1876 Republican National Convention

The 1876 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Exposition Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 14-16, 1876. It resulted in the nomination of Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler for President and Vice President of the United States.

Overview

The convention was called to order by Republican National Committee chairman Edwin D. Morgan. Theodore M. Pomeroy served as the convention's temporary chairman and Edward McPherson served as permanent president.

The principal candidates at the convention included Senator James G. Blaine of Maine, the former Speaker of the House; Senator Oliver P. Morton of Indiana; Secretary of the Treasury Benjamin H. Bristow of Kentucky; Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York; Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio; and Governor John F. Hartranft of Pennsylvania. James Russell Lowell, well-known poet and a professor at Harvard College, spoke on behalf of Hayes. [Heymann, C. David. "American Aristocracy: The Lives and Times of James Russell, Amy, and Robert Lowell". New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1980: 136. ISBN 0396076084]

Blaine led after the first ballot, but had only 285 of the 378 delegates required to secure the nomination. Morton, Bristow, and Conkling each had around 100 delegates, while Hayes and Hartranft each had around 60. The second, third, and fourth ballots saw similar results, but Hayes began to surge on the fifth ballot, passing Morton and Conkling to secure third place after Blaine and Bristow. The sixth ballot saw Blaine rise to 308, but, with the other candidates fading, Hayes continued his surge, moving into second place. After the sixth ballot, the Bristow, Conkling, Morton, and Hartranft supporters withdrew their candidates' names from consideration, leaving Hayes as the sole focus of opposition to Blaine. With the other candidates gone, Hayes won a narrow majority on the seventh ballot and secured the nomination.

The Convention then went on to choose a vice presidential nominee. Congressman William A. Wheeler of New York won a majority on the first ballot, defeating Marshall Jewell of Connecticut, Stewart L. Woodford of New York, Joseph R. Hawley of Connecticut, and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey.

The ticket went on to win in the election of 1876, defeating Democrats Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks.

ee also

* History of the United States Republican Party
* 1876 Democratic National Convention

References

External links

* " [http://books.google.com/books?id=UBpkVnw_AIIC Proceedings of the Republican National Convention, Held at Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, June 14, 15, and 16, 1876] "

* [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29624 Republican Party Platform of 1876]

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