The convention 1880 Republican National Convention

a view inside interstate exposition building (known glass palace ) during convention; james abram garfield (center, right) on podium, waiting speak.

at noon on wednesday, june 2, j. donald cameron banged gavel commence beginning of seventh republican national convention. instructed, cameron placed nomination senator hoar temporary convention chairman. nomination passed unanimously. later, delegates john h. roberts of illinois , christopher l. magee of pennsylvania made temporary convention secretaries. senator eugene hale of maine submitted resolution roll call, in chairman of each delegation announce people delegation serving on convention s 3 committees. committees formed, , convention adjourned @ 5 minutes past 3 in afternoon.

the convention reconvened @ 11:00 a.m. on june 3. roscoe conkling submitted motion recess, motion rejected. new york delegate, henry r. pierson committee on permanent organization, submitted proposal make temporary convention assignments permanent. motion adopted, , convention took four-hour recess until 5:00 p.m. after recess, motion made committee on rules directed report, substitute motion george h. sharpe of new york called committee on credentials report. substitute motion rejected vote of 406 318, , original resolution laid on table. @ 7:30 p.m., convention adjourned until 10:00 a.m. following morning.

the next morning, conkling submitted resolution bound every delegate in hall support party s nominee. conkling said no man should hold seat here not ready agree. voice vote called, , resolution received unanimous delegate support. however, dozen or delegates answered no . conkling shocked. asked, [who] @ republican convention vote no on such resolution? demanded roll call identify dissenters. of dissenters chose not declare disagreement in front of thousands of spectators @ glass palace . 3 delegates, west virginia, voted no resolution, , showered storm of hisses. conkling issued resolution strip 3 west virginians of votes , squash voices @ convention. west virginians revolted against conkling s resolution, , heavily criticized him motion. james garfield, sitting @ ohio delegation, stood , tried settle matter. stated convention making big mistake if approved conkling s motion, , asked delegates time in order state case. garfield argued 3 west virginians should not disenfranchised because thought not time make such expression [about candidate]. stated there never can convention...that shall bind vote against on question whatever. garfield had won crowd on speech. conkling did not particularly enjoy situation. scribbled note garfield read, new york requests ohio s real candidate , dark horse come forward...r.c.

afterwards, fight on credentials erupted free-for-all. after john a. logan had barred anti-grant delegates state convention earlier in year, had decided file credential reports. @ meeting between arthur , chandler, both men had agreed credentials issue discussed @ convention. chicago lawyer supported grant, emery storrs interrupted legal argument on credentials mocking blaine campaigners. remarks set off barrage of comments both blaine , grant sides. convention went out of control, people started shouting , jumping throughout convention hall. garfield commented, convention seemed [as if] not in america, in sections of paris in ecstasy of revolution. fracas continued until 2:00 a.m. when acting chairman green b. raum, united states commissioner of internal revenue, banged gavel end demonstration.

presenting nominees

on saturday night, alphabetical roll call of states present nominees conducted. first candidate republican nomination emerged when michigan delegation in roll call. james f. joy, seventy-year-old president of michigan central railroad, gave speech nominating blaine. joy not practiced public speaker, , stumbled , rushed through nomination speech, because impatient voting. joy ended speech nominating james s. blaine republican ticket. promptly, number of delegates yelled back, g! g. blaine, fool! delegates next state in roll call, minnesota, nominated senator william windom favorite son candidate. 9 states later, roscoe conkling of new york stepped podium present nomination ulysses s. grant.

and when asked state hail from,

our sole reply shall be,

he hails appomattox,

and famous apple tree.

the crowd of 15,000 responded erupting in cheers. conkling built crowd s energy speech, , introduced candidate proclaiming, new york ulysses s. grant. never defeated–never defeated in peace or in war, name illustrious borne living men. later spoke of grant s loyalty american people, , scolded grant s enemies had brought third term issue. conkling tried show grant honest person had won delegates without patronage , without emissaries, without committees, [and ] without bureaus.... after conkling finished speech, boos , hisses came blaine , sherman backers, while applause heard stalwart supporters of grant. after north carolina s roll call, ohio delegation brought out james garfield give nomination speech john sherman.

garfield had not written speech, , nervous speaking in front of such large crowd. before heading chicago, sherman told garfield garfield s speech should stress sherman s courageous persistence in course had adopted. garfield started speech emphasizing overwhelming pride role in convention. garfield listed qualities president should possess , stressed importance of party unity. wasn t until near conclusion mentioned sherman name. many reports of garfield s speech describe enthusiastic, eloquent, , received. accounts indicate well-received caused delegates begin thinking of garfield contender presidential nomination.

on other hand, members of sherman campaign disappointed garfield s speech. 1 telegram sherman backer sent sherman himself claimed that, [garfield] has been of no service you...he extremely lukewarm in support. rumors began spread ohio governor charles foster , garfield, in adjoining suites @ grand pacific hotel, conspiring bring garfield out [a] candidate.... news of finger-pointing within sherman camp had carried newspapers across country. albany evening journal reported [t]here general belief ohio delegation ready desert sherman , go on blaine in body.

although had become popular delegates after speech, garfield upset on accusations of inside sherman group, , worried how affect him in future. close colleagues felt becoming popular, quickly. friends, lorenzo coffin, felt time not yet. garfield heeded advice of friends lower profile @ convention, had made deep impression on delegates. late sunday night on june 6, indiana senator benjamin harrison, grandson of former president william henry harrison, came garfield s hotel suite , asked him under conditions accept nomination. garfield replied had come convention sole purpose of supporting john sherman, , told harrison garfield s name must not used [in nomination].

balloting

at ten o clock on monday morning, convention chairman hoar banged gavel open convention. eugene hale moved proceed presidential nominee balloting, , roscoe conkling seconded motion. newspapers had predicted results of balloting, , delegates knew take number of ballots before victor found. first surprise during balloting roll call came when john a. logan of illinois announced of state s forty-two delegates, twenty-four in support of grant. not solid logan had advertised rest of grant backers. new york faced similar situation. of seventy delegates, fifty-one supported grant, seventeen blaine, , remaining 2 supported sherman. pennsylvania fared worse, thirty-two of state s fifty-eight delegates put in support grant.

after states polled, results tabulated. grant received 304 votes, blaine had 284, sherman had 93, vermont senator george f. edmunds received 34, elihu b. washburne, had served united states ambassador france under president grant, had 30, , minnesota senator william windom received 10. of states represented triumvirate , sixty delegates did not support grant. none of candidates close 379 needed secure nomination, balloting continued throughout day.

in washington, d.c., both blaine , sherman disappointed first-ballot vote totals. blaine had been told should expect around 300 first-ballot votes, actual total fell sixteen short, , 1 vote fewer total received on first ballot @ 1876 convention. sherman told expect 110 votes, lower expected totals blaine , grant. however, sherman felt chance come later, when grant vote split apart. after sherman heard first-ballot vote totals, grew visibly angry of them [the votes] taken away him before ballot began. upset 9 ohio delegates bolted sherman , voted instead opponent, james g. blaine. sherman blamed blaine causing delegates bolt ohio [methods of] falsehood, ridicule , treachery. in galena, illinois, grant did not express emotions after being told first-ballot vote totals. 1 newsman reported, [t]he silent soldier smoking cigar usual serenity. grant s wife, julia, expected deadlock, , suggested husband surprise delegates in chicago visit. grant thought unwise because gave appearance of bad luck , bad manners. despite wife s attempts change mind, grant remained adamant.

meanwhile, delegates @ convention continued cast ballots until victor determined. on second ballot of day, pennsylvania delegate named w. a. grier cast vote james garfield. however, garfield support remained 1 delegate s vote of day. delegates cast eighteen ballots before taking recess dinner. after dinner, came , cast ten more ballots. still, no candidate close 379 votes needed win. after twelve hours of balloting, massachusetts delegate william lovering moved adjourn night. few grant delegates objected, motion adjourn passed vote of 446 308. after twenty-eight ballots, grant had 307 votes, blaine had 279 , sherman had 91, , rest of votes split between favorite son candidates william windom , george f. edmunds.

suggestions introducing dark horse candidate began take place. members backing each candidate equally determined win nomination, felt deadlock not broken if new candidates not introduced balloting. backers sherman , blaine met after convention adjourned. chandler laid down terms. blaine had 300 votes, , not withdraw. chandler explained, [i]f mr. blaine permits column broken, [then] iowa, nebraska, kansas, nevada, california, oregon & twelve votes in territories go grant...[as would] mr. blaine s southern votes. both sides argued until 2 or 3 in morning, no decision had been reached. grant leaders had met night in roscoe conkling s suite in grand pacific hotel. discussed imposing dangers of grant s nomination bid, such third-term resistors. many speculated grant not going receive nomination. grant backers discussed other 2 chief candidates, , found them both unacceptable. of men called conkling himself substitute grant. argued grant out of race, conkling face little resistance republican nomination. however, conkling refused accept idea of being nominated president. said [even] if receive every other vote in convention, own still lacking, , not give. here agent of new york support general grant end. man forsake him under such conditions not deserve elected, , not elected.

the first ballot on tuesday morning, june 8, saw 2 major breaks in voting. massachusetts switched twenty-one votes senator george edmunds john sherman, spiking total 116, highest far. william chandler convinced 3 minnesota delegates switch support favorite son candidate, william windom, james g. blaine. thirty-second ballot, blaine had dropped 6 votes night before, , grant had increased total 309. despite relatively small changes in votes totals roscoe conkling confidently claimed [m]embers of n.y. delegation assert grant nominated before 1 o clock. on thirty-third ballot, 9 wisconsin delegates shifted support grant elihu washburne. on next ballot, sixteen of twenty wisconsin delegates changed vote james garfield. garfield called chairman hoar raise question of order. garfield challenge[d] correctness of announcement , claiming without consent, should not receiving votes. hoar dismissed garfield s question, claiming later denied garfield because did not want see presidency undone simple point of order, meaning did not want garfield stop momentum own candidacy. after ballot, vote totals major candidates stood @ 312 grant, 275 blaine, 107 sherman, , 17 garfield. in thirty-fifth ballot, benjamin harrison of indiana announced state shift twenty-seven of votes (mostly coming blaine column) garfield. 4 maryland delegates , 1 delegate each mississippi , north carolina switched vote garfield, bringing total 50.

blaine saw chances winning nomination slipping, commenting visitor trying keep blaine in race not necessary have wasted card upon falling market, meaning guest had presented calling card in order see blaine meeting not productive. blaine felt suitable candidate james garfield. garfield close friend, , felt supporting garfield, defeat grant , conkling , possibly receive appointment in garfield s administration. likewise, sherman listened advice colleagues , decided shift support garfield, save republican party. both candidates told supporters support garfield s nomination.

on thirty-sixth ballot, garfield won republican nomination after receiving 399 votes, 93 higher grant s total. blaine finished 42, washburne had 5, john sherman had 3, , remaining split amongst other minor candidates. garfield overwhelmed emotion after winning nomination inter ocean reporter noted looked pale death, , seemed half-unconsciously receive congratulations of friends. convention in mad frenzy thousands of people chanted garfield, , later joined in singing of battle cry of freedom. grant followers, roscoe conkling, looked on glum faces , made no effort conceal disappointment. conkling took great pride in 306 delegates had supported grant throughout entire balloting. grant supporters, conkling formed 3 hundred , 6 guard society. society held annual dinners, , drew commemorative coin inscription, old guard .

afterwards, chairman hoar banged gavel , announced, james a. garfield, of ohio, nominated president of united states. garfield wrote letter wife stating if results meet approval, shall content [with nomination]. garfield s wife, lucretia, thrilled husband s nomination , gave approval. (garfield subsequently resigned senate seat had been elected term beginning in 1881, , ohio legislature elected sherman.)

garfield , ohio delegation desired new york stalwart garfield s vice presidential running mate, partly placate conkling, , partly balance ticket geographically. levi p. morton declined after consulting conkling, still unhappy on grant s loss , advised morton not accept. nomination offered chester a. arthur, had close stalwart ties conkling, had impressed delegates work broker compromise on selection of convention chairman. conkling tried talk arthur out of accepting, arthur insisted would, calling vice presidency greater honor ever dreamed of attaining. arthur won nomination after received 468 votes, next 193 elihu washburne, , 44 third major candidate, marshall jewell. former governor edmund j. davis of texas , several others nominated, received little support. after convention chairman hoar banged gavel @ 7:25 p.m. on june 8, longest ever republican national convention adjourned.

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