. The decision of
Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic presidential candidate in 1876, not to seek renomination
allowed new prospective candidates to emerge.

On the first ballot, General Winfield Scott Hancock, from Pennsylvania, took the lead in delegate
votes. General Hancock had earned his reputation during the Civil War, earning the nickname
"Superb" Hancock for his valiant stands in battle. Other nominees were Senator Thomas F.
Bayard of Delaware, and former Representative Henry G. Payne of Ohio. General Hancock won
on the second ballot, when the Wisconsin delegation spearheaded a series of vote switches that
provided him with the votes needed for the nomination. The vice-presidential nomination had
only one candidate, former Representative William H. English of Indiana, who was elected by
acclamation.

The Democratic platform was approved without debate or opposition. It called for
decentralization of the federal government with increased local government, currency based on
hard money, a revenue only tariff, civil service reform, and an end to Chinese immigration.

The most severe language in the platform concerned the presidential election of 1876, which the
Democrats had labeled "the great fraud." In that election, the Democratic candidate Samuel J.
Tilden had beaten Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote. Republican
leaders challenged the vote results from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina on the grounds
that African-Americans had been intimidated from going to the polls. Southern Republican
election officials from the three states disqualified votes from Democratic precincts, thus
providing a victory for Hayes. The turmoil and accusations of fraud resulting from the Hayes
victory ultimately forced the Congress to determine the election outcome. A deal was made
whereby Democratic Members of Congress agreed to the formation of an election commission
that favored the Republicans in return for private assurances that federal troops would be

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withdrawn from the South. Hayes was officially declared president by the election commission
on March 4, 1877.


                             1884 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Chicago, Illinois, was the setting for the 1884 Democratic convention, which was held on July 8 
11. A highlight of this convention was the extension of delegate voting rights to the District of
Columbia and the U.S. territories. On the first day of the gathering, delegates from Tammany
Hall, the New York political machine, attempted to break the unit rule which bound all delegates
to their state convention and mandated that they vote as a unit. The Tammany Hall delegates
were in the minority in the New York delegation. Their attempt to break the unit rule was
defeated by the convention as a whole, thus limiting their powers and assuring the nomination of
the Governor of New York, Grover Cleveland, a Tammany Hall enemy.

Governor Cleveland was the front runner for the presidential nomination after the first ballot.
His opposition consisted of Senator Thomas F. Bayard of Delaware and former Senator Allen G.
Thurman of Ohio. On the second ballot, a shift by the North Carolina delegation to Cleveland
gave him the two-thirds majority needed to secure the nomination. Senator Thomas A.
Hendricks of Indiana was nominated for the vice presidential half of the ticket, winning by an
almost unanimous vote.

The platform produced by the Democrats in 1884 was one of the longest adopted by the Party
during the nineteenth century, with a substantial portion containing a list of alleged Republican
failures and misdeeds. The main issue in the Democratic platform concerned tariff revisions that
would provide revenue for the federal government, but also protect and promote domestic
industries. One of the tariff revisions called for taxes "bearing heaviest on articles of luxury, and
bearing lightest on articles of necessity." Other issues addressed in the platform expressed
support for the rights of organized labor, and the continuation of restrictions on Chinese
immigration into the United States.


                             1888 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic convention assembled in St. Louis on June 5 - 7. The Democratic Party, in
control of the White House for the first time since the beginning of the Civil War, renominated
by acclamation the incumbent President Grover Cleveland. The country had been without a vice
president since the death of Thomas A. Hendricks in 1885. Former senator Allen G. Thurman of
Ohio was the favorite for the vice presidential nomination and won easily on the first ballot.

Tariff reduction was the predominant issue on the Democratic platform, along with tax reform.
Growing divisions between conservative and populist wings of the Democratic Party threatened
party unity. The conservative wing sought to place states rights at the top of the agenda, while
the populist wing proclaimed that the free coinage of silver was the main issue.

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While president, Cleveland had also angered many Democratic partisans who believed that he
had not made full use of his patronage powers to reward his Democratic supporters. Tammany
Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that greatly controlled New York City politics, was
a bitter foe of the reform-minded Cleveland. Its influence undermined his campaign in his home
state of New York, denying him the state's 36 electoral votes that would have assured his
reelection.


                            1892 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1892 Democratic convention met in Chicago, Illinois on June 21 - June 23 with frequent
interruptions from storms and a leaky roof. Delegates all received special invitations to visit the
Jackson Park fairgrounds of the World's Columbian Exposition, the Chicago World's Fair, to be
dedicated in October of that same year.

Grover Cleveland, having served as the 22nd President of the United States from 1885 to 1889,
won a narrow first ballot victory over Governor David B. Hill of New York and Governor
Horace Boies of Iowa, a former Republican and populist. Cleveland was vehemently opposed
by his own New York delegation which was packed with Tammany Hall men, the New York
political machine, supporting Governor Hill. Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, a former
representative and assistant postmaster general, was the convention favorite for vice president,
winning over Isaac P. Gray of Indiana who was favored by the Cleveland supporters.

The Democratic platform of 1892 called for the construction of a Central American canal
through Nicaragua; opposed sumptuary laws (prohibition) as interference with individuals'
rights; supported antitrust laws, federal aid to education, improvement of the Mississippi River,
and statehood for New Mexico and Arizona; demanded the rigid enforcement of the laws against
Chinese immigration while denouncing attempts to restrict the immigration of the "industrious
and worthy of foreign lands;" and straddled the currency debate with a policy favoring stable
money and the coinage of both gold and silver equally. The sharpest platform debate focused on
the tariff plank, ultimately calling for a tariff for revenue only and "denouncing Republican
protection as a fraud, a robbery of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of
the few. ... a fundamental principle of the Democratic party that the Federal Government has no
constitutional power to impose and collect tariff duties, except for the purpose of revenue only,
and we demand that the collection of such taxes shall be limited to the necessities of the
Government when honestly and economically administered."


                            1896 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Chicago was the setting for the July 7 - 11,1896 Democratic convention. The issue of currency
dominated the proceedings. The party was split along regional lines, with Eastern delegations
favoring a hard-money policy with maintenance of the gold standard and most Southern and
Western delegations supporting a soft-money policy with the unlimited coinage of silver. As a

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delegate to the convention, 36-year-old William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska was determined to
write a free-silver plank into the party platform.

In perhaps the most memorable address ever delivered before a political convention, Bryan
captivated the delegates with a blistering attack on the gold standard, stating, "You shall not
press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a
cross of gold." Bryan's speech moved him into the front ranks of candidates for the nomination.
The other leading contender was Rep. Richard "Silver Dick" Bland of Missouri. William
Jennings Bryan received enough votes to secure the nomination on the fifth ballot. With Bryan
declining to indicate a preference for vice president, 16 candidates received votes for the office
on the first ballot. On the fifth ballot, Arthur Sewell of Maine prevailed.


                            1900 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic Convention of 1900 was held in Kansas City, Missouri. Although the meeting
hall was destroyed by a fire on April 4, 1900, it was rebuilt in 90 days time to house the
convention delegates and candidates on July 4 - 6. King David Kawananakoa, heir to the throne
in Hawaii, was the first member of royalty to attend a political convention as a delegate at this
event.

William Jennings Bryan received the presidential nomination unopposed, and allowed the
delegates at the convention to choose his running mate. Seven names for vice-president were
placed in nomination and two candidates withdrew prior to the balloting. Adlai E. Stevenson,
who had served as Vice President under Grover Cleveland, led on the first roll-call vote and was
selected as the vice-presidential nominee after a series of vote switches.

The Democratic Party platform of 1900 named anti-imperialism as the most important issue.
The platform also denounced colonial policies enacted by the current Republican administration
after the Spanish-American War and condemned post-war expansionism. During the 1896
campaign silver coinage and adoption of the gold standard were divisive issues. By 1900
discovery of additional gold deposits and an increase in currency diminished the silver issue.
Although there was some controversy about the mention of silver coinage, Bryan threatened to
withdraw his candidacy unless a silver plank was included in the platform. The silver plank was
accepted without protest by the delegates.


                            1904 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic convention convened in St. Louis on July 6 - 9, with the currency question still
a major issue. Eight candidates were nominated for president. Alton B. Parker, chief justice of
the New York Court of Appeals, was the conservative front-runner but was not supported by the
still-influential William Jennings Bryan. Parker, who had not actively worked for the


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nomination, was supported by conservatives and the top officials of Tammany Hall. He was
elected on the first ballot.

Former senator Henry G. Davis of West Virginia was nominated for vice president. At 81 years
of age, he was the oldest major party candidate ever nominated for national office. Davis was a
man of great wealth, and the Democrats hoped that he would give freely to their campaign.

The Democratic platform deliberately omitted reference to the currency issue; however, to make
his position clear, Alton Parker, after his nomination, informed the convention by letter that he
supported the gold standard. Additionally, the platform called for a reduction in government
expenditures, a congressional investigation of corruption in the executive departments,
construction of a Panama Canal, statehood for the Western territories and the direct election of
senators. The convention ended July 9.


                            1908 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic convention of 1908 was held July 7 - 10 in Denver. This was the first
convention held by a major party in a Western state and the first national political convention to
accredit women, with five women credentialed as delegates or alternate delegates. For a third
time, the Democrats turned to William Jennings Bryan as their nominee. He was easily elected
on the first ballot.

Bryan had learned a lesson from his stubborn silver fixation and advocacy against the gold
standard during the campaign of 1900. He now advocated a more balanced and varied set of
reforms reflecting the prevailing progressive mood. Bryan focused on his dedication to a social
agenda, which insisted that material prosperity should be pursued and gained but accompanied
by charitable programs for the poor. He insisted on only "necessary" taxation, advocated
nationalization of the railroads and denounced U.S. imperialism by calling for independence for
the Philippines.

John W. Kern, a former gubernatorial candidate from Indiana, was chosen by acclamation to be
Bryan's running mate. The New York Times sarcastically described the compatibility of the
Democratic ticket as follows: "For a man twice defeated for the presidency was at the head of it,
and a man twice defeated for governor of his state was at the tail of it."


                            1912 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1912 Democratic Convention was held on June 25 - July 2 in Baltimore, returning to that
city for the first time since 1872. There were a number of presidential candidates, including
House Speaker Champ Clark of Missouri, Rep. Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama, Gov. Judson
Harmon of Ohio and Gov. Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey. William Jennings Bryan was not a
candidate himself, but as the titular head of the Democratic Party he was the key to the

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nomination. Six names were placed in nomination for the presidency. After 10 ballots, Champ
Clark had the most votes, but when Bryan learned of Clark's collaboration with the New York
political machine Tammany Hall and Wall Street forces, he addressed the convention
announcing that he was switching his support to Woodrow Wilson. On the 46th ballot, Wilson
finally received enough votes to secure the nomination. The 46 roll call votes represented the
highest number of presidential ballots taken at any convention, Republican or Democratic, since
1860.

Wilson preferred Oscar Underwood for vice president; however, the Alabama congressman was
not interested in second place on the ticket. Wilson then agreed to accept the convention favorite,
Gov. Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana.

The Democratic platform called for a lower, revenue-only tariff, as Democrats felt that the high
cost of living was a result of the existing protective tariff. Passage of stronger antitrust
legislation, regulation of the railroads, a constitutional amendment providing for a federal
income tax, a workmen's compensation law, stricter pure food and public health laws, extension
of the presidential primary system, and a call for a single presidential term were all issues
included in the 1912 platform.


                            1916 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

St. Louis was the setting for the 1916 Democratic convention, held June 14 - 16. Support for the
renomination of President Woodrow Wilson was nearly unanimous. Wilson won on the first
ballot with a vote of 1,092 ayes to 1 nay ­ the lone dissenting vote coming from an Illinois
delegate who disapproved of a motion to nominate Wilson by acclamation. With Wilson's
approval, Vice President Thomas R. Marshall was renominated by acclamation.

Wilson had planned to showcase the theme of Americanism and national unity at the convention.
Americanism was Wilson's approach to the future role of the United States as a key world
power. However, it was pacifism and Wilson's commitment to keeping the United States out of
the raging conflict in Europe that dominated the convention. By the second day, Wilson's
determined neutrality regarding the war became the theme of the convention, and the slogan "He
kept us out of the war" became the battle cry of the delegates.

The Democratic platform included a call for military preparedness and the progressive reforms
made by the Wilson administration, particularly with respect to tariffs, banking, labor and
agriculture. The only section of the platform brought to a floor vote was the plank on women's
suffrage. The majority plank favored extending the vote to women, while a minority plank
advocated leaving the matter to the individual states. The minority plank was defeated by a vote
of 888 ½ to 181 ½. The Democratic position on women's suffrage contrasted with that of the
Republicans, who proposed leaving the matter up to the individual states.




                                                13

                            1920 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION


San Francisco hosted the 1920 convention on June 28 - July 6, the first time a convention of one
of the major parties was held west of the Rockies. The November 1920 election would also be
notable as the first election allowing women to vote for president. For the first time in a
generation the party had no recognized leader such as Grover Cleveland, William Jennings
Bryan or Woodrow Wilson. Retiring President Wilson's refusal to endorse a candidate prevented
the emergence of any one candidate as the front-runner.

Twenty-four candidates received votes on the first presidential roll call, with no candidate
reaching the 729 votes needed for the nomination. After several ballots, four candidates emerged
as the leaders: William Gibbs McAdoo, Wilson's son-in-law and former treasury secretary;
Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer; Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York; and Gov. James M.
Cox of Ohio. On the 44th ballot Governor Cox received 699 ½ votes, and with victory assured a
motion was adopted to declare the Ohio governor the unanimous nominee. Cox's choice for the
vice presidential nomination, Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York, the 38-year old assistant
secretary of the Navy, was nominated by acclamation.

The 1920 Democratic platform's major plank expressed the party's endorsement of the League
of Nations as the "surest, if not the only, practicable means of maintaining the permanent peace
of the world." Additionally, the plank called for supporting President Wilson's call for U.S.
membership in the League. Enforcement of prohibition under the Volstead Act, the continuation
of progressive reforms on labor, government regulation of industry and transportation,
conservation and reclamation of natural resources and immigration were issues also included in
the platform; however, praise of Wilson's leadership and legislative accomplishments was the
central theme.


                            1924 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

        New York City's old Madison Square Garden was the site of the 1924 Democratic
convention. The convention convened on June 24th and adjourned on July 9th, a total of sixteen
days making it the longest in American history. The prolonged brawl for the presidential
nomination was the result of the conflict between the Party's rural and urban factions. Candidate
Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York represented the urban faction of the Democratic Party,
which opposed Prohibition and the Klu Klux Klan. Former Treasury secretary William Gibbs
McAdoo of California was the candidate of the rural faction, which supported Prohibition and
tolerated the Klu Klux Klan. Fourteen other candidates were also nominated.

On Monday, June 30th, balloting for the presidential nominee began. After 69 ballots, William
Gibbs McAdoo had the most votes, but not enough to secure the nomination. Negotiation began
on compromise proposals to break the deadlock, but continuous balloting still could not produce
a winner. Finally, after nine days and 103 ballots, a winner emerged, John W. Davis of West
Virginia, a former Member of Congress and U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. Davis's core

                                               14

support came from rural delegates, but it was the votes of urban delegates that provided his
margin of victory.

The vice presidential nomination was won by Governor Charles W. Bryan of Nebraska, the
younger brother of William Jennings Bryan. One of the vice presidential nominees was Mrs.
Lena Springs, a South Carolina delegate-at-large and chairman of the credentials committee,
who would be the first woman to be proposed for vice-president of the United States. Mrs.
Springs' name was placed on the ballot by her fellow South Carolina delegates as a way to pay
tribute to her service to the state of South Carolina as well as to the national Democratic Party.

The battle for the 1924 Democratic platform was almost as intense as the presidential nomination
marathon conflict. The first subject of debate focused on American entry into the League of
Nations, with the majority report favoring that entry be determined by a national referendum,
and the minority report supporting American entry without reservation into the League of
Nations and the World Court. After vigorous debate, the minority report was defeated by a vote
of 742 ½ to 353 ½. The second contentious issue was the controversial religious liberties plank.
Debate focused on the Klu Klux Klan, not mentioned in the majority report, but opposed by
name in the minority report. Voting on this plank produced one of the closest votes in
convention history, with the rural delegates supporting the majority report (thus supporting the
Klu Klux Klan) and urban delegates supporting the minority plank. The minority report was
defeated literally by a fraction of a vote, 543 7/20 to 543 3/20.


                             1928 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Houston, Texas was the site for the June 26 - 29, 1928 Democratic national convention marking
the first time since 1860 the party met in a southern city. Four term Governor of New York,
Alfred E. Smith, was the frontrunner for the presidential nomination. William Gibbs McAdoo,
Smith's main competitor, dropped out of the race in the interest of promoting party unity. On the
first ballot Governor Smith came within ten votes of the required two thirds needed to win the
nomination. Ohio then switched its forty-four votes to Smith making him the nominee and the
first Roman Catholic nominated for President. Senate Minority Leader Joseph T. Robinson of
Arkansas was nominated on the first ballot for vice president.

The Democratic platform focused on agriculture more than any other issue. Agriculture was the
most depressed part of the economy in 1928. The Democrats called for the establishment of a
Federal Farm Board to oversee loans to farmers. On foreign policy the platform favored keeping
the United States out of entangling political alliances, including the League of Nations, and
mentioned specifically Latin America. The Republicans were criticized for their ineffective
sponsoring of weak disarmament agreements. The Democrats proposed the establishment of
major public works programs to help resolve the unemployment problem. Flood control projects
were specifically mentioned as being a priority in a Democratic administration.




                                                15

                            1932 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION


The Democrats came to the 1932 convention in Chicago hopeful that their presidential candidate
would have a very good chance of unseating President Herbert Hoover. The convention, held
June 27 - July 2 began with Franklin D. Roosevelt controlling a majority of the delegates. The
Roosevelt forces argued for abandonment of the rule that required two-thirds of the delegates to
vote for a candidate in order for him to become the nominee. However, Roosevelt dropped this
demand when it became clear that he risked losing the support of Southern states. The first
ballot, held in the early morning of July 1, showed Roosevelt ahead of Alfred E. Smith and John
Nance Garner with 666 delegate votes; 777 votes were needed for nomination. On the evening of
July 1, during the fourth ballot, Garner released his delegates and quickly there was a movement
to make Roosevelt the nominee. He won on that ballot with 945 votes. Garner was the
unanimous choice for vice president.

Roosevelt broke a tradition by coming to Chicago to appear before the convention and accept the
nomination. His speech promised Americans a "New Deal" that would change political
institutions in Washington forever to better serve the people. The platform included proposals for
federal unemployment relief for the needy and new public works projects to provide jobs. There
was also a plank calling for the repeal of Prohibition.


                            1936 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1936 Democratic convention was held in Philadelphia June 23 - 27. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vice President John Nance Garner were renominated by acclamation.
The major issue at the convention, initiated by President Roosevelt, was the elimination of the
rule requiring a candidate for President to receive votes from two-thirds of the delegates.
Starting in 1936 a nominee only needed the support of a majority of the delegates. President
Roosevelt appeared in person to accept the party's nomination. In his acceptance speech
Roosevelt declared that this generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.

The Democratic platform in 1936 emphasized the success of expanded federal public works
programs to help resolve unemployment. It stated that the federal government should
continue to stimulate private industry, resolve labor disputes, and oppose monopolies through
the vigorous enforcement of anti-trust laws. The agricultural policies of the Roosevelt
administration were credited with doubling the net income of farmers. It vowed that programs to
reduce the indebtedness of farmers would be maintained. National defense was not specifically
mentioned in the platform. The foreign policy of the United States was based on neutrality in
foreign disputes and the continued expansion of foreign trade.




                                               16

                            1940 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION


When the delegates to the Democratic Convention of 1940 met in Chicago on July 15 -18, the
prospect of U.S. involvement in the conflict in Europe was the major influence upon presidential
politics. Franklin Delano Roosevelt had already served two terms as president and had indicated
ambivalence about seeking a third term. As the threat to U.S. security increased and the party
appeared to be unable to find an adequate New Deal proponent as a successor to Roosevelt, the
president began to indicate that he would accept the nomination for a third term in office. This
would break the precedent set by the first president, George Washington, to serve only two
terms.

On the third day of the convention, Roosevelt won easily on the first ballot. Although the
delegates, who included seven African-Americans, were pleased to have President Roosevelt at
the top of the ticket, they did not want his choice for vice president, Agriculture Secretary Henry
A. Wallace of Iowa. A former Republican and a leading liberal, Wallace was unacceptable to
conservative Democrats. Delegates felt that the vice presidential nomination should be decided
by the convention. A personal appearance at the convention by the first lady Eleanor Roosevelt
and a threat by the president that he would not accept the nomination for president, persuaded
delegates to vote for Henry Wallace. With so many of the delegates unhappy with the vice
presidential nominee, Wallace was asked not to address the convention.

The party platform, adopted without a roll call vote, was divided into three sections. The first
addressed U.S. military preparedness and foreign policy; the second outlined the benefits of the
New Deal for the agricultural, labor and business segments of the economy; and the third
enumerated New Deal welfare measures. The convention closed with the delegates listening to a
radio address by Roosevelt, who stated that he had not wanted the nomination but accepted it
because the existing world crisis called for personal sacrifice.


                            1944 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic convention was held in Chicago July 19 - 21 and renominated President
Roosevelt for an unprecedented fourth term. However, Vice President Henry A. Wallace was
not renominated for his office. Acknowledging there was dissent in the party concerning
Wallace, Roosevelt refused to publicly support anyone. Wallace received the most votes on the
first ballot, but Missouri Senator Harry S. Truman was a strong second. On the second ballot
Truman passed Wallace, but he did not receive a majority. However, Alabama shifted its votes
to Truman and this started a bandwagon of support for his candidacy. Roosevelt stated that he
was happy to have Truman as his running mate.

The platform of the Democratic Party pledged the successful completion of the great crusade to
end tyranny in the world and proposed the establishment of a United Nations organization to
provide a forum for the peaceful resolution of conflicts between nations in the future. It
acknowledged that the United States had built the best trained and equipped army in the world,

                                                17

the most powerful navy in the world, and the greatest air force in the world. It called for
legislation to assist the transition of ex-servicemen and women to civilian life with special
consideration for the disabled. It favored unrestricted Jewish immigration to Palestine and the
establishment there of a free and democratic Jewish state. It called for maximum self government
in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico and for the extension of the right of suffrage to the people of
the District of Columbia.


                             1948 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

Delegates attending the 1948 Democratic convention, which met July 12 - 14 in Philadelphia,
were in a somber mood. Franklin D. Roosevelt had died in office in 1945; the Republicans had
regained control of Congress in 1947; and Harry S. Truman, who succeeded to the presidency
after less than two months as vice president, had not been able to stop the loss of massive
numbers of liberals and Southern conservatives from the New Deal coalition. The displeasure of
Southern delegates with the national policies of the Democratic Party intensified at the
convention, with the civil rights issue becoming the source of heated debate among the
delegates.

When the presidential balloting began, 13 members of the Alabama delegation and the entire
Mississippi delegation withdrew from the convention in opposition to the party's stand on civil
rights. This did not prevent President Truman from winning a clear majority on the first ballot,
defeating Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell, who received the votes of more than 90 percent of
the remaining Southern delegates. Kentucky Senator Alben W. Barkley, the keynote speaker at
the convention, was nominated for vice president by acclamation.

The fight over the civil rights issue in the Democratic Party platform brought national attention
to the young mayor of Minneapolis, Hubert Humphrey. He led the successful fight for a civil
rights plank, which asserted that "racial and religious minorities must have the right to live, the
right to work, the right to vote, the full and equal protection of the laws on a basis of equality
with all citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution." The Southern delegates who had walked out
of the convention met three days later in Birmingham, Alabama, along with other invited
Southern Democrats. They formed the States' Rights Party, known as the Dixiecrats, and elected
Gov. J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as their candidate for president.


                             1952 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1952 Democratic convention in Chicago on July 21 - 26 was marked by a sitting president
who, constitutionally, could have run for reelection but instead chose retirement. A fractious
floor fight over both the seating of alternative delegations and a requirement that all delegations
take an oath of allegiance to the party and its platform were highlights of the convention. There
was much behind-the-scenes maneuvering of party leaders to select a candidate who would be
acceptable to both the Northern liberal and Southern conservative factions, thereby avoiding a

                                                18

schism similar to 1948, when a splinter group of Democrats nominated Governor Strom
Thurmond of South Carolina to run as the States' Rights (Dixiecrat) Party's nominee.

President Truman declined to make an early endorsement, and 11 candidates were nominated,
including Governor Adlai Stevenson, who was drafted as the compromise candidate. Senator
Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, who had great success in the primaries but was running without
party support, and Senator Richard Russell of Georgia were also on the ballot. After placing
second to Kefauver on the first two ballots, Stevenson was nominated on the third. He chose
Senator John Sparkman of Alabama as his vice presidential running-mate, who was nominated
by acclamation.

The platform included planks on continuing agricultural price supports, repeal of the Taft-
Hartley Act, which greatly restricted labor union activities, and the eradication of discrimination
-- basically, a continuation of the programs of Roosevelt and Truman. There were also speeches
vigorously defending the Korean War.


                            1956 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

         The Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago on August 13 - 17, 1956.
Adlai E. Stevenson, the unsuccessful 1952 Democratic candidate, easily won nomination on the
first ballot. In an unusual move, Stevenson decided not to choose a running mate, but to leave
the selection to the convention. The major candidates for Vice President on the first ballot were
Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, Tennessee Senator
Albert A. Gore, New York City Mayor John F. Wagner, and Minnesota Senator Hubert H.
Humphrey. Kefauver won the first ballot but fell short of the 687 votes needed to nominate.
Kennedy won the second ballot with 618 votes. Following the second ballot Gore withdrew and
gave his support to Kefauver. This started a bandwagon movement for Kefauver that led to his
winning the nomination.

        The Democratic platform in 1956 criticized the Republicans for destabilizing world
peace by reducing the strength of U.S. armed forces. It stated that the survival of democracy
worldwide required stronger leadership by the United States and better coordination in defense
relationships with U.S. allies. The problems mentioned included aggressive actions by the
Soviet Union, the tragedy of Cyprus, French forces in North Africa, Israeli-Palestinian relations,
and the growth of anti-Americanism in Asia. Although the United States was the most
prosperous nation in the world, the Democrats argued that the economic growth rate was less
under the Republicans than under the Roosevelt and Truman administrations.


                            1960 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1960 Democratic convention met on July 11 - 15 in Los Angeles -- the first time that a
national political convention was held there. The front-runner for the presidential nomination

                                                19

was Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, having won each of the seven primaries he entered
and whose support from Democratic Party urban leaders was strong. Kennedy's principal rival
was Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, but also in the running was Adlai E.
Stevenson, the party's presidential nominee in 1952 and 1956. Kennedy won on the first ballot.
This was the first time since 1920 that a senator had been nominated for the presidency by either
the Democrats or the Republicans and the first time since 1928 that a Roman Catholic was
chosen to lead a national ticket for one of the two major parties.

Senator Kennedy's choice for a running mate was Lyndon Johnson, whose nomination was
approved by acclamation. This choice was a surprise to many liberals, but Kennedy chose
Johnson to improve his prospects in the South, particularly in Texas, which would be a key state
in the election. It was also said that Kennedy wanted to get Johnson out of the Senate so that he
would be unable to hinder or undermine Kennedy's legislative agenda.

Issues on the Democratic platform included national defense, disarmament, civil rights,
immigration, foreign aid, the economy, labor and tax reform. It was the longest platform yet
written by the party. The greatest controversy was caused by the civil rights plank. Senator Sam
J. Ervin Jr. of North Carolina introduced motions to delete several portions including ones to set
1963 as the deadline for the initiation of school desegregation plans, to make the Civil Rights
Commission a permanent agency, and to grant the attorney general the power to file civil
injunction suits to prevent discrimination. Speaking in favor of the civil rights plank was
delegate and future member of Congress Patsy Mink of Hawaii, who gave an impassioned
speech before 10,000 delegates and a national television audience. Senator Ervin's motions were
defeated by voice vote and the entire plank was approved by a vote of 66-to-24.


                            1964 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

        The 1964 Democratic National Convention met in Atlantic City, New Jersey on August
24 - 27. In attendance were 5,260 delegates and alternates. The nomination of the incumbent
Lyndon B. Johnson, who had assumed the presidency after the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy the previous year, was not in question. Johnson and his vice-presidential choice,
Minnesota senator Hubert H. Humphrey, were nominated by acclamation, without roll call votes
(previously only the 1936 Democratic convention had used this approach). The lengthy platform
document was designed for broad appeal and was moderate in tone, condemning extremism of
both right and left and praising the accomplishments of the Kennedy-Johnson administrations. A
convention highlight was Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's speech introducing a
documentary film about his late brother's achievements as president.

        A contentious issue at the convention was the seating of the delegation from Mississippi.
The recently formed Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party sent a racially integrated delegation
to the convention, contesting the legitimacy of Mississippi's all-white delegates chosen in the
regular Democratic primary since African Americans had been prevented from registering to
vote. The credentials committee of the convention listened to eloquent testimony (notably from

                                                20

civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer) concerning racial discrimination in the electoral process
and stipulated that future conventions would not accept delegates chosen through discriminatory
procedures. As a compromise, the credentials committee offered two at-large seats to the
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegation.


                            1968 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The 1968 Democratic convention met on August 26 - 29 in Chicago, with protestors and police
clashing in the streets over the Johnson administration's policies concerning the Vietnam War
and unprecedented security precautions instituted at the International Amphitheater. The 1968
assassinations of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the race riots in
more than 100 hundred cities following the King assassination all combined with the protest over
the Vietnam War to make this the most divisive and contentious Democratic convention since
the Civil War.

With the decision by President Lyndon B. Johnson not to seek reelection, the three major
candidates were Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, Sens. Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota
and George McGovern of South Dakota. Humphrey won on the first ballot by winning the votes
of party moderates, Northern big-city political organizations and Southern conservatives. Also
receiving votes on the first ballot was the Rev. Channing E. Phillips of the District of Columbia,
who became the first African-American ever nominated for the top of the ticket at a national
convention.

Humphrey chose Maine Sen. Edmund S. Muskie as his running mate, whose nomination was
approved by acclamation before the balloting was complete. A film tribute to Robert Kennedy
was shown to the delegates prior to the vice presidential nomination, sparking a prolonged
standing ovation and the singing of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Prior to the heated debate over the platform and the nomination process, the convention
committee had fought over what was known as the "unit rule." This rule allowed some states to
instruct that the entire vote of their delegation be cast as determined by the majority of the
delegates. For more than a century this rule had been enforced at national Democratic
conventions, but the supporters of McCarthy attacked the rule as a device for denying
representation of minority viewpoints. Humphrey had indicated his support for reform of this
rule, and ultimately the convention approved a motion to abolish it at the 1968 convention, and
forbidding its use in future years. The defeat of the rule allowed the seating of a number of
disputed Southern delegations that had faced credentials challenges, in particular a new
Mississippi Democratic loyalist group, whose membership included the American voting rights
activist and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer.

The 1968 Democratic platform, which contained planks on many issues, including crime, gun
control, housing, welfare reform and foreign policy, was not contested by the delegates on any
issue except the U.S. policy in Vietnam. The administration plank did not support a halt to the

                                                21

U.S. bombing of North Vietnam or a withdrawal of U.S. troops before the end of the war. A
minority plank, drafted by McCarthy and McGovern, called for an immediate halt to the
bombing and a negotiated troop withdrawal. The bitter debate on these two proposals raged over
two days, with the final roll call vote defeating the minority plank by a vote of 1, 567 ¾ to 1,041
¼.


                            1972 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

        The Democratic national convention was held in Miami Beach, Florida on July10 - 13,
1972, with 3,203 delegates attending. Rules changes dramatically increased the participation of
women, youth, and blacks. In the primaries the major candidates were South Dakota Senator
George McGovern,