1896 Democratic National Convention

U.S. political event held in Chicago, Illinois February 2026 January 2025 1896 Democratic William Jennings Bryan oval.png 98 ArthurSewall.png 98 Nominees Bryan and Sewall July 7–11, 1896 Chicago Coliseum Chicago, Illinois William J. Bryan Nebraska Arthur Sewall Maine 1892 1900 thumb|300px|The convention was held at the Chicago Coliseum thumb|300px|Seating arrangement for delegates at the convention vertical 300px Inside the convention hall 1896 DNC (2).jpg 1896 DNC (3).jpg The 1896 Democratic National Convention, held at the Chicago Coliseum from July 7 to July 11, was the scene of William Jennings Bryan's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate for the 1896 U.S. presidential election. At age 36, Bryan was the youngest presidential nominee in American history, only one year older than the constitutional minimum. Bryan's keynote "Cross of Gold" address, delivered prior to his nomination, lambasted Eastern monied classes for supporting the gold standard at the expense of the average worker. This was a repudiation of Cleveland administration's policy, but proved popular with the delegates to the convention. Bryan secured the nomination on the fifth ballot over Richard P. Bland. Bryan declined to choose a Democratic vice presidential nominee, leaving the choice to his fellow delegates. Arthur Sewall of Maine was nominated on the fifth ballot. Bryan and Sewall ultimately lost to the Republican candidates, William McKinley and Garret Hobart. Silver in control For three years the nation had been mired in a deep economic depression, marked by low prices, low profits, high unemployment, and violent strikes. Economic issues, especially silver or gold for the money supply, and tariffs, were central. President Grover Cleveland, a Bourbon Democrat was pro-business and a staunch supporter of conservative measures such as the gold standard; he was strongest in the Northeast. Opposed to him were the agrarian and silver factions based in the South and West, which had been empowered after the Panic of 1893.Stanley L. Jones The presidential election of 1896 https://archive.org/details/presidentialelec0000unse_a2u3 registration 1964 U. of Wisconsin Press 212–43 A two-thirds vote was required for the Democratic Party nomination and at the convention the silverites just barely had it despite the extreme regional polarization of the delegates. In a test vote on an anti-silver measure, the Eastern states (from Maryland to Maine), with 28% of the delegates voted 96% for gold. The delegates from the rest of the country voted 91% against gold, so the silverites controlled 67% of the delegates.Walter Dean Burnham, "The System of 1896: An Analysis," in Paul Kleppner et al., The Evolution of American Electoral Systems (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1981), 147—202 at pp 158–60 Bryan moves up Bryan was a talented orator. He gave speeches, organized meetings, and adopted resounding resolutions that eventually culminated in the founding of the American Bimetallic League, which then evolved into the National Bimetallic Union, and finally the National Silver Committee.Paulo E. Coletta, William Jennings Bryan: Volume I, Political Evangelist, 1860–1908, (1964) p. 107. At the time many inflationist farmers believed that by increasing the amount of currency in circulation, the crops they grew would receive higher prices. They were opposed by banks and bond holders who feared inflation, and by urban workers who feared inflation would further erode their purchasing power. The ultimate goal of the League was to garner support on a national level for the reinstatement of the coinage of silver.Paxton Hibben, The Peerless Leader, William Jennings Bryan (1929), 175. With others, he made certain that the Democratic platform reflected the now strengthening spirit of the silverites. With his support, Charles H. Jones, of the St Louis Post-Dispatch, was put on the platform committee and Bryan's plank for free silver was adopted sixteen to one and silently added to the Chicago Democratic Platform, in order to avoid controversy.Hibben, The Peerless Leader, William Jennings Bryan p 184. As a minority member of the resolutions committee, Bryan was able to push the Democratic Party from its laissez-faire and small government roots towards its modern, interventionist character. Through these measures, the public and influential Democrats became convinced of his capacity to lead and bring change, resulting in his being mentioned as a possible chairman for the Chicago convention. Bryan delivered speeches across the country for free silver from 1894 to 1896, building a grass-roots reputation as a powerful champion of the cause. At the 1896 convention, Bryan lambasted Eastern moneyed classes for supporting the gold standard at the expense of the average worker. His "Cross of Gold" speech made him the sensational new face in the Democratic party. At the start of the convention, former Missouri Congressman Richard P. Bland, a strong supporter of bimetallism, was viewed as the favorite. However, Bland was strongly opposed by many in the South, in part because his wife and daughter were Catholics.The Silver Fanatics are Invincible https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/18960707convention-dem-ra.html 8 October 2015 The New York Times 7 June 1896 Some bimetallist supporters tried to draft Republican Senator Henry M. Teller of Colorado, but his candidacy never got off the ground. Several state delegations, mostly from the Northeast, supported the gold standard and refused to take part in the nomination process.Bryan, Free Silver, and Repudiation https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/18960711convention-dem-ra.html 8 October 2015 The New York Times 11 July 1896 Many conservative Democrats looked to former Senator David B. Hill of New York or Governor William Russell of Massachusetts for leadership, but Russell was in poor health and Hill did not gain support for a presidential bid.Weisman Steven R. The Great Tax Wars: Lincoln to Wilson-The Fierce Battles over Money That Transformed the Nation 2002 Simon & Schuster 0-684-85068-0 167–168 registration https://archive.org/details/greattaxwars00weis/page/167 Eight names were placed in nomination: Richard P. Bland, William J. Bryan, Claude Matthews, Horace Boies, Joseph Blackburn, John R. McLean, Robert E. Pattison, and Sylvester Pennoyer. The only major candidate that did support the gold standard was former Pennsylvania Governor Pattison. After five ballots, Bryan triumphed over Bland and Pattison. Bryan was also nominated for president by the Populist Party and the Silver Republican Party. Presidential nomination Presidential candidates Declined Not nominated Balloting Presidential Ballot1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th UNBryan137197219280652930Bland235281291241110Pattison971009797950Blackburn 82 41272700Boies 6737363300McLean 5453544600Matthews 373434 36 0 0 Tillman 1700000Stevenson 6109 880Pennoyer 880000Teller880000Russell200000Hill 111110Campbell 100000Turpie 000010Blank 1781601621611620 Vice Presidential nomination After the selection of Bryan, the convention turned its attention to picking a running mate. Newspaper publisher John Roll McLean of Ohio was viewed as a possible candidate, in part because his fortune could help fund the ticket. Former Representative George F. Williams of Massachusetts, businessman Arthur Sewall of Maine, and former Attorney General Augustus Hill Garland of Arkansas were all mentioned as possible candidates. Eight names were placed in nomination: Arthur Sewall, John R. McLean, Joseph C. Sibley, George F. Williams, Walter Clark, J. Hamilton Lewis, George W. Fithian, and Sylvester Pennoyer."Official proceedings of the Democratic national convention held in Chicago, Ill., July 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th, 1896."; pg. 350 After being placed in nomination, McLean, Sibley, and Fithian made it known to the convention that they were not candidates for the vice presidency. Sewall ultimately received the nomination on the fifth ballot. The Populist Party and the Silver Republican Party also both nominated Bryan for president, but the Populists nominated former Georgia Representative Thomas E. Watson instead of Sewell. Vice Presidential candidates Declined Balloting Vice Presidential Ballot 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th UNSewall1003797261568930McLean111158210298320Bland62294255000Sibley16311350000G.F. Williams761615990 Daniel 110654360Clark 50222246220J. Williams 22130000Harrity 19211911110Blackburn 2000000Boies 2000000Lewis 1100000Pattison 21 1110Fithian 100000Teller 10 0000White 10 0000Blank 2602552552502510 See also History of the United States Democratic Party 1896 United States presidential election 1896 Republican National Convention 1896 National Democratic National Convention –"Gold Democrat" splinter convention 1896 Prohibition National Convention List of Democratic National Conventions U.S. presidential nomination convention William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign, 1896 References 30em Further reading Coletta, Paulo E. William Jennings Bryan: Volume I, Political Evangelist, 1860–1908, (1964) Geer, John G., and Thomas R. Rochon. "William Jennings Bryan on the Yellow Brick Road." Journal of American Culture 16.4 (1993): 59–63. Bryan resembles the Wizard of Oz Harpine, William D. "Bryan's “a cross of gold:” The rhetoric of polarization at the 1896 democratic convention." Quarterly Journal of Speech 87.3 (2001): 291–304. online Jones, Stanley L. The presidential election of 1896 (1964). Nevins, Allan. Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage (1932) online. Primary sources Chester, Edward W A guide to political platforms (1977) pp 127–135 online External links 1896 Democratic National Convention at the Political Graveyard Democratic Party Platform of 1896 at The American Presidency Project 1892Chicago, Illinois Democratic National Conventions 1900Kansas City, Missouri dem Category:1896 in Illinois Category:1890s in Chicago Category:United States presidential nominating conventions in Chicago Category:Democratic Party of Illinois Category:Democratic National Conventions Category:July 1896 in the United States Category:Events at Chicago Coliseum