1888 Republican National Convention

1888 Republican National Convention
1888 presidential election

Nominees
Harrison and Morton
Convention
Date(s) June 19–25, 1888
City Chicago, Illinois
Venue Auditorium Theatre
Chair Morris M. Estee
Candidates
Presidential nominee Benjamin Harrison of Indiana
Vice Presidential nominee Levi P. Morton of New York
Other candidates John Sherman
Russell A. Alger
Walter Q. Gresham
Voting
Total delegates 832
Votes needed for nomination 417
Results (President) Harrison (IN): 544 (65.38%)
Sherman (OH): 118 (14.18%)
Gresham (IN): 59 (7.09%)
Alger (MI): 100 (12.02%)
Blaine (ME): 5 (0.60%)
McKinley (OH): 4 (0.48%)
Douglass (MD): 1 (0.12%)
Others: 1 (0.12%)
Results (Vice President) Morton (NY): 592 (71.15%)
Phelps (NJ): 119 (14.3%)
Bradley (KY): 103 (12.38%)
Bruce (MS): 11 (1.32%)
Abstaining: 6 (0.72%)
Walter S. Thomas: 1 (0.12%)
Ballots 8

The 1888 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Auditorium Building in Chicago, Illinois, on June 19–25, 1888. It resulted in the nomination of former Senator Benjamin Harrison of Indiana for President and former Representative Levi P. Morton of New York for Vice President. During the convention, Frederick Douglass was invited to speak and became the first African-American to have his name put forward for a presidential nomination, in a major party's roll call vote, receiving one vote from Kentucky on the fourth ballot.

The ticket won in the election of 1888, defeating President Grover Cleveland and former Senator Allen G. Thurman from Ohio.

Issues addressed

Issues addressed in the convention included support for protective tariffs, repeal of taxes on tobacco, support for the use of gold and silver as currency and support for pensions for veterans. The party also expressed its opposition to polygamy.[1]

Presidential nomination

Presidential Ballot
Ballot1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
Benjamin Harrison 80 91 94 217 213 231 278 544
John Sherman 229 249 244 235 224 244 231 118
Russell A. Alger 84 116 122 135 142 137 120 100
Walter Q. Gresham 111 108 123 98 87 91 91 59
William B. Allison 72 75 88 88 99 73 76 0
Chauncey Depew 99 99 91 0 0 0 0 0
James G. Blaine 35 33 35 42 48 40 15 5
John James Ingalls 28 16 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jeremiah McLain Rusk 25 20 16 0 0 0 0 0
William Walter Phelps 25 18 5 0 0 0 0 0
Edwin Henry Fitler 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
William McKinley 2 3 8 11 14 12 16 4
Robert Todd Lincoln 3 2 2 1 0 0 2 0
Samuel Freeman Miller 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph B. Foraker 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0
Frederick Douglass 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
Frederick Dent Grant 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Creed Haymond 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Vice Presidential nominaion

Former United States Senator Levi P. Morton from Ohio was asked if he wanted the second spot. He had been asked in 1880, but had declined. This time Morton decided to accept.

Vice Presidential Ballot
Ballot1st
Levi P. Morton 591
William Walter Phelps 119
William O'Connell Bradley 103
Blanche K. Bruce 11
Walter F. Thomas 1

Accusation of delegate vote-buying

Nearly a decade later, Ohio candidate John Sherman accused Michigan candidate, millionaire Russell A. Alger, of buying the votes of Southern delegates who had already confirmed their vote for Sherman. In Sherman's 1895 two-volume book "Recollections" he asserted, "I believe, and had, as I thought, conclusive proof, that the friends of Gen. Alger substantially purchased the votes of many of the delegates from the Southern States who had been instructed by their conventions to vote for me." Once accused, Alger submitted correspondence to the New York Times, who published one letter from 1888, written after the convention to Alger, where Sherman states, "if you bought some [votes], according to universal usage, surely I don't blame you." Later in the same New York Times article, Alger insisted neither he or friends bought a single vote. The article also quotes another delegate, James Lewis, who claimed that "the colored delegates of the South will unite on a Union soldier in preference" instead of a civilian.[2]

When Sherman introduced his anti-trust legislation two years later, his main example of unlawful combination drew from a Michigan Supreme Court case involving Diamond Match Company and Alger's participation as president and stock holder.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Official Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Chicago, June 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 25, 1888
  2. ↑ ALGER ANSWERS SHERMAN; Denial that Southern Delegates Sold Their Votes. THE SENATOR'S CHARGES REFUTED In an Autograph Letter He Practically Withdrew His Charge of Unfairness -- Gen. Sherman Not Opposed to the Purchase of Votes.
  3. ↑ SHERMAN TO ALGER.

External links

Preceded by
1884
Chicago		 Republican National Conventions Succeeded by
1892
Minneapolis
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