1916 Republican National Convention

American political convention February 2026 January 2025 1916 Republican Governor_Charles_Evans_Hughes.jpg CWFairbanks.jpg 98 Nominees Hughes and Fairbanks June 7–10, 1916 Chicago Coliseum"Republicans to Meet in Historic Hall," The New York Times, May 30, 1920 Chicago, Illinois Charles Evans Hughes of New York Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana 1912 1920 3 987 494 thumb|right|200px|Film of the convention The 1916 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago from June 7 to June 10. A major goal of the party's bosses at the convention was to heal the bitter split within the party that had occurred in the 1912 presidential campaign. In that year, Theodore Roosevelt bolted the GOP and formed his own political party, the Progressive Party, which contained most of the GOP's liberals. William Howard Taft, the incumbent president, won the nomination of the regular Republican Party. This split in the GOP ranks divided the Republican vote and led to the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson. Although several candidates were openly competing for the 1916 nomination—most prominently conservative Senator Elihu Root of New York, Senator John W. Weeks of Massachusetts, and liberal Senator Albert Cummins of Iowa—the party's bosses wanted a moderate who would be acceptable to all factions of the party. They turned to Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes, who had served on the court since 1910 and thus had the advantage of not having publicly spoken about political issues in six years. Although he had not sought the nomination, Hughes made it known that he would not turn it down; he won the presidential nomination on the third ballot. Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks was nominated as his running mate. Hughes is the only Supreme Court Justice to be nominated for president by a major political party. Fairbanks is the last former vice president to be nominated for vice president. Then-Senator Warren G. Harding is credited with coining the phrase "Founding Fathers" during his keynote address. Presidential nomination Presidential candidates thumb|right|Coliseum set-up for the convention thumb|Republican Convention, The Coliseum, Chicago At the start, Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes was widely seen as the favorite due to his ability to unite the party, though the nomination of a dark horse candidate such as Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge or General Leonard Wood seemed possible.Hughes Movement Gains Strength With No Dark Horse Yet In Sight; Dickering With Moose Fruitless https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/160607convention-gop-ra.html 9 October 2015 New York Times 7 June 1916 Many Republicans sought to nominate a candidate palatable to Theodore Roosevelt in hopes of averting another third-party run by progressive Republicans, though these Republicans were unwilling to nominate Roosevelt himself. Roosevelt's influence put a stop to the potential presidential candidacies of former Ohio Senator Theodore E. Burton and current Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding. Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks made a run at the presidency and attempted to curry Roosevelt's support, but Roosevelt refused to support Fairbanks.Hughes Accepts Republican Nomination for President; Declares for Upholding American Rights on Land and Sea; Roosevelt, Named by Moose, Declines; He's 'Out of Politics' https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/160611convention-gop-ra.html 9 October 2015 New York Times 11 June 1912 Hughes won the nomination on the third ballot, and Roosevelt chose to forgo a third-party bid. Presidential Ballothttps://archive.org/details/officialreportp00illgoog Official Report of the Proceedings of the Sixteenth Republican National Convention: Held in Chicago, Illinois, June 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1916, Resulting in the Nomination of Charles Evans Hughes, of New York, for President and the Nomination of Charles Warren Fairbanks, of Indiana, for Vice-president Tenny Press Hart George L 1916 Candidate 1st 2nd 3rd UnanimousHughes253.5328.5949.5987Weeks105793Root10398.50Fairbanks74.588.50Cummins85850Roosevelt658118.5Burton77.576.50Sherman66650Knox36360Ford3200Brumbaugh2900La Follette25253Taft1400du Pont12135Lodge007Wanamaker050Willis410Borah200Harding010McCall110Wood010Not Voting2.521Not Represented4444 Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 9, 1916) Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 10, 1916) Vice Presidential nomination Vice Presidential candidates Former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks had no interest in serving another term as vice president, but when the party nominated him, he accepted the nomination.Charles Warren Fairbanks, 26th Vice President (1905-1909) https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP_Charles_Fairbanks.htm US Senate 9 October 2015 Vice Presidential Ballot Candidate 1st UnanimousFairbanks863987Burkett108Borah8Webster2Burton1Johnson1Not Voting4Not Represented44 Vice Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 10, 1916) Coinciding women's suffrage conventions in Chicago Coinciding with the Republican convention, both the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage and the National American Woman Suffrage Association held conventions in Chicago.Auditorium Building, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois (U.S. National Park Service) https://www.nps.gov/places/auditorium-roosevelt-u-il.htm www.nps.gov National Park Service 2 February 2022 en The Congressional Union, at their convention in the Auditorium Theatre, promoted the so-called "Susan B. Anthony Amendment", later ratified as the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.Colón Ambar Auditorium Theatre to restore original Sullivan and Adler elements, including stained glass atrium https://chicago.suntimes.com/theater/2025/11/10/chicago-auditorium-theatre-restoration-sullivan-adler-atrium-historic Chicago Sun-Times November 11, 2025 en November 10, 2025 The Congressional Union also created the National Woman's Party at their event. A History of the American Suffragist Movement Weatherford Doris The Moschovitis Group 1998 1576070654 Santa Barbara 197–205 registration https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000weat/page/197 See also History of the United States Republican Party List of Republican National Conventions United States presidential nominating convention 1916 Republican Party presidential primaries 1916 United States presidential election 1916 Democratic National Convention References 30em Bibliography Official Report of the Proceedings of the Sixteenth Republican National Convention Held in Chicago, Illinois, June 7, 8, 9, and 10, 1916 External links Republican Party platform of 1916 at The American Presidency Project http://politicalgraveyard.com/parties/R/1916/index.html 1912Chicago, Illinois Republican National Conventions 1920Chicago, Illinois Category:Republican National Conventions Republican Category:United States presidential nominating conventions in Chicago Category:1916 in Illinois Category:June 1916 in the United States Category:1910s in Chicago Category:Events at Chicago Coliseum Category:Charles W. Fairbanks Category:Theodore Roosevelt Category:Robert M. La Follette Category:Warren G. Harding Category:William Borah