1916 Republican National Convention

1916 Republican National Convention
1916 presidential election
Nominees
Hughes and Fairbanks
Convention
Date(s)June 7–10, 1916
CityChicago, Illinois
VenueChicago Coliseum[1]
Candidates
Presidential nomineeCharles Evans Hughes of New York
Vice-presidential nomineeCharles W. Fairbanks of Indiana
‹ 1912 · 1920 ›
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

Coliseum set-up for the convention
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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[2] 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.[3] Hughes won the nomination on the third ballot, and Roosevelt chose to forgo a third-party bid.

Presidential Ballot[4]
Candidate 1st 2nd 3rd Unanimous
Hughes 253.5 328.5 949.5 987
Weeks 105 79 3
Root 103 98.5 0
Fairbanks 74.5 88.5 0
Cummins 85 85 0
Roosevelt 65 81 18.5
Burton 77.5 76.5 0
Sherman 66 65 0
Knox 36 36 0
Ford 32 0 0
Brumbaugh 29 0 0
La Follette 25 25 3
Taft 14 0 0
du Pont 12 13 5
Lodge 0 0 7
Wanamaker 0 5 0
Willis 4 1 0
Borah 2 0 0
Harding 0 1 0
McCall 1 1 0
Wood 0 1 0
Not Voting 2.5 2 1
Not Represented 4 4 4 4


Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 9, 1916)

  • 1st Presidential Ballot
    1st Presidential Ballot
  • 2nd Presidential Ballot
    2nd Presidential Ballot


Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 10, 1916)

  • 3rd Presidential Ballot
    3rd Presidential Ballot

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.[5]

Vice Presidential Ballot
Candidate 1st Unanimous
Fairbanks 863 987
Burkett 108
Borah 8
Webster 2
Burton 1
Johnson 1
Not Voting 4
Not Represented 4 4


Vice Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 10, 1916)

  • 1st Vice Presidential Ballot
    1st
    Vice Presidential Ballot

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.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Republicans to Meet in Historic Hall," The New York Times, May 30, 1920
  2. ^ a b c "Hughes Movement Gains Strength With No Dark Horse Yet In Sight; Dickering With Moose Fruitless". New York Times. 7 June 1916. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  3. ^ "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'". New York Times. 11 June 1912. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  4. ^ Hart, George L (1916). 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.
  5. ^ "Charles Warren Fairbanks, 26th Vice President (1905-1909)". US Senate. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Auditorium Building, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 2 February 2022.

Bibliography

Preceded by
1912
Chicago, Illinois 		Republican National Conventions Succeeded by
1920
Chicago, Illinois