1916 Republican National Convention

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1916 Republican National Convention
1916 presidential election
Governor Charles Evans Hughes.jpg CWFairbanks.jpg
Nominees
Hughes and Fairbanks
Convention
Date(s)June 7–10, 1916
City Chicago, Illinois
Venue Chicago Coliseum [1]
Candidates
Presidential nominee Charles Evans Hughes of New York
Vice-presidential nominee Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana
‹  1912  ·  1920  ›
Film of the convention

The 1916 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago from June 7 to June 10. A major goal of the party's bosses at the convention was to heal the bitter split within the party that had occurred in the 1912 presidential campaign. In that year, Theodore Roosevelt bolted the GOP and formed his own political party, the Progressive Party, which contained most of the GOP's liberals. William Howard Taft, the incumbent president, won the nomination of the regular Republican Party. This split in the GOP ranks divided the Republican vote and led to the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

Contents

Although several candidates were openly competing for the 1916 nomination—most prominently conservative Senator Elihu Root of New York, Senator John W. Weeks of Massachusetts, and liberal Senator Albert Cummins of Iowa—the party's bosses wanted a moderate who would be acceptable to all factions of the party. They turned to Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes, who had served on the court since 1910 and thus had the advantage of not having publicly spoken about political issues in six years. Although he had not sought the nomination, Hughes made it known that he would not turn it down; he won the presidential nomination on the third ballot. Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks was nominated as his running mate.

Hughes is the only Supreme Court Justice to be nominated for president by a major political party. Fairbanks is the last former vice president to be nominated for vice president.

Then-Senator Warren G. Harding is credited with coining the phrase "Founding Fathers" during his keynote address.

Presidential nomination

Presidential candidates

Coliseum set-up for the convention Chicago Coliseum 1916 Republican National Convention.jpg
Coliseum set-up for the convention
Republican Convention, The Coliseum, Chicago ChiRepubConvention.jpg
Republican Convention, The Coliseum, Chicago

At the start, Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes was widely seen as the favorite due to his ability to unite the party, though the nomination of a dark horse candidate such as Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge or General Leonard Wood seemed possible. [2] Many Republicans sought to nominate a candidate palatable to Theodore Roosevelt in hopes of averting another third-party run by progressive Republicans, though these Republicans were unwilling to nominate Roosevelt himself. [2] Roosevelt's influence put a stop to the potential presidential candidacies of former Ohio Senator Theodore E. Burton and current Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding. [2] Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks made a run at the presidency and attempted to curry Roosevelt's support, but Roosevelt refused to support Fairbanks. [3] Hughes won the nomination on the third ballot, and Roosevelt chose to forgo a third-party bid.

Presidential Ballot [4]
Candidate1st2nd3rdUnanimous
Hughes 253.5328.5949.5987
Weeks 105793
Root 10398.50
Fairbanks 74.588.50
Cummins 85850
Roosevelt 658118.5
Burton 77.576.50
Sherman 66650
Knox 36360
Ford 3200
Brumbaugh 2900
La Follette 25253
Taft 1400
du Pont 12135
Lodge 007
Wanamaker 050
Willis 410
Borah 200
Harding 010
McCall 110
Wood 010
Not Voting2.521
Not Represented4444


Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 9, 1916)


Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 10, 1916)

Vice Presidential nomination

Vice Presidential candidates

Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks had no interest in serving another term as vice president, but when the party nominated him, he accepted the nomination. [5]

Vice Presidential Ballot
Candidate1stUnanimous
Fairbanks 863987
Burkett 108
Borah 8
Webster 2
Burton 1
Johnson 1
Not Voting4
Not Represented44


Vice Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 10, 1916)

Coinciding women's suffrage conventions in Chicago

Coinciding with the Republican convention, both the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage and the National American Woman Suffrage Association held conventions in Chicago. [6] The Congressional Union, at their convention in the Auditorium Theatre, promoted the so-called "Susan B. Anthony Amendment" , later ratified as the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constiution. [7] The Congressional Union also created the National Woman's Party at their event. [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Republicans to Meet in Historic Hall," The New York Times, May 30, 1920
  2. 1 2 3 "Hughes Movement Gains Strength With No Dark Horse Yet In Sight; Dickering With Moose Fruitless". New York Times. June 7, 1916. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Hughes Accepts Republican Nomination for President; Declares for Upholding American Rights on Land and Sea; Roosevelt, Named by Moose, Declines; He's 'Out of Politics'". New York Times. June 11, 1912. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ Hart, George L (1916). Official Report of the Proceedings of the Sixteenth Republican National Convention: Held in Chicago, Illinois, June 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1916, Resulting in the Nomination of Charles Evans Hughes, of New York, for President and the Nomination of Charles Warren Fairbanks, of Indiana, for Vice-president. Tenny Press.
  5. ↑ "Charles Warren Fairbanks, 26th Vice President (1905-1909)". US Senate. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Auditorium Building, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  7. ↑ Colón, Ambar (November 10, 2025). "Auditorium Theatre to restore original Sullivan and Adler elements, including stained glass atrium". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  8. ↑ Weatherford, Doris (1998). A History of the American Suffragist Movement . Santa Barbara: The Moschovitis Group. pp.  197–205. ISBN   1576070654.

Bibliography

Preceded by
1912
Chicago, Illinois 		Republican National Conventions Succeeded by
1920
Chicago, Illinois
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