| 1884 presidential election | |
  Nominees Cleveland and Hendricks | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | July 8–11, 1884 |
| City | Chicago, Illinois |
| Venue | Exposition Building |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Grover Cleveland of New York |
| Vice presidential nominee | Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana |
The 1884 Democratic National Convention was held July 8–11, 1884 and chose Governor Grover Cleveland of New York their presidential nominee with the former Governor Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana as the vice presidential nominee.[1]
Background
The leading candidate for the presidential nomination was New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Cleveland's reputation for good government made him a national figure. The Republican Party nominated James G. Blaine for president in June 1884, although he had been implicated in a financial scandal. Many influential Republicans were outraged, thought the time had come for a national reform administration and withdrew from the convention. These Republicans were called mugwumps, and declared that they would vote for the Democratic candidate based on his integrity.
Presidential nomination
Candidates
Former Senator Allen G. Thurman of Ohio
Former Senator Joseph E. McDonald of Indiana
Seven names were placed in nomination: Grover Cleveland, Thomas F. Bayard, Allen G. Thurman, Samuel J. Randall, Joseph E. McDonald, John G. Carlisle, and George Hoadly.
Thomas A. Hendricks professed that he was not a candidate for the presidential nomination. When a delegate from Illinois cast the only vote he received on the first ballot, Hendricks rose to ask this vote be withdrawn because it "wrongly" placed him before the convention. Nonetheless, Hendricks made an impressive showing on the second ballot but it was not enough to prevent the nomination of Cleveland.
| Presidential Ballot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd (Before Shifts) | 2nd (After Shifts) | |
| Cleveland | 392 | 475 | 683 |
| Bayard | 170 | 151.5 | 81.5 |
| Hendricks | 1 | 123.5 | 45.5 |
| Thurman | 88 | 60 | 4 |
| Randall | 78 | 5 | 4 |
| McDonald | 56 | 2 | 2 |
| Carlisle | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Flower | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Hoadly | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tilden | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Not Voting | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Source: US President - D Convention. Our Campaigns. (August 26, 2009).
1st Presidential Ballot
2nd Presidential Ballot
Before Shifts
2nd Presidential Ballot
After Shifts
Vice presidential nomination
Hendricks, who was the 1876 Democratic vice presidential nominee, was offered the 1884 nomination and accepted.
Vice presidential candidate
Withdrawn candidates
Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana was overwhelmingly nominated as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate after the names of John C. Black, George W. Glick, Joseph E. McDonald, and William Rosecrans were withdrawn from consideration.
| Vice Presidential Ballot | |
| Thomas A. Hendricks | 816 |
|---|---|
| Abstaining | 4 |
Source: US Vice President - D Convention. Our Campaigns. (August 26, 2009).
1st Vice Presidential Ballot
See also
Footnotes
Further reading
- Edward B. Dickinson (ed.), Official Proceedings of the National Democratic Convention Held in Chicago, Ill., July 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th, 1884. New York: Douglas Taylor's Democratic Printing House, n.d. [1884].
- Nevins, Allan. Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage (1932) online.
Primary sources
- Chester, Edward W A guide to political platforms (1977) pp 109–114 online
External links
- Democratic Party Platform of 1884 at The American Presidency Project
| Preceded by 1880 Cincinnati, Ohio |
Democratic National Conventions | Succeeded by 1888 St. Louis, Missouri |
