1920 Republican Party presidential primaries

1920 Republican Party presidential primaries

←  1916 March 9 to June 5, 1920 1924  →
940 delegates to the 1920 Republican National Convention 471 (majority) votes needed to win
Candidate Leonard Wood Frank Orren Lowden Hiram Johnson Home state Massachusetts Illinois California Delegate count 287.5 211.5 133.5 Contests won 8 1 7 Popular vote 710,863 389,127 965,651 Percentage 22.3% 12.2% 30.3%
First place by first-instance vote First place by convention roll call      Wood     Lowden     Johnson      Harding     Poindexter     Various [lower-alpha 1]
Previous Republican nominee Charles Evans Hughes Republican nominee Warren G. Harding

From March 9 to June 5, 1920, voters of the Republican Party elected delegates to the 1920 Republican National Convention for the purpose of choosing the party's nominee for president in the 1920 election.

The delegates were largely contested between Governor Hiram Johnson of California, a progressive who had been the running mate of Theodore Roosevelt eight years prior; General Leonard Wood, one of Roosevelt's closest friends; and Frank O. Lowden, the Governor of Illinois.

After a series of primary elections and caucuses, no candidate had emerged with a clear majority of the delegates. At the 1920 Republican National Convention, held from June 8 to June 12, in Chicago, Illinois, ^[1] the delegations of the leading candidates deadlocked and Warren G. Harding was nominated as a dark horse candidate, although he had only won a few delegates entering the convention.

Background

1912 and 1916 elections

In 1912, the Republican Party was split. Former President Theodore Roosevelt challenged incumbent William Howard Taft for the nomination and, when it was denied at the 1912 Republican National Convention, bolted to form the Progressive Party. With Republicans (who had won eight of the previous eleven presidential elections) split, Woodrow Wilson won the race with a plurality of the popular vote and a large majority in the electoral college.

In 1916, the Republican Party nominated Associate Justice of the United States Charles Evans Hughes, a respected jurist and former Governor of New York, as one who could appeal to both Progressives and Republicans alike. Though Hughes was able to avoid disaster when Roosevelt declined to run on the Progressive ticket, he fell narrowly short of defeating President Wilson, who significantly improved on his vote from 1912. The campaign was dominated by two wars: the Mexican Revolution and World War I. Responding to Republican calls for military preparedness, ^[2] Wilson used the slogan "He kept us out of war" to emphasize the maintenance of U.S. neutrality. ^[3]

World War I

See also: American entry into World War I and United States in World War I

In January 1917, the Zimmermann telegram from Germany to Mexico was intercepted by British intelligence. In the telegram, German diplomat Arthur Zimmermann offered to restore much of the territory Mexico had lost in the Mexican–American War in the event the United States entered the war. Zimmermann, hoping to threatening the United States, admitted the telegram's authenticity in a March speech to the Reichstag. Public outcry ensued, and Wilson requested a declaration of a "war to end all wars" against Germany. Congress granted the request on April 6, 1917, shortly after Wilson began his second term and nearly three years after the war had begun.

Major General Frederick Funston, Wilson's first choice to command U.S. forces, had died in February. ^[4] Several Republican Party leaders called on Wilson to appoint Leonard Wood, a close friend and advisor of Theodore Roosevelt and long-time preparedness advocate. However, Wilson chose John J. Pershing, a Republican who had previously gained fame as commander of the Pancho Villa Expedition, at the behest of Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. After a yearlong mobilization effort, Pershing and U.S. troops began major combat operations during summer 1918, near the war's end. The United States was able to claim victory with relatively few casualties. Pershing's fame was further elevated to that of a war hero. He was widely considered a candidate for the presidency, though some Republicans considered him too close to the Wilson administration. ^[5]

Wilson's Fourteen Points

Main articles: Fourteen Points and 1918 United States elections

On January 8, 1918, Wilson delivered a speech to Congress specifying his war aims. Those idealist aims, which came to be known as Wilson's Fourteen Points, sought to expand his progressive domestic program abroad. The Fourteen Points were to serve as the basis for negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles. Among the most controversial points were his proposals to remove economic barriers between nations, guarantee national self-determination, and establish a League of Nations, an international body designed to prevent future wars.

1918 midterm elections and death of Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt spent his final years as a critic of Wilsonian idealism. Before his unexpected death, he was a leading candidate for the 1920 nomination.

Criticism of the Fourteen Points as idealistic or an abrogation of national sovereignty was a major focus of the Republican campaign of 1918. The leading critic was former President Theodore Roosevelt, by now the early favorite for the 1920 presidential nomination. Though Roosevelt himself had privately predicted 1916 was his last campaign, ^[6] his public profile remained strong and his attacks on Wilson made him a natural contender. In early March 1918, he declared, "By George, if they'll take me, they'll have to take me without a single modification of the things that I have always stood for!" ^[7] He met with Republican strategists during the summer, though he declined to run for Governor of New York, privately citing the need to preserve his strength for the 1920 campaign. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

With the war in its final week, Americans elected the Republican Party to control of both houses of Congress. In the state elections, Republicans performed well in the West, gaining five governors' offices west of the Mississippi River. Their major loss came in Roosevelt's home of New York, where Al Smith gained the governor's office.

Roosevelt's physical condition deteriorated rapidly after his son Quentin was killed in action, and died at the age of sixty on January 6, 1919. His final written work, a criticism of the proposed League of Nations and defense of "Americanism," was published in Metropolitan Magazine shortly after his death.

With Roosevelt dead, the leading candidates for the nomination were his friend, General Wood, and Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio. ^[11] On February 9, 1919, Wood delivered a memorial address for Roosevelt, in which he echoed the late President's criticisms of the League of Nations and raised his national profile as a political orator. "Either unconsciously or with a master hand," the Philadelphia Public Ledger reported, Wood had made a "bold and convincing bid for the Republican nomination." ^[11] Wood soon replaced Roosevelt as a regular contributor to Metropolitan magazine and returned to command as head of the Army Central Department in Chicago. ^[11]

Paris Peace Conference

Having lost command of Congress, Wilson left to personally represent the United States at the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919; he was the first President to leave for Europe while still in office. ^[12] He brought with him only one Republican and chose, rather than a Senator or Representative, the ex-diplomat Henry White. ^[13] Wilson's decision to double down on idealism and foreign intervention in the face of his rejection at the polls incensed Republican leadership (led by Henry Cabot Lodge), improved the party's political optimism for 1920, and promised to make foreign policy the defining issue of the upcoming campaign.

Labor and racial unrest

See also: Red Summer of 1919

The success of the Bolshevik Revolution and the threat of revolution in Germany, Austria, and Italy bred hope and fear for revolution in the United States, where the Socialist Party had made modest gains. ^[14] With Wilson in Europe and Roosevelt dead, the country was leaderless, as were both of its major political parties.

Labor strikes in 1919, especially in New York and Seattle, startled conservatives. Further strikes rocked the textile industry, the clothing trade, and street railcars. A Boston police strike skyrocketed Governor Calvin Coolidge to national prominence when, amid rioting and looting, he sternly declared there was no right "to strike against the public safety." ^[15] Frank O. Lowden of Illinois also came to prominence for his handling of the Chicago race riot of 1919, facing off with mayor William Hale Thompson in a game of brinksmanship.

Leonard Wood made his personal contribution to the counterrevolution by leading his troops to West Virginia in April, where they headed off armed miners without violence. ^[15] In September, Wood led troops to suppress a race riot in Omaha, brought on by the lynching of a black civilian. Again, he restored the peace without further bloodshed. ^[15] His most controversial political act came in October, when he attempted to mediate the steel strike of 1919. The mediation ultimately failed, but Wood imposed terms on the strikers and capital with pleased neither. "I am now," he declared to Henry Stimson, "practically the Mayor of Omaha and Gary, with prospects of additions to the crop." ^[16]

Pre-primary maneuvering

Between his domestic deployments in 1919, Wood traveled the country speaking on behalf of veterans' organizations. Everywhere, he was received as if he were already the Republican nominee. ^[17] He hired John T. King, a former associate of Roosevelt's from Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a political manager. ^[18] Others in the party's Old Guard,^{[ who? ]} however, saw Wood as too independent and preferred Harding. ^[19]

By November 1919, Wood's political-military campaign had been a rousing success. "Unless the situation changes," wrote William Allen White, "no other candidate will be mentioned in the Republican Convention. But the situation of course in this country will have to be desperate if it does not change." ^[15] As the popular front-runner, Wood was vulnerable both from fatigue and the attention of other candidates, led first by Harding. ^[15]

Candidates

Nominee

Candidate			Most recent position	Home state	Campaign	Popular vote	Contests won	Running mate
Warren G. Harding			U.S. Senator from Ohio (1915–1921)	Ohio	(Campaign • Positions) Announced: December 17, 1919 [20] Secured nomination: June 12, 1920		[ data missing ]	Calvin Coolidge

Withdrew during convention

Candidate			Most recent position	Home state	Campaign	Delegates on first ballot	Contests won
Hiram Johnson			U.S. Senator from California (1917–1945)	California	Defeated at convention: June 12, 1920		[ data missing ]
Leonard Wood			Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1910–1914)	Massachusetts	Defeated at convention: June 12, 1920		[ data missing ]
Frank O. Lowden			Governor of Illinois (1917–1921)	Illinois	Defeated at convention: June 12, 1920	—	[ data missing ]
Miles Poindexter			U.S. Senator from Washington (1911–1923)	Washington	Defeated at convention: June 12, 1920	—	[ data missing ]
Herbert Hoover			Businessman and former Director of the U.S. Food Administration (1908–1926)	California	Defeated at convention: June 12, 1920	—	[ data missing ]

Did not run

• Former Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes from New York
• General of the Armies John J. Pershing from Missouri
• 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt from New York (died January 6, 1919)

Favorite sons

The following candidates stood for nomination in their home states for the purpose of controlling their delegate slate at the convention. They did not receive the first-ballot support of delegates in more than two other states or territories.

• President of Columbia University Nicholas Murray Butler from New York
• Governor Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts
• Businessman T. Coleman du Pont of Delaware
• Senator Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin
• Judge Jeter Pritchard from North Carolina
• Governor William C. Sproul of Pennsylvania
• Senator Howard Sutherland of West Virginia
• Retired businessman Edward R. Wood from Pennsylvania ^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Primary campaign

Though he was among the stronger potential candidates, Harding intended from the start to run a low-key campaign that would position himself as the alternative to the chaotic open field left by Roosevelt's death. As he told campaign manager Frank Scobey, "It has been my own judgment not to go at it too vigorously in order to reach the high tide of our publicity movement until late in the campaign. Some enterprises make such a booming start that they fizzle out later on." ^[22]

There were at least ten serious contenders at the onsent of the campaign: Wood, Harding, Lowden, Coolidge, Hiram Johnson, Howard Sutherland, William Cameron Sproul, Miles Poindexter, Herbert Hoover, and Nicholas Murray Butler. Only Wood, who had the support of major corporations, and Lowden, who acquired a fortune through his marriage to heiress Florence Pullman, were well-funded enough to run a public national campaign; other candidates sought mainly to influence delegate selection behind closed doors or compete in small-state primaries. ^[23]

Ohio: April 27

One of the key contests came late in April in Harding's home state of Ohio, which he would absolutely need to carry to stand any chance at the nomination. ^[23] Wood's supporters in the state, led by William C. Procter, surprised Harding by entering the general's name for the primary rather than letting Harding's status as a favorite son go unchallenged. ^[23] Procter offered to withdraw Wood's name on the condition that he be declared the second choice of the Ohio delegates, but Harding flatly refused. ^[23]

Wood hit the state with a barnstorming tour, dressed in his military uniform and echoing Roosevelt's progressivism. Harding declined to confront Wood directly, instead delivering speeches on the Republican mantra of "Americanism" as a contrast to internationalist Wilsonian idealism: ^[23]

"[We must] make sure our own house is in perfect order before we attempt the miracle of Old World stabilization. Call it selfishness or nationality if you will, I think it an inspiration to patriotic devotion: to safeguard America first, to stabilize America first, to prosper America first, to think of America first, to exalt America first to live for and revere America first." ^[24]

Harding was so confident in winning Ohio that he left the state early to campaign in Indiana. However, the result was a narrow victory over Wood, closer than anyone expected. ^[23]

Indiana: May 4

The Indiana primary was among the most sharply contested of the campaign, featuring four serious candidates in Wood, Lowden, Harding, and Hiram Johnson. Harding had been convinced to enter the primary by Senator Harry New, one of his closest allies in the Senate. ^[23]

Harding finished fourth with only nine percent of the vote. Having been humiliated in the only two primaries he contested outside his home state, Harding strongly considered withdrawing to focus on his re-election to the Senate. ^[23] Instead, his wife convinced him to remain in the race and leverage his status as the Ohio candidate, as others had done before him, and win the nomination on a later ballot. ^[23] His strategy now focused on becoming the "available man" in the event of a deadlock, securing secondary commitments from delegates who favored Wood, Lowden, or Johnson.

Schedule and results

Tablemaker's Note: ^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Date	Total pledged delegates	Contest and total popular vote	Delegates won and popular vote
			Leonard Wood	Frank Lowden	Hiram Johnson	William Sproul	Nicholas Butler	Warren Harding	Calvin Coolidge	Robert La Follette	Jeter Pritchard	Miles Poindexter	Howard Sutherland	Coleman du Pont	Herbert Hoover	Other(s) Unpledged
January 29	8 (of 8)	Florida State Convention [25]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8 Del.
February 5	11 (of 11)	South Carolina State Convention [26]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	11 Del.
February 11	20 (of 20)	Oklahoma State Convention [27]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	20 Del.
February 23	12 (of 12)	Louisiana State Convention [28]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12 Del.
February 28	6 (of 6)	Arizona State Convention [29]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6 Del.
March 3	26 (of 26)	Kentucky State Convention [30]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	26 Del.
	22 (of 22)	North Carolina State Convention [31]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	22 Del.	-	-	-	-	-
March 9	8 (of 8)	New Hampshire Del. Primary [32] 16,027	8 Del. 9,878 (61.63%)	-	2,010 (12.54%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4,434 (27.67%)
March 16	10 (of 10)	North Dakota Primary [33] 31,825	987 WI (3.10%)	265 WI (0.83%)	10 Del. 30,573 (96.07%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
March 17	15 (of 15)	Virginia State Convention [34]	-	15 Del.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
March 20	24 (of 24)	Minnesota State Convention [35] [36]	12 Del.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12 Del.
March 23	10 (of 10)	South Dakota Primary [37] 85,691	10 Del. 31,265 (36.49%)	26,981 (31.49%)	26,301 (30.69%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	1,144 (1.34%)	-	-	-	-
	14 (of 14)	Connecticut State Convention [38]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14 Del.
March 25	12 (of 12)	Maine State Convention [39]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12 Del.
March 26	6 (of 6)	New Mexico State Convention [40]	6 Del.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
March 31	20 (of 20)	Kansas State Convention [41]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	20 Del.
April 5	30 (of 30)	Michigan Primary [42] 408,918	112,568 (27.53%)	62,418 (15.26%)	30 Del. 156,939 (38.38%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	2,662 (0.65%)	-	-	52,503 (12.84%)	21,828 [lower-alpha 4] (5.34%)
	10 (of 10)	Rhode Island State Convention [43]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10 Del.
April 6	17 (of 17)	Georgia State Convention [44] [45]	6 Del.	11 Del. [lower-alpha 5]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	88 (of 88)	New York Del. Primary ?	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	88 Del. ? (?%)
	0 (of 26)	Wisconsin Pres. Primary [46] 30,099	4,505 WI (14.97%)	921 WI (3.06%)	2,413 WI (8.02%)	-	-	-	-	15,826 WI (52.58%)	-	-	-	-	3,910 WI (12.99%)	2,474 WI [lower-alpha 6] (8.22%)
	26 (of 26)	Wisconsin Del. Primary [47] ?	20,626 (?%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	26 Del. 117,647 (?%)	-	-	-	-	-	70,747 [lower-alpha 7] (?%)
April 13	0 (of 58)	Illinois Pres. Primary 463,797	156,719 (33.79%)	236,082 (50.90%)	64,201 (13.84%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3,401 WI (0.73%)	2,674 WI [lower-alpha 8] (0.58%)
50 (of 58)	Illinois Del. Primary [48] ?	-	35 Del. ? (?%)	1 Del. ? (?%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14 Del. [lower-alpha 9] ? (?%)
April 14	20 (of 20)	Tennessee State Convention [49]	17 Del.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3 Del. [lower-alpha 10]
April 20	6 (of 6)	Delaware State Convention [50]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6 Del.
	16 (of 16)	Nebraska Primary [51] [52] 136,647	4 Del. 42,385 (31.02%)	-	12 Del. 63,161 (46.22%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	31,101 [lower-alpha 11] (22.76%)
April 21	26 (of 26)	Iowa State Convention [53]	-	26 Del.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
April 23	8 (of 8)	Montana Primary [54] 40,140	6,804 (16.95%)	6,503 (16.20%)	8 Del. 21,034 (52.40%)	-	-	723 (1.80%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	5,076 (12.65%)	-
April 24	6 (of 6)	Nevada State Convention [55] [56]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6 Del.
April 27	35 (of 35)	Massachusetts Del. Primary [57] ?	2 Del. 32,745 (?%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	31,540 (?%)	33 Del. 75,616 (?%)
	0 (of 28)	New Jersey Pres. Primary 105,701	52,909 (50.06%)	-	51,685 (48.90%)	-	-	40 WI (0.04%)	17 WI (0.02%)	-	-	-	-	-	900 WI (0.85%)	150 WI [lower-alpha 12] (0.14%)
	28 (of 28)	New Jersey Del. Primary [58] [59] ?	16 Del. 60,262 (?%)	-	9 Del. 42,833 (?%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3 Del. 52,611 [lower-alpha 13] (?%)
	0 (of 48)	Ohio Pres. Primary 259,072	108,565 (41.91%)	-	16,783 WI (6.48%)	-	-	123,257 (47.58%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	10,467 WI (4.04%)	-
	48 (of 48)	Ohio Del. Primary [60] [61] ?	9 Del. 107,449 (?%)	-	-	-	-	39 Del. 131,190 (?%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	14 (of 14)	Washington State Convention [62]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14 Del.	-	-	-	-
April 28	13 (of 13)	Arkansas State Convention [63]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	13 Del.
	8 (of 8)	Idaho State Convention [64]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8 Del.
May 3	16 (of 16)	Maryland Primary 28,783	16 Del. 18,666 (64.85%)	-	10,117 (35.15%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	8 (of 8)	Utah State Convention [65]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8 Del.
May 4	26 (of 26)	California Primary 580,431	-	-	26 Del. 370,819 (63.89%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	209,612 (36.11%)	-
	0 [lower-alpha 14] (of 30)	Indiana Primary [66] 225,957	85,708 (37.93%)	39,627 (17.54%)	79,840 (35.33%)	-	-	20,782 (9.20%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
May 5	12 (of 12)	Mississippi State Convention [67]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12 Del.
	36 (of 36)	Missouri State Convention [68]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	36 Del.
May 6	12 (of 12)	Colorado State Convention [69]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	12 Del.
May 10	8 (of 58)	Illinois State Convention [70]	-	6.4 Del. [lower-alpha 15]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1.6 Del.
	6 (of 6)	Wyoming State Convention [71]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6 Del.
May 12	30 (of 30)	Indiana State Convention [72]	10 Del.	-	4 Del.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	16 Del.
May 18	0 (of 76)	Pennsylvania Pres. Primary 279,472	3,878 WI (1.39%)	-	10,869 WI (3.89%)	1,256 WI (0.45%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2,825 WI (1.01%)	260,644 [lower-alpha 16] (93.26%)
	76 (of 76)	Pennsylvania Del.. Primary ?	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	76 Del. ? (?%)
	8 (of 8)	Vermont Pres. Primary 5,229	8 Del. 3,457 (66.11%)	29 WI (0.56%)	402 WI (7.69%)	-	-	-	335 WI (6.41%)	-	-	-	-	-	564 WI (10.79%)	442 [lower-alpha 17] (8.45%)
May 20	14 (of 14)	Alabama State Convention [73]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14 Del.
May 21	10 (of 10)	Oregon Primary 120,101	43,770 (36.44%)	15,581 (12.97%)	10 Del. 46,163 (38.44%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	36 (0.03%)	-	-	14,557 (12.12%)	-
May 25	23 (of 23)	Texas State Convention [74]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	23 Del.
	16 (of 16)	West Virginia Pres. Primary 119,747	53,490 (44.67%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	16 Del. 61,371 (51.25%)	-	-	4,886 [lower-alpha 18] (4.08%)
June 5	0 (of 22)	North Carolian Pres. Primary 20,978	5,603 (26.71%)	-	15,375 (73.29%)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total 984 pledged delegates 2,838,868 votes			115 761,783 (26.83%)	93.4 388,407 (13.68%)	110 968,685 (34.12%)	0 1,256 (0.04%)	0 0 (0.00%)	39 144,802 (5.10%)	0 352 (0.01%)	26 15,826 (0.56%)	22 0 (0.00%)	14 3,842 (0.14%)	16 61,371 (2.16%)	0 0 (0.00%)	0 303,815 (10.70%)	517.6 328,633 (11.58%)
Delegate Count On 1st Ballot			287.5 (29.22%)	211.5 (21.49%)	133.5 (13.57%)	84 (8.54%)	69.5 (7.06%)	65.5 (6.66%)	34 (3.46%)	24 (2.44%)	21 (2.13%)	20 (2.03%)	17 (1.73%)	7 (0.71%)	5.5 (0.56%)	4 (0.41%)

Post-primary maneuvering

Kenyon Committee report

On the eve of the convention, no man had secured enough support for the nomination. However, Wood and Lowden suffered a major blow when the Senate investigation into campaign expenditures was published. The subcommittee chaired by William S. Kenyon revealed massive spending by both Wood and Lowden's campaigns, including two canceled checks from Lowden to Missouri delegates that could not be explained. ^[75] Johnson was indirectly damaged by the investigation as well, since Wood and Lowden supporters blamed him for instigating it; the enmity between the front-runners appeared to ensure none could secure the others' support. ^[75]

See also

• 1920 Democratic Party presidential primaries

References

1. Kalb, Deborah (February 19, 2016). Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books. CQ Press. ISBN   9781483380353 . Retrieved February 19, 2016.
2. Merlo J. Pusey, Charles Evans Hughes (1951) vol 1 p 356
3. John Milton Cooper, Jr., Woodrow Wilson (2009) pp 341-2, 352, 360
4. Peck, Garrett (2018). The Great War in America: World War I and Its Aftermath. New York: Pegasus Books. pp. 109–110. ISBN   978-1-6817-7944-7 – via Google Books.
5. Fleming, Thomas (2003). The Illusion Of Victory: America In World War I. New York: Basic Books. p. 451. ISBN   978-0-465-02467-4.
6. Morris 2010, p. 472.
7. Miller 1992, p. 559.
8. Morris 2010, p. 516.
9. Morris 2010, p. 531.
10. Morris 2010, p. 542.
11. Hagedorn 1931, p. 326.
12. MacMillan, Paris 1919 (2001), p. 3.
13. Morris 2010, pp. 546–547.
14. Hagedorn 1931, p. 325.
15. Hagedorn 1931, p. 333.
16. Hagedorn 1931, p. 336.
17. Hagedorn 1931, p. 330.
18. Hagedorn 1931, p. 332.
19. Hagedorn 1931, p. 331.
20. Dean 2004, p. 51.
21. "FACTIONAL FIGHTS IN TWO PARTIES MARK TODAY'S STATE PRIMARIES" . The Morning Call. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
22. Dean 2004, p. 53.
23. Dean 2004, pp. 53–58.
24. Dean 2004, p. 55.
25. "STATE REPUBLICANS NOMINATE A TICKET". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. January 30, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
26. "FACTIONS DIVIDE REPUBLICAN PARTY". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. February 6, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
27. "HAMON RULED THE CONVENTION OF THE REPUBLICANS". The Pawhuska Daily Capital. Pawhuska, Oklahoma. February 12, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
28. "G.O.P. DELEAGTES GO MINUS INSTRUCTIONS". The Shreveport Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. February 29, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
29. "WELL-OILED G.O.P. MACHINERY RUNS SMOOTHLY ALONG AS STATE CONVENTION ENDS ITS SESSIONS". The Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. February 29, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
30. "G.O.P. PREPARES FOR NEW CONQUESTS". The Lexington Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. March 4, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
31. "HATCHET BURIED BY REPUBLICANS". The Daily Advance. Elizabeth City, North Carolina. March 4, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
32. "EIGHT NEW HAMPSHIRE MEN PLEDGED TO WOOD". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. March 29, 1920. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
33. "MUCH STRENGTH SHOWN IN VOTE OF REPUBLICANS". The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. April 17, 1920. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
34. "G.O.P. DELEGATES GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF LOWDEN". The Daily Press. Newport, Virginia. March 18, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
35. "FIGHT ON WOOD WILL BE FEATURE OF REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION". The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. March 20, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
36. "MINNESOTA REPUBLICANS REFUSE TO INSTRUCT FOR WOOD". The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. March 21, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
37. "OFFICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION FIGURES". The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. April 16, 1920. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
38. "ASK GOVERNOR HOLCOMB TO ACT". The Greenfield Daily Recorder. Greenfield, Massachusetts. March 23, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
39. "MAINE REPUBLICANS IN FIGHTING TRIM". The Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. March 26, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
40. "NEW MEXICO REPUBLICANS INSTRUCT FOR WOOD". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. March 27, 1920. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
41. "DELEGATES GO UNINSTRUCTED". The Junction City Union. Junction City, Kansas. April 1, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
42. "JOHNSON'S LEAD IN STATE 44,371". The Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. April 23, 1920. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
43. "CONDEMN THE "SOCLIALISM OF PRESIDENT WILSON"". The Norwich Bulletin. Norwich, Connecticut. April 6, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
44. "FINAL DECISION IN REPUBLICAN SPLIT UP TO CONVENTION". The Macon Daily Telegraph. Macon, Georgia. April 8, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
45. "HOW 137 CONTESTED CONVENTION SEATS WERE APPORTIONED". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. June 6, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
46. "WISCONSIN FOR BOB AND JOHNSON". The Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. April 30, 1920. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
47. "COMPLETE OFFICIAL RETURNS ON RECENT DELEGATE ELECTION". The Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. April 22, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
48. "LOWDEN WINS STATE BY 80,000; WOOD GETS COOK BY 27,533". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 14, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
49. "EIGHT DELEGATES NAMED BY G.O.P." The Chattanoga Daily Times. Chattanoga, Tennessee. April 15, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
50. "STATE REPUBLICANS LAUD GOV. TOWNSEND'S RECORD; FIRM STAND FOR SUFFRAGE". The Evening Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. April 21, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
51. "WOOD TO HAVE TWO VOTES FROM STATE". The Lincoln State Journal. Lincoln, Nebraska. April 23, 1920. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
52. "WOOD TO HAVE TWO VOTES FROM STATE". The Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. April 24, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
53. "INSTRUCTED FOR LOWDEN". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. April 23, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
54. "State of Montana" (PDF). archive.org. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
55. "G.O.P DELEGATES ELECTED WINGFIELD OVER PLATT". The Nevada State Journal. Reno, Nevada. April 25, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
56. "NEVADA DELEAGTES ARE UNINSTRUCTED". The Salt Lake Herald-Republican. Salt Lake City, Utah. April 25, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
57. "REPUBLICAN DELEGATES". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. April 28, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
58. "WOOD WINS OUT BY 612 VOTE MARGIN IN LATE COUNT". The Atlantic City Daily Press. Atlantic City, New Jersey. April 28, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
59. "WOOD'S LEAD NOW 1,092". The Atlantic City Daily Press. Atlantic City, New Jersey. April 29, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
60. "HARDING DENIES PLAN TO ABANDON CONTEST; COX ITINERARY BARED". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. May 7, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
61. "SATISFACTION". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. May 2, 1920. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
62. "THE SPOKANE PRESS". Spokane, Washington. April 28, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
63. "WOOD FORCES APPEAR IN MINORITY". The Prescott Daily News. Prescott, Arkansas. April 29, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
64. "THE SPOKANE PRESS". The Idaho Daily Statesman. Boise, Idaho. April 29, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
65. "UTAH REPUBLICANS NAME DELEGATES TO ATTEND CONVENTION". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. May 4, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
66. "WOOD AND McCRAY LEAD IN INDIANA PRIMARY; JOHNSON AHEAD IN CAL". The Evansville Courier. Evansville, Indiana. May 5, 1920. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
67. "MULVIHILL WILL HEAD MISSISSIPPI G.O.P." The Natchez Democrat. Natchez, Mississippi. May 6, 1920. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
68. "STATE G.O.P. PUTS OVER PLANS WITH ONLY FEW CHANGES". The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. May 7, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
69. "REPUBLICANS ELECT DELEGATES". The Fort Collins Courier. Fort Collins, Colorado. May 7, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
70. "MAYOR LOSES TO LOWDEN". The Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. May 11, 1920. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
71. "WYOMING WILL NOT BIND DELEGATES". The Salt Lake Herald-Republican. Salt Lake City, Utah. May 11, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
72. "16 DELEGATES UNINSTRUCTED". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. May 4, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
73. "NAME DELEGATES TO THE NAT'L CONVENTION". The Selma Times-Journal. Selma, Alabama. May 20, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
74. "TEXAS REPUBLICANS SPLIT CONVENTION IN TWO FACTIONS". The Austin American. Austin, Texas. May 26, 1920. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
75. Dean 2004, pp. 58–59.

1. Favorite sons received the support of New York (Nicholas Murray Butler), Pennsylvania (William Cameron Sproul), Massachusetts (Calvin Coolidge), Delaware (T. Coleman du Pont), Wisconsin (Robert M. La Follette), West Virginia (Howard Sutherland), and North Carolina (Jeter Pritchard). In the popular vote, the New York and Massachusetts primaries were won by unpledged delegates, while the non-binding preference primary in Pennsylvania was won by the unknown Edward R. Wood, the only candidate on the ballot.
2. Wood was the sole named candidate on the non-binding Republican preference vote in Pennsylvania, though he was not expected to have the support of any of the state's twelve at-large delegates; all fifteen candidates pledged their support to Governor William Cameron Sproul. ^[21]
3. This should not be taken as a finalized list of results. While a significant amount of research was done, there were a number of States which also elected Delegates at the Congressional level who were not always bound by the instructions of the State Convention, and these are not yet reflected in the table. Many states also held primaries for the delegate positions, and these on occasion were where slates or candidates pledge to a certain candidate might be elected; however, as these elections allowed for a single person to vote for multiple candidates, as many as the number of positions being filled, it is difficult to determine how many people actually voted in these primaries. For this reason, while the results of some are in the table, except in those rare cases where a total vote is provided, they are not included in the popular vote summaries at the bottom of the table.
4. Includes 17,971 votes for General John Pershing at (4.39%), and 3,857 votes for William Simpson at (0.94%).
5. The situation in Georgia was a mess, with a fight between Wood and Lowden men to control the State Convention, eventually leading to a split and two competing delegations being sent to Chicago. The Lowden won most of the contested seats when it came to a vote at Chicago, but only (15) of the (17) delegate "seats" are accounted for.
6. Includes 373 votes for Senator Irvine Lenroot at (1.24%).
7. Represents an Unpledged Slate headed by Governor Emanuel Philipp.
8. Includes 1,026 Write-In votes for Mayor William Thompson at (2.21%).
9. Represents an Uninstructed Delegates led by Chicago Mayor William Thompson
10. Uninstructed Delegates won out in the Sixth (partially) and Eighth Congressional District Conventions.
11. Includes 27,669 votes for General John Pershing at (20.25%), and 1,698 votes for William Simpson at (1.24%).
12. Includes 80 Write-In votes for Senator Philander Knox at (0.08%), and 41 Write-In votes for Senator Walter Edge at (0.04%).
13. Represents Delegates who ran as Uninstructed.
14. While the Indiana Delegates would be normally instructed by the results of the Presidential Primary, a majority of the vote was required to do so.
15. While only ascribed 8 Delegate Votes to their At-Large group, ten were named so as to include Mayor William Thompson and one of his allies; the result was that each delegate had 4/5ths of a vote rather than a full vote.
16. Includes 257,841 votes for Edward R. Wood at (92.26%), and 1,989 Write-In votes for Senator Philander Knox at (0.71%).
17. Includes 354 votes for William Grant Webster at (6.77%), 37 Write-In votes for Former Justice Charles Evan Hughes at (0.71%), 12 Write-In votes for Senator Henry Cabot Lodge at (0.23%), and 6 Write-In votes for Senator Philander Knox at (0.12%).
18. Includes 4,129 votes for William Grant Webster at (3.45%).

Further reading

• Adams, Samuel Hopkins (1939). The Incredible Era: The Life and Times of Warren Gamaliel Harding. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN   0-374-90051-5.
• Bagby, Wesley M. (March 1955). "The 'Smoke Filled Room' and the Nomination of Warren G. Harding". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 41 (4): 657–674. doi:10.2307/1889182. JSTOR   1889182.
• Dean, John W. (2004). Warren Harding. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN   978-0-8050-6956-3.
• Eisenhower, John S.D. (2014). Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood: Partners in Command. University of Missouri Press.
• Hagedorn, Hermann (1931). Leonard Wood: A Biography. New York: Harper & Brothers.
• Hutchinson, William T. (1957). Lowden of Illinois: The Life of Frank O. Lowden. University of Chicago Press. LCCN   57006274.
• Johnson, Hiram (1983). The diary letters of Hiram Johnson, 1917–1945. Garland Publishing.
• Lane, Jack C. (2009). Armed Progressive: General Leonard Wood. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN   978-0-8032-2658-6.
• Lower, Richard Coke (1993). A Bloc of One: The Political Career of Hiram W. Johnson. Stanford University Press.
• McCallum, Jack (2006). Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism. New York: New York University Press. ISBN   978-0-8147-5699-7 – via Google Books.
• Miller, Nathan (1992). Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. New York: Morrow. ISBN   9780688067847.
• Morello, John A. (2001). Selling the President, 1920: Albert D. Lasker, Advertising, and the Election of Warren G. Harding. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN   978-0-2759-7030-7 – via Google Books.
• Morris, Edmund (2010). Colonel Roosevelt. New York: Random House.
• Russell, Thomas (1923). The Illustrious Life and Work of Warren G. Harding, Twenty-ninth President of the United States. the University of Wisconsin–Madison. p. 51.
• Schlesinger, Arthur M. Jr. (1957). The Age of Roosevelt: The Crisis of the Old Order, 1919–1933. London: Heinemann. ISBN   978-0-618-34085-9.
• Shlaes, Amity (2013). Coolidge. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0-06-196755-9. LCCN   2012032098.
• Sinclair, Andrew (1969) [1965]. The Available Man: The Life behind the Masks of Warren Gamaliel Harding (1st Quadrangle Paperback ed.). Chicago: Quadrangle Books. OCLC   422550801.
• Weatherson, Michael A.; Bochin, Hal (1995). Hiram Johnson: Political Revivalist. University Press of America.
• Wood, Eric Fisher (1920). Leonard Wood, Conservator of Americanism. New York: George H. Doran Company – via Internet Archive., a campaign biography of Wood
• Wynn, Neil (1986). From Progressivism to Prosperity: World War I and American Society. New York: Holmes & Meier. ISBN   978-0-8419-1107-9.