1843 Liberty National Convention

1843 1844 Liberty James Birney(Cropped).jpg TMorris.jpg Nominees (Birney and Morris) August 30–September 1, 1843 "Oberlin Tent" erected at Court House Park Buffalo, New York Leicester King of Ohio James G. Birney Michigan Thomas Morris Ohio 1841 1847 148 1 J. Birney: 108 votesT. Morris: 2 votesW. Jay: 1 vote T. Morris: 83 votesG. Smith: 22 votesA. Stewart: 1 vote The 1843 Liberty National Convention was held August 30–September 1, 1843, in Buffalo, New York. It saw the Liberty Party nominate James G. Birney for president and Thomas Morris for vice president in the 1844 United States presidential election. Background While the Liberty Party had previously held a national convention in 1841 at which they nominated James G. Birney for president and Thomas Morris as their ticket in the 1844 United States presidential election, it was decided that the party would host another convention in 1843 at which they would freshly revisit the matter of their presidential election nominees. Morris himself had indicated in early 1842 that he would decline the nomination that he had been given in 1841 due to his belief that the party should hold a fresh nominating convention at which its expanding membership could be represented.Rayback Joseph G. The Liberty Party Leaders of Ohio: Exponents of the Antislavery Coalition https://resources.ohiohistory.org/ohj/search/display.php?page=63&ipp=20&searchterm=array&vol=57&pages=165-178 Ohio History Journal August 4, 2026 Logistics The convention was held August 30–September 1, 1843 in Buffalo, New York. It was the second national (presidential nominating) convention of the Liberty Party.Aug. 30, 1843: Liberty Party Convention https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/liberty-party/ Zinn Education Project July 6, 2026 The convention was held under the so-called "Oberlin Tent"Liberty Convention https://www.newspapers.com/image/1076390577 Newspapers.com subscription Cleveland Daily Herald July 7, 2026 2 September 2, 1843 (also known as "Finney's Tent"), a large tent owned by Oberlin College.Finney's Tent · Oberlin College Archives https://www.oberlinlibstaff.com/omeka_oca/items/show/28 oberlinlibstaff.com July 7, 2026 Per varying accounts, the tent was capable of accommodating up to 3,000 or 5,000 persons. For the convention, the tent was erected on the park in front of the Erie County Court House (Lafayette Square). The convention was attended by approximately (per varying sources) 148McKee Thomas Hudson The National Conventions and Platforms of All Political Parties 1789 to 1905; Convention, Popular, and Electoral Vote; Also the Political Complexion of Both Houses of Congress at Each Biennial Period; Sixth Edition Revised and Enlarged https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:California_Digital_Library_(IA_nationalconventi00mckeiala).pdf 51–52 The Friedenwald Company July 10, 2026 1906 to 200 delegates. Newspaper reports indicated that there were delegates from the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The convention took place amid relatively nice weather in the city, and saw sizable attendance. The August 30 sessions of the convention reportedly saw a 1,300 person attendance, with approximately 300 women among them.Liberty Convention https://www.newspapers.com/image/1286822214 Rockford Register Newspapers.com subscription July 8, 2026 3 September 20, 1843 The September 1 sessions of the convention reportedly drew a crowd of approximately 1,500. Convention officers Convention officers were appointed on the first day of the convention. Officers of the convention included: Convention president: Leicester King of Ohio Convention vice presidents and secretaries: William H. Burleigh of Connecticut Charles V. Dyer of Illinois Samuel Fessenden of Maine Timothy B. Hudson of Ohio Titus Hutchinson of Vermont William Jackson of Massachusetts Samuel Lewis of Ohio Thomas C. Love of New York Y. O. Lovejoy of Illinois Samuel McFarlane of Pennsylvania L. P. Noble of New York Charles B. Ray of New York Elzur Wright of Massachusetts Resolutions Committee chair: Salmon P. Chase of Ohio Presidential nomination Two letters were read to the convention, proceeding its nomination vote. One was from James G. Birney of Michigan (the party's nominee in the previous election), who urged the convention to nominate him for a second consecutive presidential election. The second was from William Jay, who declined any interest in accepting a nomination. Birney secured the nomination on the first ballot, receiving 108 votes. The nomination was then made unanimous. Presidential votes (first ballot)Havel James T. U.S. Presidential Elections and the Candidates: A Biographical and Historical Guide Simon & Schuster 1996 0-02-864623-1 2: The Elections, 1789-1992 New York 20 James G. Birney: 108 votes Thomas Morris: 2 votes William Jay: 1 vote Vice presidential nomination The convention nominated Thomas Morris of Ohio for vice president on the first ballot. The nomination was then made unanimous. Vice presidential votes (first ballot) Thomas Morris: 83 votes Gerrit Smith: 22 votes Alvan Stewart: 1 vote Platform The party adopted a platform at its convention.1843 Platform of the Liberty Party http://alexpeak.com/twr/libertyparty/1843/ Alex Peak July 7, 2026 The platform featured 21 resolutions. Speakers Notable speakers included: Stephen S. Foster Edwin Nevin of Ohio Stephen Symonds FosterNational Liberty Convention https://www.newspapers.com/image/1058403999 The Cleveland Herald Newspapers.com Buffalo Commercial Advertiser subscription July 8, 2026 3 September 6, 1843 Samuel Ringgold Ward of New York September 1 afternoon session speakers Henry Highland Garnet of New York Abby Kelley of Massachusetts Alvan Stewart of New York Charles Turner Torrey of New York September 1 evening session speakers John L. Brown of Maine William P. Fessenden of Maine Elon Galusha of New York John Pierpont of Massachusetts Samuel Lewis of Ohio References Category:1843 conferences Liberty National Convention, 1843 Category:1843 in New York (state) Category:19th century in Buffalo, New York Category:Organized events in Buffalo, New York Category:United States presidential nominating conventions in New York (state) Category:Abolitionist conventions in the United States Category:September 1843 Category:August 1843