The 1928 Democratic National Convention was held at Sam Houston Hall in Houston, Texas, June 26–28, 1928. The keynote speaker was Claude G. Bowers. The convention[1] resulted in the nomination of Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York for president and Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas for vice president.
1928 presidential election | |
![]() ![]() Nominees Smith and Robinson | |
Convention | |
---|---|
Date(s) | June 26–28, 1928 |
City | Houston, Texas |
Venue | Sam Houston Hall |
Candidates | |
Presidential nominee | Alfred E. Smith of New York |
Vice presidential nominee | Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/1928_DNC_IMG_8470.jpg/220px-1928_DNC_IMG_8470.jpg)
The convention was the first held by either party in the South since the Civil War. It was also the first to nominate a Roman Catholic for president, Al Smith. The Texas delegation, led by Governor Dan Moody, was vehemently opposed to Smith. Therefore, when Smith was nominated, they rallied against his anti-prohibition sentiment by fighting for a "dry", prohibitionist platform. Ultimately, the convention pledged "honest enforcement of the Constitution".
Smith became the first Democrat since Reconstruction to lose more than one southern state in the general election, due to his "wet" stance, his opposition to the Ku Klux Klan[citation needed], and his Catholicism.
The election was held in very hot summer weather in a venue without air conditioning.[2]
Presidential nomination
editPresidential candidates
editOther candidates for the nomination possibly included:
- James T. Heflin, U.S. senator from Alabama
- William G. McAdoo, former Treasury Secretary from California
- Edwin T. Meredith, former Agriculture Secretary from Indiana
- Henry T. Rainey, U.S. representative from Illinois
- Thomas J. Walsh, U.S. senator from Montana
Presidential Balloting | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | 1st (Before Shifts) | 1st (After Shifts) |
Smith | 724.67 | 849.67 |
Hull | 71.83 | 50.83 |
George | 52.50 | 52.50 |
Reed | 48 | 52 |
Pomerene | 47 | 3 |
Jones | 43 | 43 |
Woollen | 32 | 7 |
Harrison | 20 | 8.50 |
Ayres | 20 | 3 |
Watts | 18 | 18 |
Hitchcock | 16 | 2 |
Donahey | 5 | 5 |
Thompson | 2 | 2 |
Bilbo | 0 | 1 |
Not Voting | 0 | 2.50 |
Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 28, 1928)
-
1st Presidential Ballot (Before Shifts)
-
1st Presidential Ballot (After Shifts)
Vice presidential nomination
editVice presidential candidates
editJoseph T. Robinson was chosen as the vice presidential nominee.
Other candidates for the nomination possibly included:
- Gilbert Hitchcock, former senator from Nebraska[3]
- Joseph Reed, senator from Missouri[3]
- Atlee Pomerene former senator from Ohio[3]
- Cordell Hull, Congressman from Tennessee[3]
- John H. Taylor
Vice Presidential Balloting | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | 1st (Before Shifts) | 1st (After Shifts) |
Robinson | 914.17 | 1,035.17 |
Barkley | 77 | 9 |
Ross | 33 | 2 |
Allen | 28 | 21 |
Berry | 17.50 | 11.50 |
Moody | 9.33 | 9.33 |
Fletcher | 7 | 7 |
Taylor | 6 | 0 |
Stevenson | 4 | 2 |
Woollen | 2 | 2 |
Tumulty | 1 | 0 |
Not Voting | 1 | 1 |
Vice Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 28, 1928)
-
1st Vice Presidential Ballot (Before Shifts)
-
1st Vice Presidential Ballot (After Shifts)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The 1928 Democratic Convention". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Jack Z. (November 11, 1982). "Democrats looking Wet for 1984 convention site". Newspapers.com. Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- ^ a b c d Warn, WA (June 29, 1928). "Smith Wins Nomination on First Ballot With 849 2/3 Votes After States Shift to Him; Platform With a Dry Plank Is Adopted". New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
External links
edit- Governor Moody and the "Dry" Platform
- Democratic Party Platform of 1928 at The American Presidency Project
- Smith Nomination Acceptance Speech for President at DNC (transcript) at The American Presidency Project
Preceded by 1924 New York, New York |
Democratic National Conventions | Succeeded by 1932 Chicago, Illinois |