1872 Democratic National Convention
| 1872 Presidential Election | |
|---|---|
  Nominees Greeley and Brown |
|
| Convention | |
| Date(s) | July 9-July 10 |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Venue | Ford's Grand Opera House |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential Nominee | Horace Greeley of New York |
| Vice Presidential Nominee | B. Gratz Brown of Missouri |
| ‹ 1868 · 1876 › | |
The 1872 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at Ford's Opera House in Baltimore, Maryland on July 9, 1872. It resulted in the nomination of Horace Greeley and B. Gratz Brown for President and Vice-President of the United States, a ticket first nominated by the Liberal Republican Party.
The convention was called to order by Democratic National Committee chairman August Belmont. Thomas Jefferson Randolph served as the convention's temporary chairman and James R. Doolittle served as permanent president. At six hours in length, the convention was the shortest Democratic National Convention on record. [1]
Accepting the Liberal platform meant the Democrats had accepted the New Departure, rejecting the anti-Reconstruction platform of 1868. They realized to win they had to look forward, and not try to refight the Civil War.[2] Also, they realized they would only split the anti-Grant vote if they nominated a candidate other than Greeley. However, Greeley's long reputation as the most aggressive attacker of the Democratic party, its principles, its leadership, and its activists cooled enthusiasm for the nominee. The convention, which lasted only nine hours stretched over two days, was the shortest major political party convention in history.
The ticket lost to incumbent President Republican Ulysses S. Grant and Republican vice presidential nominee Henry Wilson in the election of 1872. Greeley died before the electoral votes were cast.
Contents |
[edit] Candidates
- Horace Greeley, former U.S. representative from New York
- Jeremiah S. Black, former U.S. Secretary of State from Pennsylvania
- Thomas F. Bayard, U.S. senator from Delaware
- William S. Groesbeck, former U.S. representative from Ohio
[edit] Candidates gallery
[edit] The Balloting
| Presidential Ballot | Vice Presidential Ballot | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Horace Greeley | 686 | B. Gratz Brown | 713 |
| Jeremiah S. Black | 21 | John W. Stevenson | 6 |
| Thomas F. Bayard | 15 | ||
| William S. Groesbeck | 2 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
| Preceded by 1868 New York |
Democratic National Conventions | Succeeded by 1876 St. Louis |
