Brief History of Contested Republican Conventions

History Monocle ^ | March 19, 2016

[justlittleoleme]

I write this blog in light of the lasting discussion of a possible contested Republican convention in 2016 election. While historically common, a contested convention has not occurred 40 years. The following is a brief history of each contested Republican national convention from the past. After reading this, how do you feel the convention if 2016 might play out? 

1856 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, PA

Ballots: 11

Leader on the first ballot: Rep. Nathaniel Banks of MA

Ultimate Nominee: Fmr Sen. John C. Fremont of CA

-snip-

1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago, IL

Ballots: 3

Leader on the first ballot: Gov. William Seward of NY

Ultimate nominee: Fmr Rep. Abraham Lincoln of IL

-snip-

1876 Republican National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio

Ballots: 7

Leader on the first ballot: Rep. James G. Blaine

Ultimate nominee: Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes

-snip-

1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois

Ballots: 36

Leader on the first ballot: Fmr Pres. Ulysses S. Grant

Ultimate nominee: Rep. James A. Garfield

-snip-

1884 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois

Ballots: 4

Leader on the first ballot: Sec. James G. Blaine

Ultimate winner: Sec. James G. Blaine

-snip-

1888 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois

Ballots:8

Leader on the first ballot: Sen. John Sherman

Ultimate nominee: Sen. Benjamin Harrison

-snip-

1912 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois

Ballots: 1

Leader on the 1st ballot: Pres. William H. Taft

Ultimate nominee: Pres. William H. Taft

-snip-

1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois

Ballots: 10

Leader on the first ballot: Gen. Leonard Wood

Ultimate nominee: Sen. Warren G. Harding

-snip-

1940 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ballots: 6

Leader on the first ballot: Mr. Thomas Dewey, an attorney

Ultimate nominee: Wendell Wilkie, a businessman

-snip-

1952 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois

Ballots: 1

Ultimate nominee: General Dwight D. Eisenhower

-snip-

1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri

Ballots: 1

Ultimate nominee: President Gerald Ford

 

[justlittleoleme]

This is just an except: Entire article is a good historical read.

[savedbygrace]

Unless I counted wrong, it looks like 8 Presidents and 3 losers.

[gorush]

Interesting read, thanks.
I thought James K. Polk and Coolidge were also elected in a contested convention.
Garfield ended up with Chester Arthur as his VP. Arthur was ineligible to be President. His daughter witnessed him burning papers near the end of his life that were said to have proven that.
Robert Todd Lincoln is involved in the story. Interestingly, Lincoln was at the deathbed of three out of four assassinated Presidents. He attended his father, of course. He was in the train station when Garfield was shot and he served on McKinley’s cabinet.

[jjotto]

No party has ever considered a ‘plurality wins’ rule. The only alternative to a majority has been a super-majority. The Democrats had a ‘two-thirds wins’ rule until 1936.

[freespirit2012]

It would be interesting to know if there has ever been a candidate who dominated his fellow candidates but came up just short, but still had the nomination given to someone else.

[Sans-Culotte]

The difference between some of those conventions and now is the primary system. The contested conventions before the 20th century did not involve primary elections. It is one thing to decide a nominee based solely on conventioneer votes, another to disavow the state primary voters’ wishes and pull some new candidate out of their orifices and foist him on the electorate.

[twister881]

One of the three candidates remaining in the race will be the nominee. It’s fiction that a fourth person will drop in and be nominated (e.g., Ryan). If it’s a contested convention, the three will battle it out, and that’s not bad, it’s quintessential American politics. All the primaries & caucuses that preceded are to *select* the convention delegates who will *elect* the nominee. And each state & territory gets to determine how delegates are selected. Federalism at the party level - good!

[Slyfox]

Great catch!