1868 Democratic National Convention

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1868 Democratic National Convention
1868 presidential election
HoratioSeymour circa1860.png Francis P. Blair, Jr.png
Nominees
Seymour and Blair
Convention
Date(s)July 4–9, 1868
City New York, New York
Venue Tammany Hall headquarters building
Candidates
Presidential nominee Horatio Seymour of New York
Vice-presidential nominee Francis P. Blair, Jr. of Missouri
Results (president) Seymour (NY): 317 (100%)
Results (vice president) Blair (MO): 317 (100%)
Ballots22
  1864  ·  1872  

The 1868 Democratic National Convention was held at the Tammany Hall headquarters building in New York City between July 4, and July 9, 1868. The first Democratic convention after the conclusion of the American Civil War, the convention was notable for the return of Democratic Party politicians from the Southern United States.

Contents

Venue

Illustration showing the interior of the Tammany Hall headquarters decorated for the convention Tammany Hall interior for the national convention 1868 crop.jpeg
Illustration showing the interior of the Tammany Hall headquarters decorated for the convention

The convention was held at the new Tammany Hall building on East 14th Street in Manhattan, New York City, which replaced the organization's earlier headquarters. [1] For the convention, the hall was elaborately decorated. [2]

Convention officers

Horatio Seymour, the former governor of New York, served as the permanent chairman of the convention. Each state delegation had a vice president and secretary to the convention. [3]

Henry L. Palmer of Wisconsin served as the convention's temporary chairman, after the convention voted on the opening day to appoint him after he was nominated by Democratic National Committee Chairman August Belmont. [2]

Events of the convention

On July 4, 1868, coinciding with the first day of the Democratic National Convention, the Soldiers and Sailors National Convention was held at the Cooper Institute, also in New York City. [4] On July 6, a committee from that convention was granted privilege to address the Democratic National Convention. [3]

On July 6, an address from the Woman's Suffrage Association was presented and read before the convention. [3]

During the convention, many delegates utilized the catch phrase, "this is a white man's country, let white men rule". [5]

Presidential nomination

Presidential candidates

The front-runner in the early balloting was George H. Pendleton, who led on the first 15 ballots, followed in varying order by incumbent president Andrew Johnson, Winfield Scott Hancock, Sanford Church, Asa Packer, Joel Parker, James E. English, James Rood Doolittle, and Thomas A. Hendricks.

Three-fourth of the delegates from southern states gave their support to Johnson. [6] The unpopular Johnson, having narrowly survived impeachment, won 65 votes on the first ballot; the second-highest number of votes after Pendleton, but less than one-third of the total necessary for nomination, and he thus lost his bid for election as president in his own right. His vote tally rapidly dropped away thereafter, and from the eighth ballot onwards, he would only receive votes from his home state of Tennessee.

Admission ticket to the convention 1868-democratic-national-convention-ticket-value.jpg
Admission ticket to the convention
Sketch by Theodore R. Davis for Harper's Weekly of the convention in session Interior of Tammany Hall, New York-the Democratic convention in session - From photographs by Rockwood and sketches by Theodore R. Davis. LCCN93501071.jpg
Sketch by Theodore R. Davis for Harper's Weekly of the convention in session

Meanwhile, the convention chairman Horatio Seymour, former governor of New York, received 9 votes on the fourth ballot from the state of North Carolina. This unexpected move caused "loud and enthusiastic cheering," but Seymour refused, saying,

I must not be nominated by this Convention, as I could not accept the nomination if tendered. My own inclination prompted me to decline at the outset; my honor compels me to do so now. It is impossible, consistently with my position, to allow my name to be mentioned in this Convention against my protest. The clerk will proceed with the call. [7]

After numerous indecisive ballots, the names of John T. Hoffman, Francis P. Blair, and Stephen Johnson Field were placed in nomination. This raised the number of names placed into nomination to thirteen. None of these new candidates, however, gained much traction.

For twenty-one ballots, the opposing candidates battled it out: the East battling the West for control, the conservatives battling the radicals. The two leading candidates were determined that the other should not receive the nomination; because of the two-thirds rule of the convention, a compromise candidate was needed. Seymour still hoped it would be Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, but on the twenty-second ballot, the chairman of the Ohio delegation announced, "at the unanimous request and demand of the delegation I place Horatio Seymour in nomination with twenty-one votes-against his inclination, but no longer against his honor."

Seymour had to wait for the rousing cheers to die down before he could address the delegates and decline.

I have no terms in which to tell of my regret that my name has been brought before this convention. God knows that my life and all that I value most in life I would give for the good of my country, which I believe to be identified with that of the Democratic party...

"Take the nomination, then!" cried someone from the floor.

...but when I said that I could not be a candidate, I meant it! I could not receive the nomination without placing not only myself but the Democratic party in a false position. God bless you for your kindness to me, but your candidate I cannot be. [7] [8]

Seymour left the platform to cool off and rest. No sooner had he left the hall than former representative Clement Vallandigham, a member of the Ohio delegation and one-time ally of Seymour, rose and proclaimed that the delegation would not accept Seymour's refusal, and that he was the only man who could break the deadlock at the convention, much less win the presidency. The chairman of New York's delegation then stood and, while bound by the convention rules not to switch its votes (which it had already cast for Hendricks) until the round of balloting had concluded, made a passionate speech in support of Seymour. The roll call continued, with Seymour only picking up one additional vote (from Tennessee), but the final state, Wisconsin, cast a blank ballot which it then immediately switched to Seymour. This started a stampede with all the remaining states quickly throwing their support behind Seymour, eventually leading to his being nominated unanimously.

In 1868, the States of Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana were readmitted to the Union. Nebraska had been admitted to the Union on March 1, 1867. Texas, Mississippi and Virginia had not yet been readmitted to the Union.

Balloting

Presidential ballot
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd [lower-alpha 1] 22nd [lower-alpha 2]
Seymour 00090000000000000000022317
Pendleton 105104119.5118.5122122.5137.5156.5144147.5144.5145.5134.5130129.5107.570.556.500000
Hendricks 2.529.511.519.53039.57580.582.588898184.582.570.58087107.5121132145.50
Hancock 33.540.545.543.5464742.52834.53432.53048.55679.5113.5137.5144.5135.5142.5135.5103.50
A. Johnson 655234.532242112.565.565.54.54.505.55.561000540
Church 343333333333330000000000000000
Packer 262626262727262626.527.5262626260000220000
English 1612.57.57.5766660000000006161970
Parker 1315.513131313777777777773.500000
Doolittle 1312.5121215121212121212.512.513131212121212121240
Field 000000000000000000159800
Blair 0.510.54.529.550.50.50.50.50.50.50.50000013.513000
R. Johnson 8.581180000000000000000000
Chase 000000000000.50.50000.50.50.50400
T. Seymour 00000000000000000042000
Hoffman 000000000000000033000.500
Ewing 00.5110000000000000000000
McClellan 000000000001000000000.500
Adams 00001000000000000000000
Pierce 00000000000010000000000
Blank000000.50.500.500.50.50.50.5110.5011.50.5310
  1. before shifts
  2. after shifts


1st day of presidential balloting / 3rd day of convention (July 7, 1868)


2nd day of presidential balloting / 4th day of convention (July 8, 1868)


3rd day of presidential balloting / 5th day of convention (July 9, 1868)

Vice-presidential nomination

Vice-presidential candidates

Seymour/Blair campaign poster SeymourBlair.png
Seymour/Blair campaign poster

Exhausted, the delegates unanimously nominated General Francis Preston Blair Jr. for vice-president on the first ballot after the names of Augustus C. Dodge and Thomas Ewing Jr. were withdrawn from consideration. Blair's nomination reflected a desire to balance the ticket east and west as well as north and south. [9]

Blair had worked hard to acquire the Democratic nomination and accepted second place on the ticket, finding himself in controversy. [10] Blair had gained attention by an inflammatory letter addressed to Colonel James O. Broadhead, dated a few days before the convention met. In his letter, Blair wrote that the "real and only issue in this contest was the overthrow of Reconstruction, as the radical Republicans had forced it in the South." [11]

Vice presidential ballot1st
Francis Preston Blair 317

See also

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References

  1. Golway, Terry (2014). Machine Made: Tammany Hall and the creation of modern American politics (First ed.). New York. pp. Introduction, 84. ISBN   9780871403759.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. 1 2 "The Democratic Convention" . The Times-Picayune. New York Associated Press Dispatches. July 4, 1868. Retrieved 19 July 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Conventions" . The New York Daily Herald. 7 Jul 1868. Retrieved 19 July 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "The Soldiers' and Sailors' Democratic Convention". The New York Times. 2 July 1868. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  5. "The Worst Convention in U.S. History?". Politico. July 22, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  6. Black & Black 1992, p. 84.
  7. 1 2 They Also Ran, Irving Stone, pg. 280
  8. Official proceedings of the National Democratic convention, held at New York, July 4-9, 1868 (Pg. 153)
  9. Frank Blair: Lincoln's Conservative, William E. Parrish, pg. 254
  10. Frank Blair: Lincoln's Conservative, William E. Parrish, pg. 260
  11. Stewart Mitchell, Horatio Seymour of New York, Harvard University Press, 1938, p. 448

Works cited

Bibliography

Primary sources

Preceded by
1864
Chicago, Illinois
Democratic National Conventions Succeeded by
1872
Baltimore, Maryland