1932 Democratic National Convention

U.S. political event held in Chicago, Illinois February 2026 1932 Democratic June 27 – July 2, 1932 DP1940.png 125 DPVP36.png 125 NomineesRoosevelt and Garner Chicago Stadium Chicago, Illinois Franklin D. Roosevelt New York John N. Garner Texas 1928 1936 The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois June 27 – July 2, 1932 at the Chicago Coliseum. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York for president and Speaker of the House John Nance Garner from Texas for vice president. Beulah Rebecca Hooks Hannah Tingley was a member of the Democratic National Committee and Chair of the Democratic Party of Florida. She seconded the nomination of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, becoming the second woman to address a Democratic National Convention. According to the White House Historical Association, Happy Days Are Here Again was the campaign song of the convention.Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Historic First Inauguration https://www.whitehousehistory.org/franklin-roosevelts-historic-first-inauguration 2024-03-11 WHHA (en-US) en The candidates The three major candidates were: Candidate Born Candidate ages listed as they were during the convention in 1932 Office Held State Delegates, 1st ballot Final ballot 130px|Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt January 30, 1882(age 50)Hyde Park, New York 44thGovernor of New York (1929–1932)70px New York 666.25 945 130px|Smith Al Smith (campaign) December 30, 1873(age 58)Manhattan, New York 42ndGovernor of New York (1919–1920, 1923–1928)70pxNew York 201.75 190.25 130px John Nance Garner November 22, 1868(age 63) Detroit, Texas 39thSpeaker of theHouse of Representatives(1931–1933)65pxTexas 90.25 Nominated forVice President Convention thumb|right|Roosevelt listens to radio coverage of the balloting on July 1 from his residence in Hyde Park The three major contenders for the presidential nomination were Roosevelt, Garner and former Governor of New York and 1928 presidential candidate, Al Smith, who roughly represented three competing factions of the Democratic Party: Smith was supported by the Tammany Hall machine in New York City, and had many supporters in the Democratic National Committee, as well as in Chicago, where Chicago mayor Anton Cermak packed the hall with Smith supporters. Roosevelt was supported by a solid majority of the delegates, and also had the support of Senators Burton Wheeler, Cordell Hull, Alben Barkley, and Huey Long, who held the Deep South for Roosevelt. Garner had support from two powerful individuals: California newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and Senator William Gibbs McAdoo. While he was never a serious threat, and never bothered to campaign for the position, the faction that supported Garner was important because it could break a potential deadlock between Smith and Roosevelt. The new Democratic coalition would begin at this convention: Roosevelt brought into the Democratic fold western progressives, ethnic minorities, rural farmers, and intellectuals. Supporters of Roosevelt pushed for the abolition of the two-thirds rule (which required the presidential nominee to win at least two-thirds of the delegate votes), but backlash from Southern delegates forced them to drop the proposal.Krock Arthur Roosevelt Nominated on Fourth Ballot; Garner Expected to be His Running Mate; Governor Will Fly to Convention Today https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/320702convention-dem-ra.html 8 October 2015 The New York Times 2 July 1932 After three ballots, Roosevelt was 86.75 votes short of the 769.5 votes required to win the nomination, and his campaign feared that his support had peaked: as none of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts or Connecticut supported Roosevelt, he needed McAdoo, who led the California delegation, and Garner, who led the Texas delegation. Roosevelt's campaign was able to persuade Garner to have his delegates vote for Roosevelt, possibly with the help of Hearst: while Hearst disliked Roosevelt, he hated Smith and Newton D. Baker, a possible compromise candidate. After McAdoo (who had been denied the nomination by the two-thirds rule at the 1924 convention) announced that California would back Roosevelt, the convention realized Roosevelt had reached the required 769.5 delegates to win the nomination, which was greeted by wild celebrations. Roosevelt received 945 votes on the fourth ballot to Smith's 190.5. Garner was nominated for vice-president by acclamation, likely as part of a deal for his delegates.https://archive.org/details/rooseveltinretro00gunt Roosevelt in Retrospect Harper & Brothers Gunther, John 1950 270–272 McAdoo had hoped to be on the ticket, but he withdrew after his inclusion was opposed by Hearst.Krock Arthur Roosevelt Puts Economic Recovery First in His Acceptance Speech at Convention; Garner for Vice President by Acclamation https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/320703convention-dem-ra.html 8 October 2015 The New York Times 3 July 1932 Presidential BallotingCandidate1st2nd3rd4thRoosevelt666.25677.75682.75945Smith201.75194.25190.25190.50Garner90.2590.25101.250White5250.5052.503Traylor42.2540.2540.250Reed241827.500Byrd2524250Ritchie2123.5023.503.50Murray23000Rogers02200Baker8.5088.505.50Cox0001Not Voting05.502.505.50 Presidential Balloting / 5th Day of Convention (July 1, 1932) Roosevelt's acceptance speech thumb|right|Newsreel footage of Roosevelt's acceptance speech For his acceptance speech, Roosevelt broke tradition and established the precedent of formally accepting the nomination in person at the convention. His personal appearance was essential, to show himself as vigorous despite his physical disability.https://millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/campaigns-and-elections FDR: Campaigns and Elections Univ. of Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs Leuchtenburg William E. October 4, 2016 January 28, 2022 In his speech, he pledged "a New Deal for the American people".gunther1950 See also History of the United States Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1932 List of Democratic National Conventions U.S. presidential nomination convention 1932 Republican National Convention Happy Days Are Here Again 1932 United States presidential election References Additional sources Pietrusza, David, 1932: The Rise of Hitler & FDR: Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny Guilford CT: Lyons Press, 2015. External links 1932 Democratic Convention Roosevelt Nomination Acceptance Speech for President at DNC (transcript) at The American Presidency Project Democratic Party Platform of 1932 at The American Presidency Project 1928Houston, Texas Democratic National Conventions 1936Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dem Category:1932 in Illinois Category:20th century in Chicago Category:United States presidential nominating conventions in Chicago Category:Democratic Party of Illinois Category:Democratic National Conventions Category:June 1932 in the United States Category:July 1932 in the United States Category:Al Smith Category:Tammany Hall