The convention also adopted a platform opposed to the accession of the United States to the League of Nations.[1] The plank was carefully drawn up by Henry Cabot Lodge to appease opponents of the League such as Johnson, while still allowing eventual American entry into the League.[2]
At the start of the convention, the race was wide open.[4] General Leonard Wood, Illinois Governor Frank Lowden, and California Senator Hiram Johnson were considered the three most likely nominees.[5] Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding had been a front-runner, but his star had faded by the time of the convention.[5] Many expected a dark horse to be chosen, such as Pennsylvania Governor William Cameron Sproul, Pennsylvania Senator Philander C. Knox, Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen, Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, or 1916 nominee Charles Evans Hughes.[4] Sproul in particular had been gaining momentum at the expense of Lowden, the candidate of the conservative wing of the party.[5] The issue of joining the League of Nations took center stage at the convention, with some speculating that Johnson would bolt the party if the platform endorsed the League.[5] The convention adjourned for the night after four ballots produced no clear leader, and many states stuck to favorite-son candidates.[6]
As the balloting continued the next day, Wood, Lowden, and Johnson remained in the lead, and party leaders worked to find a candidate acceptable to both the progressive and conservative wings of the party.[7] Conservatives strongly opposed Wood, while Lowden was opposed by the progressive wing of the party.[7] Harding emerged as a moderately conservative candidate acceptable to the progressive wing of the party, and as the convention remained deadlocked, Harding emerged as a strong compromise candidate.[7] After the eighth ballot, the convention recessed. During the recess, Harding's managers lobbied Lowden's supporters and others to support Harding.[7] Harding was also helped by the fact that the Democrats might nominate James M. Cox of Ohio, and Republicans did not want to give the Democrats a home state advantage in electorally critical Ohio.[8]
Harding jumped into the lead on the ninth ballot, and clinched the nomination on the tenth ballot. Many thought that Johnson could have stopped the Harding movement by throwing his support behind Knox, who could have displaced Harding as the compromise candidate. Johnson disliked Harding's policies and disliked Harding personally, and was friends with Knox. However, Johnson never released his supporters, and Harding took the nomination.[7][8]
At the time Harding's nomination was said to have been secured in negotiations led by party bosses George Harvey and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in a mysterious "smoke-filled room" at Chicago's Blackstone Hotel." Legend says Harry M. Daugherty, Harding's political manager was the mastermind. After Harding's election he became United States Attorney General. On February 11, 1920, long before the convention, Daugherty predicted:
I don't expect Senator Harding to be nominated on the first, second, or third ballots, but I think we can afford to take chances that about 11 minutes after two, Friday morning of the convention, when 15 or 12 weary men are sitting around a table, someone will say: 'Who will we nominate?' At that decisive time, the friends of Harding will suggest him and we can well afford to abide by the result."[9]
Daugherty's prediction described essentially what occurred, but historians argue that Daugherty's prediction has been given too much weight in narratives of the convention.[10] The "smoke filled room" was actually a suite rented by National Chairman Will H. Hays. For six hours the leaders considered numerous alternatives, including Wood, Lowden, and Johnson. However, there were objections to all of them. Headlines in the next morning newspapers suggested intrigue. Historian Wesley M. Bagby argues, "Various groups actually worked along separate lines to bring about the nomination - without combination and with very little contact." Bagby finds that the key factor in Harding's nomination was his wide popularity among the rank and file of the delegates.[11]
Vice Presidential nomination
Before Harding was nominated, Johnson, Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen, Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge, Wisconsin Senator Irvine Lenroot, Kentucky Governor Edwin P. Morrow, and Harding himself were all seen as possible vice presidential nominees.[7] Once the presidential nomination was finally settled, Harding and the party bosses asked Johnson to join the ticket as a progressive balance to Harding.[12] When Johnson turned down the offer, they approached Lenroot, who accepted.[12] However, when Illinois Senator Medill McCormick stood up to nominate Lenroot, several delegates began to shout for Coolidge.[12] Though initially he had only been nominated after the refusal of Senator Lodge (another Massachusetts man), a groundswell of support built up for Coolidge, who won the nomination over Lenroot; historian Donald R. McCoy called it the first time since the 1880 nomination of James Garfield that "the delegates had taken control of a Republican convention".[13] Coolidge, who was not at the convention during the vice presidential nomination, agreed to join the ticket.[12]
^"Platform Adopted With Anti-Wilson League Plank; 'My Victory,' Says Johnson; Balloting Starts Today; Wood Men Claim the Lead; Midnight Move for Lowden". New York Times. 11 June 1920. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^Miller, Karen A.J. (1999). Populist Nationalism: Republican Insurgency and American Foreign Policy Making, 1918-1925. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 87–89. ISBN9780313307768. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^ ab"Platform Fights Starts as the Convention Opens; Johnson Flatly Demands Repudiation of the League; Apathy in the Convention; Lodge Permanent Chairman". New York Times. 9 June 1920. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^ abcd"Text of the Republican Platform, Except League Plank; Dispute Over That, and Threat of a Bolt by Borah; Wood Men See Gains; New Yorkers Balk at Butler Pledge". New York Times. 10 June 1920. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^"Four Ballots, No Nomination, Wood Leads; Has 314 1/2 Votes, Lowden 289 and Johnson 140 1/2; Midnight Conferences Brings No Results". New York Times. 12 June 1920. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
^ abcdef"Harding Nominated for President on the Tenth Ballot at Chicago; Coolidge Chosen for Vice President". New York Times. 13 June 1920. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
1920, republican, national, convention, nominated, ohio, senator, warren, harding, president, massachusetts, governor, calvin, coolidge, vice, president, convention, held, chicago, illinois, chicago, coliseum, from, june, june, 1920, with, delegates, under, co. The 1920 Republican National Convention nominated Ohio Senator Warren G Harding for president and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for vice president The convention was held in Chicago Illinois at the Chicago Coliseum from June 8 to June 12 1920 with 940 delegates Under convention rules a majority plus one or at least 471 of the 940 delegates was necessary for a nomination 1920 Republican National Convention1920 presidential electionNomineesHarding and CoolidgeConventionDate s June 8 12 1920CityChicago IllinoisVenueChicago ColiseumCandidatesPresidential nomineeWarren G Hardingof OhioVice presidential nomineeCalvin Coolidgeof MassachusettsVotingTotal delegates940Votes needed for nomination471Ballots10 1916 1924 Inside the convention hall Delegates gathered on the convention floor After being nominated Harding delivers an acceptance speech from the front porch of his home Many Republicans sought the presidential nomination including General Leonard Wood Illinois Governor Frank Lowden and California Senator Hiram Johnson Dark horse Harding however was nominated Many wanted to nominate Wisconsin Senator Irvine L Lenroot for vice president but Coolidge was nominated instead because he was known for his response to the Boston Police Strike in 1919 The convention also adopted a platform opposed to the accession of the United States to the League of Nations 1 The plank was carefully drawn up by Henry Cabot Lodge to appease opponents of the League such as Johnson while still allowing eventual American entry into the League 2 Contents 1 Presidential nomination 1 1 Convention candidates 1 2 Withdrew during balloting 1 3 Potential or declined candidates 1 4 Convention 1 5 The smoke filled room 2 Vice Presidential nomination 3 See also 4 References 4 1 Bibliography 5 External linksPresidential nomination EditConvention candidates Edit SenatorWarren G Hardingof Ohio Major GeneralLeonard Woodof New Hampshire GovernorFrank Orren Lowdenof Illinois SenatorHiram Johnsonof California SenatorMiles Poindexterof Washington Columbia University PresidentNicholas Murray Butlerof New York GovernorCalvin Coolidgeof Massachusetts SenatorRobert M La Folletteof WisconsinWithdrew during balloting Edit Circuit JudgeJeter Pritchardof North Carolina SenatorHoward Sutherlandof West Virginia GovernorWilliam C Sproulof PennsylvaniaPotential or declined candidates Edit Henry Cabot Lodge U S senator from Massachusetts declined to run Henry Justin Allen Governor of Kansas Albert J Beveridge former U S senator from Indiana William Borah U S senator from Idaho Omar Bundy General from Indiana T Coleman du Pont businessman from Delaware Will H Hays chairman of the Republican National Committee Charles Evans Hughes former U S Supreme Court Justice former Governor of New York 1916 Republican candidate for President declined to run Myron Herrick former Governor of Ohio Frank B Kellogg U S senator from Minnesota Philander C Knox U S senator from Pennsylvania Irvine Lenroot U S senator from Wisconsin Edwin P Morrow Governor of Kentucky John J Pershing General of the Armies from Missouri William Howard Taft former President of the United States James E Watson U S senator from Indiana Frank B Willis former Governor of Ohio 3 Convention Edit At the start of the convention the race was wide open 4 General Leonard Wood Illinois Governor Frank Lowden and California Senator Hiram Johnson were considered the three most likely nominees 5 Ohio Senator Warren G Harding had been a front runner but his star had faded by the time of the convention 5 Many expected a dark horse to be chosen such as Pennsylvania Governor William Cameron Sproul Pennsylvania Senator Philander C Knox Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge or 1916 nominee Charles Evans Hughes 4 Sproul in particular had been gaining momentum at the expense of Lowden the candidate of the conservative wing of the party 5 The issue of joining the League of Nations took center stage at the convention with some speculating that Johnson would bolt the party if the platform endorsed the League 5 The convention adjourned for the night after four ballots produced no clear leader and many states stuck to favorite son candidates 6 As the balloting continued the next day Wood Lowden and Johnson remained in the lead and party leaders worked to find a candidate acceptable to both the progressive and conservative wings of the party 7 Conservatives strongly opposed Wood while Lowden was opposed by the progressive wing of the party 7 Harding emerged as a moderately conservative candidate acceptable to the progressive wing of the party and as the convention remained deadlocked Harding emerged as a strong compromise candidate 7 After the eighth ballot the convention recessed During the recess Harding s managers lobbied Lowden s supporters and others to support Harding 7 Harding was also helped by the fact that the Democrats might nominate James M Cox of Ohio and Republicans did not want to give the Democrats a home state advantage in electorally critical Ohio 8 Harding jumped into the lead on the ninth ballot and clinched the nomination on the tenth ballot Many thought that Johnson could have stopped the Harding movement by throwing his support behind Knox who could have displaced Harding as the compromise candidate Johnson disliked Harding s policies and disliked Harding personally and was friends with Knox However Johnson never released his supporters and Harding took the nomination 7 8 1920 Republican presidential ballotingBallot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 a 10 b Harding 65 5 59 0 58 5 61 5 78 0 89 0 105 0 133 0 374 5 644 7 692 2Wood 287 5 289 5 303 0 314 5 299 0 311 5 312 0 299 0 249 0 181 5 156 0Lowden 211 5 259 5 282 5 289 0 303 0 311 5 311 5 307 0 121 5 28 0 11 0H Johnson 133 5 146 0 148 0 140 5 133 5 110 0 99 5 87 0 82 0 80 8 80 8Sproul 84 0 78 5 79 5 79 5 82 5 77 0 76 0 76 0 78 0 0 0N M Butler 69 5 41 0 25 0 20 0 4 0 4 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0Coolidge 34 0 32 0 27 0 25 0 29 0 28 0 28 0 30 0 28 0 5 0 5 0La Follette 24 0 24 0 24 0 22 0 24 0 24 0 24 0 24 0 24 0 24 0 24 0Pritchard 21 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Poindexter 20 0 15 0 15 0 15 0 15 0 15 0 15 0 15 0 14 0 2 0 0Sutherland 17 0 15 0 9 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Hoover 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 6 0 5 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 10 5 9 5Scattering 11 0 9 0 7 0 9 0 9 0 9 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 5 3 5 before shifts after shifts The smoke filled room Edit At the time Harding s nomination was said to have been secured in negotiations led by party bosses George Harvey and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in a mysterious smoke filled room at Chicago s Blackstone Hotel Legend says Harry M Daugherty Harding s political manager was the mastermind After Harding s election he became United States Attorney General On February 11 1920 long before the convention Daugherty predicted I don t expect Senator Harding to be nominated on the first second or third ballots but I think we can afford to take chances that about 11 minutes after two Friday morning of the convention when 15 or 12 weary men are sitting around a table someone will say Who will we nominate At that decisive time the friends of Harding will suggest him and we can well afford to abide by the result 9 Daugherty s prediction described essentially what occurred but historians argue that Daugherty s prediction has been given too much weight in narratives of the convention 10 The smoke filled room was actually a suite rented by National Chairman Will H Hays For six hours the leaders considered numerous alternatives including Wood Lowden and Johnson However there were objections to all of them Headlines in the next morning newspapers suggested intrigue Historian Wesley M Bagby argues Various groups actually worked along separate lines to bring about the nomination without combination and with very little contact Bagby finds that the key factor in Harding s nomination was his wide popularity among the rank and file of the delegates 11 Vice Presidential nomination EditBefore Harding was nominated Johnson Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge Wisconsin Senator Irvine Lenroot Kentucky Governor Edwin P Morrow and Harding himself were all seen as possible vice presidential nominees 7 Once the presidential nomination was finally settled Harding and the party bosses asked Johnson to join the ticket as a progressive balance to Harding 12 When Johnson turned down the offer they approached Lenroot who accepted 12 However when Illinois Senator Medill McCormick stood up to nominate Lenroot several delegates began to shout for Coolidge 12 Though initially he had only been nominated after the refusal of Senator Lodge another Massachusetts man a groundswell of support built up for Coolidge who won the nomination over Lenroot historian Donald R McCoy called it the first time since the 1880 nomination of James Garfield that the delegates had taken control of a Republican convention 13 Coolidge who was not at the convention during the vice presidential nomination agreed to join the ticket 12 Vice Presidential Balloting RNC 1920 14 Coolidge 674 5Lenroot 146 5Allen 68 5Anderson 28Gronna 24H Johnson 22 5Pritchard 11Abstaining 9See also Edit1920 Democratic National Convention 1920 United States presidential election History of the United States Republican Party List of Republican National Conventions Margaret Hill McCarter Republican Party presidential primaries 1920 U S presidential nomination conventionReferences Edit Platform Adopted With Anti Wilson League Plank My Victory Says Johnson Balloting Starts Today Wood Men Claim the Lead Midnight Move for Lowden New York Times 11 June 1920 Retrieved 9 October 2015 Miller Karen A J 1999 Populist Nationalism Republican Insurgency and American Foreign Policy Making 1918 1925 Greenwood Publishing Group pp 87 89 ISBN 9780313307768 Retrieved 9 October 2015 https chicagotribune newspapers com image 355017021 Chicago Tribune June 8 1920 a b Platform Fights Starts as the Convention Opens Johnson Flatly Demands Repudiation of the League Apathy in the Convention Lodge Permanent Chairman New York Times 9 June 1920 Retrieved 9 October 2015 a b c d Text of the Republican Platform Except League Plank Dispute Over That and Threat of a Bolt by Borah Wood Men See Gains New Yorkers Balk at Butler Pledge New York Times 10 June 1920 Retrieved 9 October 2015 Four Ballots No Nomination Wood Leads Has 314 1 2 Votes Lowden 289 and Johnson 140 1 2 Midnight Conferences Brings No Results New York Times 12 June 1920 Retrieved 9 October 2015 a b c d e f Harding Nominated for President on the Tenth Ballot at Chicago Coolidge Chosen for Vice President New York Times 13 June 1920 Retrieved 9 October 2015 a b Miller pp 90 91 A slightly different version appears in Andrew Sinclair The available man the life behind the masks of Warren Gamaliel Harding 1965 p 136 Richard C Bain and Judith H Parris Convention decisions and voting records Brookings Institution 1973 Wesley M Bagby The Smoke Filled Room and the Nomination of Warren G Harding Mississippi Valley Historical Review 41 4 1955 657 674 online a b c d Calvin Coolidge 29th Vice President 1921 1923 US Senate US Senate Retrieved 9 October 2015 McCoy Donald R 1967 Calvin Coolidge The Quiet President Macmillan pp 118 121 Bain Richard C Parris Judith H 1973 Convention Decisions and Voting Records Brookings Institution pp 200 208 Bibliography Edit Official Report of the Proceedings of the Seventeenth Republican National Convention Held in Chicago Illinois June 8 9 10 11 and 12 1920External links EditRepublican Party platform of 1920 at The American Presidency Project Harding acceptance speech at The American Presidency ProjectPreceded by1916Chicago Illinois Republican National Conventions Succeeded by1924Cleveland Ohio Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1920 Republican National Convention amp oldid 1136010601, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
