1835 Democratic National Convention

The 1835 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from May 20th to the 22nd, in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the second national convention of the Democratic Party of the United States. The delegates nominated Vice President Martin Van Buren for President and Richard Mentor Johnson for Vice President.

President Andrew Jackson wrote on February 23, 1835, to Reverend James Gwin of Tennessee and claimed a preference for someone who would "most likely to be the choice of the great body of republicans" in regard to his successor. He expressed the desire to hold another national convention to nominate candidates for the presidency and vice presidency. He instructed the reverend to show the letter to the editor of the "Nashville Republican". The newspaper later reprinted the letter. [Citation | editor-last=Niles | editor-first=Hezekiah | editor-link=Hezekiah Niles | title=Gen. Jackson's Letter | newspaper=Niles' Weekly Register | volume=48 | pages=80-81 | year=1835 | date=April 4, 1835 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JOUMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA80#PPA80,M1]

Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina, and Alabama sent no delegates to the convention. Andrew Stevenson of Virginia served as the chairman and convention president. Six convention vice presidents and four secretaries were appointed.

Vice President Martin Van Buren was the unanimous choice of the delegates for the presidency and was nominated.

A man from Tennessee, Edward Rucker, who was present at the convention but not sent as a delegate, cast all 15 votes Tennessee was entitled to for Van Buren and for Johnson for the contested vice presidential nomination. Johnson was nominated for the vice presidency after he narrowly won more than two-thirds of the total delegates' votes. The delegation of Virginia found the nomination of Johnson unacceptable to the state and declared he would not obtain their support. Letters went out on the 23rd of May from the convention president and vice presidents asking for the acceptance of the nominations by the nominees. Van Buren replied and accepted the nomination on May 29th; [Citation | editor-last=Niles | editor-first=Hezekiah | editor-link=Hezekiah Niles | title=Mr. Van Buren's Acceptance | newspaper=Niles' Weekly Register | volume=48 | pages=257-258 | year=1835 | date=June 13, 1835 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JOUMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA257#PRA2-PA257,M1] Johnson, likewise on June 9th. [Citation | editor-last=Niles | editor-first=Hezekiah | editor-link=Hezekiah Niles | title=Col. Johnson's Acceptance | newspaper=Niles' Weekly Register | volume=48 | pages=329-330 | year=1835 | date=July 11, 1835 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JOUMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA329#PRA2-PA329,M1]

The opposition did not put forward rival candidates for the presidency and vice presidency nominated by national convention. Martin Van Buren defeated his many competitors for the presidency in the election of 1836. The electors of Virginia supported Van Buren, but cast their votes for William Smith for the vice presidency. Richard Mentor Johnson received a plurality, but not a majority, of the electoral votes for the vice presidency. In the subsequent election in the United States Senate, he was elected to the vice presidency.

ee also

*History of the United States Democratic Party

Notes

References

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=JOUMAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage&cad=0#PPA226,M1 Proceedings of the convention] , "Niles' Weekly Register", Volume XLVIII, March 1835 to September 1835

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