The 1864 National Union National Convention was the
United States presidential nominating convention
A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The formal purp ...
of the
National Union Party, which was a name adopted by the main faction of the
Republican Party in a coalition with many, if not most,
War Democrats after
some Republicans and War Democrats nominated
John C. Frémont over Lincoln. During the Convention, the party officially called for the end of the ongoing
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, the eradication of slavery and the adoption of the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...
.
Background

The party name was created in May 1864, during the Civil War, ahead of the
1864 presidential election, in which
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
, then a
Republican, was running for reelection.
The
Radical Republicans, a hard-line faction within Lincoln's own party, held the belief that Lincoln was incompetent and therefore could not be re-elected and had already formed a party called the ''
Radical Democratic Party'', for which a few hundred delegates had convened in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 31, 1864.
They eventually nominated
John C. Frémont, who had been the Republicans' first presidential nominee during the
1856 election. It was hoped that this act would cause someone other than Lincoln to gain the Republican nomination.
Republicans loyal to Lincoln created a new name for their party at the convention in
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, during the first week in June 1864, in order to accommodate the
War Democrats who supported the war and wished to separate themselves from the
Copperheads. The convention dropped then-
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...
, a Radical Republican from the ticket, and chose War Democrat
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
as Lincoln's
running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...
. The National Unionists hoped that the new party and the Lincoln–Johnson ticket would stress the
national character of the war.
Party platform
The party supported a Platform of 11 resolutions. Several resolutions were notable as they specified that the cause of the Civil War was slavery, called for slavery's eradication from the union, called for the complete destruction of the
Confederacy, opened military enlistment to freed slaves, adopted the Emancipation Proclamation, and supported an increase in foreign immigration and asylum as just policy.
Dennis Francis Murphy, member of the
Official Corps of Reporters for the U.S. Senate, transcribed the unveiling of, and response to, the resolutions:
Presidential nomination
Presidential candidates
File:Abraham Lincoln November 1863.jpg, President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
File:Ulysses S. Grant - NARA - 531118.jpg, Commanding General
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
''(No Political Intentions)''
File:Mathew Brady, Portrait of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, officer of the United States government (1860–1865, full version) (1).jpg, Treasury Secretary
Salmon P. Chase
of Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
''(Declined Consideration)''
On the first ballot, Missouri delegates cast their 22 votes for General Ulysses S. Grant. The Missourians quickly changed their votes to make Lincoln's renomination unanimous.
Presidential Balloting / 2nd Day of Convention (June 8, 1864)
File:1864NationalUnionPresidentialNomination1stBallotBefore.png, 1st Presidential Ballot
(Before Shifts)
File:1864NationalUnionPresidentialNomination1stBallotAfter.png, 1st Presidential Ballot
(After Shifts)
Vice Presidential nomination
Vice Presidential candidates
File:President Andrew Johnson.jpg, Military Governor
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
of Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
File:Vice-President of the United States Hannibal Hamlin.jpg, Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...
of Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
File:DanielSDickinson.png, Former Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
Daniel Dickinson
of New York
File:General Butler during the Civil War face detail, from- Benjamin Franklin Butler politician - Brady-Handy (cropped).jpg, Major General
Benjamin Butler
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
''(Not Nominated)''
File:Maj. Gen. Lovell Harrison Rousseau LOC cwpb.07108 (1).jpg, Major General
Lovell Rousseau
Lovell Harrison Rousseau (August 4, 1818 – January 7, 1869) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, as well as a lawyer and politician in Kentucky and Indiana.
Rousseau was a member of the Whig Party early in his politi ...
of Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
Though Hamlin was willing to serve another term as vice president, he privately made it known that he was willing to step aside if a candidate who would be a greater electoral asset to Lincoln could be found. The convention therefore nominated Andrew Johnson, the military governor of Tennessee. Lincoln had refused to weigh in on his preferred running mate, and the convention chose to nominate Johnson, a Southern War Democrat, in order to boost the party's appeal to Unionists of both parties.
[White (2009), pp. 632-635.]
Vice Presidential Balloting / 2nd Day of Convention (June 8, 1864)
File:1864NationalUnionVicePresidentialNomination1stBallotBefore.png, 1st
Vice Presidential Ballot
(Before Shifts)
File:1864NationalUnionVicePresidentialNomination1stBallotAfter.png, 1st
Vice Presidential Ballot
(After Shifts)
Lincoln's acceptance
In keeping with the tradition of the time, Lincoln did not attend the convention. On hearing the news of his re-nomination, he wrote on June 9, 1864:
See also
*
1864 Democratic National Convention
*
1866 National Union Convention
*
History of the United States Republican Party
The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is one of the two major political parties in the United States. It is the second-oldest extant political party in the United States after its mai ...
*
List of Republican National Conventions
This is a list of Republican National Conventions. The wikt:quadrennial, quadrennial convention is the United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party ...
*
1864 United States presidential election
United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 1864, near the end of the American Civil War. Incumbent President Abraham Lincoln of the National Union Party (United States), National Uni ...
*
United States presidential nominating convention
A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The formal purp ...
References
External links
Republican Party Platform of 1864at ''The American Presidency Project''
Lincoln nomination acceptance letterat ''The American Presidency Project''
{{Authority control
1864 United States presidential election
1864 conferences
19th-century political conferences
1860s in Baltimore
1864 in Maryland
June 1864
Presidency of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant