1912 Democratic National Convention

American presidential nominating convention February 2026 August 2017 1912 Democratic Woodrow Wilson-H&E (3x4 A).jpg Thomas Riley Marshall headshot (3x4 b).jpg Nominees Wilson and Marshall June 25 – July 2, 1912 Fifth Regiment Armory Baltimore, Maryland Woodrow Wilson New Jersey Thomas R. Marshall Indiana 1908 1916 Ollie Murray James of Kentucky Alton B. Parker of New York thumb|Convention in-session thumb|Armory decorated for the convention thumb|Delegates assembled on the convention floor thumb|Scene outside the convention hall thumb|right|Attendees and delegates entering the convention hall The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. It proved to be one of the more memorable United States presidential conventions of the 20th century.September 2017 1904 presidential nominee Judge Alton B. Parker of New York served as the temporary chairman and keynote speaker.Temporary Chairman Democratic Convention https://www.newspapers.com/image/181113532/ Newspapers.com subscription The Minneapolis Morning Tribune July 17, 2026 1 June 26, 1912 Representative Ollie M. James of Kentucky served as permanent convention chairman. 2026, this is the last major party convention to be held in Baltimore.Haynes By Stan M. When Baltimore was convention central https://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/06/25/when-baltimore-was-convention-central/ baltimoresun.com Baltimore Sun 6 August 2020 5 August 2020 Presidential candidates thumb|Urey Woodson, Roger Charles Sullivan, Norman E. Mack, Edwin Orin Wood, and Robert Crain at the convention Withdrew during balloting Declined thumb|Joel Bennett Clark at the convention. His father, Champ Clark, initially appeared to be the frontrunner for the nomination. thumb|William Jennings Bryan attending the convention. Bryan's speech against Champ Clark and endorsement of Woodrow Wilson would ultimately affect the outcome of the nomination. The main candidates were House Speaker Champ Clark of Missouri and Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey. Both Clark and Wilson had won a number of primaries, and Clark entered the convention with more pledged delegates than did Wilson. However, he lacked the two-thirds vote necessary to secure the presidential nomination. Initially, the front runner appeared to be Clark, who received 440¼ votes on the first ballot to 324 for Wilson. Governor Judson Harmon of Ohio received 148 votes while U.S. Representative Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, received 117¼ with the rest of the votes scattered among the other delegates. No candidate managed to gain a majority until the ninth ballot, when the New York delegation shifted its allegiance to Clark. Due to the then-official two-thirds rule used by the Democratic Party, Clark was never able to secure the presidential nomination as he failed to get the necessary two-thirds vote for victory. C. Vann Woodward stated that the 1912 Democratic nomination was "the first in half a century in which the South played a conspicuous and perhaps even decisive part". Earl Black and Merle Black stated that Underwood was the first southerner following the Civil War to seriously seek the Democratic nomination. Clark was able to gain a majority of the delegate vote, but lacked support in the south which prevented him from passing the two-thirds requirement.Black Black 1992 85-86 In past conventions, once a candidate received a majority of the votes, it would start a bandwagon rolling to the nomination. Clark's chances were hurt when Tammany Hall, the powerful and corrupt Democratic political machine in New York City, threw its support behind him. This was the move that gave Clark a majority on the ninth ballot, but instead of propelling Clark's bandwagon towards victory, the endorsement led William Jennings Bryan to turn against the Speaker of the House. A three-time Democratic presidential candidate and still the leader of the party's liberals, Bryan delivered a speech denouncing Clark as the candidate of "Wall Street". Up until the Tammany endorsement, Bryan had remained neutral, but once the corrupt machine put itself behind Clark, he threw his support to New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, who was regarded as a moderate reformer. Additionally Illinois Democratic Boss, Roger Charles Sullivan and Indiana Democratic Boss Thomas Taggart made a deal with a member of Wilson's campaign. In exchange for having Thomas R. Marshall be Wilson's running mate, Illinois and Indiana would put their support behind Wilson.Roger C. Sullivan and the Triumph of the Chicago Democratic Machine, 1908-1920 p.82-101 Before these events, Wilson had consistently finished second to Clark on each ballot, Ironically, Wilson had nearly given up hope that he could be nominated, and he was on the verge of having a concession speech read for him at the convention freeing his delegates to vote for someone else. After receiving the support of Bryan, Sullivan, and Taggart, Wilson gradually gained in strength while Clark's support dwindled. Wilson received the presidential nomination on the 46th ballot. Presidential balloting The 46 ballots were the most cast at a convention since 1860. (1-22)Presidential Ballot1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23rd 24thWilson 324339.75345349.5351354352.5351.5352.5350.5354.5354356361362.5362.5362.5361358388.5395.5396.5399402.5Clark 440.5446.5441443443445449.5448.5452556554547.5554.5553552551545535532512508500.5497.5496Harmon 148141140.5136.5141.5135129.5130127312929292929292929292929000 Underwood 117.5111.25114.5112119.5121123.5123122.5117.5118.5123115.5111110.5112.5112.5125130121.5118.5115114.5115.5Foss 000000000000200000125434543 T. Marshall 313131313131313131313030303030303030303030303030 Baldwin 2214141400000000000000000000W.J. Bryan 121001111111122111711111 Kern 00122111111102224.53.5111100 James 000000010000000000030000 Sulzer 220000000000000000000000Gaynor 000000011000000000000110 Lewis 000000000000000000000000Blank 20.50000000002.500003.53.5000000 (25–46) Presidential Ballot25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd 33rd 34th 35th 36th 37th 38th 39th 40th 41st 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 46th UnanimousWilson 405407.5406.5437.5436460475.5477.5477.5479.5494.5496.5496.5498.5501.5501.5499.54946026296339901,088Clark 469463.5469468.5468.5455446.5446.5447.5447.5433.5434.5432.542542242342443032930630684Harmon 29292929291917142929292929292928272728272512Underwood 108112.5112112.5112121.5116.5119.5103.5101.5101.598.5100.510610610610610498.599970Foss 4343383838303028282828282828282828282727270T. Marshall 3030300000000000000000000Baldwin 0000000000000000000000W.J. Bryan 111100000000000010.51000Kern 0001422222111111111000James 3000000000000000010000Sulzer 0000000000000000000000Gaynor 0000000000000000110000Lewis 0000000000000000010000Blank 01.52.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.50.51.5002 Presidential balloting / 3rd day of Convention (June 27) Presidential balloting / 4th day of Convention (June 28) Presidential balloting / 5th day of Convention (June 29) Presidential balloting / 6th day of Convention (July 1) Presidential balloting / 7th day of Convention (July 2) Vice presidential candidates Withdrew during balloting Declined Clark and Bryan were both proposed as vice presidential nominees, but both declined, with Clark preferring to remain as Speaker and Bryan fearful of overshadowing Wilson.Woodrow Wilson is Nominated for President; Gov. Marshall of Indiana for Vice President https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/120703convention-dem-ra.html October 8, 2015 New York Times July 3, 1912 Bryan instead proposed Oregon Senator George E. Chamberlain and North Dakota Governor John Burke, the latter of whom became the main progressive candidate. Governor Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana, who had swung his state's delegate votes to Wilson in later ballots, became the major candidate of conservatives. After the second ballot, Representative William Hughes, a leading campaign manager of Wilson's, successfully proposed making the nomination of Marshall unanimous. Wilson and Marshall went on to win the 1912 presidential election against a split Republican Party. thumb|Thomas R. Marshall speaks to a crowd at a notification ceremony in Indianapolis after receiving news of his nomination Vice Presidential BallotingCandidate1st2ndUnanimousMarshall389644.501,088 Burke304.67386.33Chamberlain15712.50Hurst780Preston580Wade260McCombs180Osborne80Sulzer30Not Voting46.3344.67Not Represented666 Vice presidential balloting / 7th day of Convention (July 2, 1912) Delegates John D. Harkless, commonly known as J. D. Harkless, was the first African American delegate to a Democratic National Convention.Luke Bob https://books.google.com/books?id=wdnKDwAAQBAJ&dq=J+D+Harkless&pg=PA94 Bromo-Seltzer King: The Opulent Life of Captain Isaac "Ike" Emerson, 1859-1931 January 17, 2020 McFarland 9781476636870 Google BooksGauer Neil A. 1982-06-27 Ah, what a grand do was the 1912 convention https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-ah-what-a-grand-do-wa/137239250/ 2023-12-22 The Baltimore Sun 110 Newspapers.com He was from Denver and an alternate delegate to the Democratic Party National Convention of 1912 in Baltimore, Maryland, that advanced Woodrow Wilson, then governor of New Jersey, to be the party's nominee.1912-07-25 Negro Alternate Never Returned From Baltimore https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-fort-collins-express-and-the-fort-co/137238997/ 2023-12-22 The Fort Collins Express and The Fort Collins Review 2July 4, 1912 Colored Alternate Delegate https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-new-york-age-colored-alternate-deleg/172507914/ 2025-05-16 The New York Age 8 He was vice president of the National Negro Educational Congress.1910-12-10 National Negro Education Congress 9 Franklin's Paper the Statesman https://www.newspapers.com/article/franklins-paper-the-statesman-national/137241140/ 2023-12-22 J. Milton Waldron and Harkless wrote The Political Situation in a Nut-shell; Some Un-colored Truths for Colored Voters published in 1912. It was anti-Republican.https://books.google.com/books?id=rTK1N6owT1YC&dq=%22The+Political+Situation+in+a+Nut-shell%22;+Some+Un-colored+Truths+for+Colored+Voters+%C2%A0Waldron+and+Harkless+1912&pg=PA489 Origins of the New South, 1877–1913: A History of the South 978-0-8071-0019-6 Vann Woodward C. August 1981 LSU Press Anna Pitzer was the only female delegate and also represented Colorado. She was the sister-in-law of Champ Clark, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives who was a candidate for the nomination.1912 United States Congressional Serial Set, Issue 6178 https://books.google.com/books?id=xtdGAQAAIAAJ&dq=anna+pitzer+colorado&pg=PA19 U.S. Government Printing Office References in popular culture The primary battles leading up to the 1912 Democratic Convention are a pivotal event in Taylor Caldwell's 1972 novel Captains and the Kings. In the novel, the fictional Irish-Catholic Rory Daniel Armagh, a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, emerges as the front-runner for the 1912 Democratic presidential nomination after beating Woodrow Wilson in multiple primaries. (Unlike in real life, Champ Clark is not a factor in the novel.) Armagh is assassinated as part of a conspiracy of international power brokers before the convention. Scenes of the convention are depicted in the 1944 biographical film Wilson. See also 1912 Democratic Party presidential primaries History of the Democratic Party (United States) 1912 Republican National Convention 1912 United States presidential election Democratic National Convention References Works cited Black Earl Earl Black (political scientist) Black Merle Merle Black The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected Harvard University Press 1992 https://archive.org/details/vitalsouthhowpre0000blac 0674941306 Bibliography Official report of the proceedings of the Democratic national convention, held in Baltimore, Maryland, June 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and July 1 and 2, 1912 William Jennings Bryan, Virgil V. McNitt. A Tale of Two Conventions. Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1912. External links Democratic Party Platform of 1912 at The American Presidency Project Democratic National Conventions 1908Denver, Colorado 1916St. Louis, Missouri 1912 Democratic Category:1912 in Maryland Category:1910s in Baltimore Category:United States presidential nominating conventions in Baltimore Category:Maryland Democratic Party Category:Democratic National Conventions Category:June 1912 in the United States Category:July 1912 in the United States Category:Tammany Hall