The 1920 Republican National Convention nominated

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 ...

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 ...

Warren G. Harding for president and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for

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 ...

. The convention was held in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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 ...

, at the Chicago Coliseum from June 8 to June 12, 1920, with 940 delegates. Under convention rules, a majority plus one, or at least 471 of the 940 delegates, was necessary for a nomination. Many Republicans sought the presidential nomination, including General Leonard Wood, Illinois Governor Frank Lowden and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Senator Hiram Johnson. Dark horse Harding, however, was nominated. Many wanted to nominate

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Senator Irvine L. Lenroot for vice president, but Coolidge was nominated instead, because he was known for his response to the Boston Police Strike in 1919. The convention also adopted a platform opposed to the accession of the United States to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

. The plank was carefully drawn up by Henry Cabot Lodge to appease opponents of the League such as Johnson, while still allowing eventual American entry into the League.

Presidential nomination

Presidential candidates

File:Warren G Harding portrait as senator June 1920.jpg,

Warren G. Harding
of

File:Leonard Wood, administrator, soldier, and citizen (1920) (14579077497) (grayscale).png, Major General
Leonard Wood
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 ...

File:Frank O Lowden portrait (1).jpg,

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Frank Orren Lowden
of

File:Portrait of Senator Hiram Johnson of California, 1926.jpeg,

Hiram Johnson
of

Image:William Cameron Sproul in 1918.jpg,

William C. Sproul
of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

File:Nicholas Murray Butler ppmsca.03668.jpg, Columbia President
Nicholas Murray Butler
of New York File:Calvin Coolidge-by Garo-1923.jpg,

Calvin Coolidge
of

File:Robert La Follette Sr crop.jpg,

Robert M. La Follette
of

''(Not Nominated)'' Image:Jeter_Connelly_Pritchard.jpg, Circuit Court Judge
Jeter Pritchard
of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

File:POINDEXTER, MILES. SENATOR LCCN2016857260 (cropped).jpg,

Miles Poindexter
of Washington Image:SUTHERLAND, H. HONORABLE LCCN2016862408.jpg,

Howard Sutherland
of

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

Image:Herbert Hoover, head of the U.S. Food Administration - NARA - 31480857.jpg, ARA Director

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

Potential or declined candidates

* Henry Cabot Lodge, U.S. senator from

(declined to run) * Henry Justin Allen, Governor of Kansas * Albert J. Beveridge, former U.S. senator from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

* William Borah, U.S. senator from

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

* Omar Bundy, General from

* T. Coleman du Pont, businessman from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

* Will H. Hays, chairman of the Republican National Committee *

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, former

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

, 1916 Republican candidate for President (declined to run) * Myron Herrick, former Governor of Ohio * Frank B. Kellogg, U.S. senator from

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

* Philander C. Knox, U.S. senator from

* Irvine Lenroot, U.S. senator from

* Edwin P. Morrow,

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

* John J. Pershing, General of the Armies from

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

, former

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

(died January 6, 1919) *

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

, former

* James E. Watson, U.S. senator from

* Frank B. Willis, former Governor of Ohio At the start of the convention, the race was wide open. General Leonard Wood, Illinois Governor Frank Lowden, and California Senator Hiram Johnson were considered the three most likely nominees. Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding had been a front-runner, but his star had faded by the time of the convention. Many expected a dark horse to be chosen, such as Pennsylvania Governor William Cameron Sproul, Pennsylvania Senator Philander C. Knox, Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen, Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, or 1916 nominee

. Sproul in particular had been gaining momentum at the expense of Lowden, the candidate of the conservative wing of the party. The issue of joining the

took center stage at the convention, with some speculating that Johnson would bolt the party if the platform endorsed the League. The convention adjourned for the night after four ballots produced no clear leader, and many states stuck to favorite-son candidates. As the balloting continued the next day, Wood, Lowden, and Johnson remained in the lead, and party leaders worked to find a candidate acceptable to both the progressive and conservative wings of the party. Conservatives strongly opposed Wood, while Lowden was opposed by the progressive wing of the party. Harding emerged as a moderately conservative candidate acceptable to the progressive wing of the party, and as the convention remained deadlocked, Harding emerged as a strong compromise candidate. After the eighth ballot, the convention recessed. During the recess, Harding's managers lobbied Lowden's supporters and others to support Harding. Harding was also helped by the fact that the Democrats might nominate James M. Cox of Ohio, and Republicans did not want to give the Democrats a home state advantage in electorally critical Ohio.Miller, pp. 90–91 Harding front porch campaign

Harding jumped into the lead on the ninth ballot, and clinched the nomination on the tenth ballot. Many thought that Johnson could have stopped the Harding movement by throwing his support behind Knox, who could have displaced Harding as the compromise candidate. Johnson disliked Harding's policies and disliked Harding personally, and was friends with Knox. However, Johnson never released his supporters, and Harding took the nomination.
Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 11, 1920) File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination1stBallot.png, 1st Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination2ndBallot.png, 2nd Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination3rdBallot.png, 3rd Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination4thBallot.png, 4th Presidential Ballot
Presidential Balloting / 5th Day of Convention (June 12, 1920) File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination5thBallot.png, 5th Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination6thBallot.png, 6th Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination7thBallot.png, 7th Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination8thBallot.png, 8th Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination9thBallot.png, 9th Presidential Ballot File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination10thBallotBefore.png, 10th Presidential Ballot
(Before Shifts) File:1920RepublicanPresidentialNomination10thBallotAfter.png, 10th Presidential Ballot
(After Shifts)

The smoke-filled room

At the time, Harding's nomination was said to have been secured in negotiations led by party bosses George Harvey and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in a mysterious " smoke-filled room" at Chicago's Blackstone Hotel." Legend says Harry M. Daugherty, Harding's political manager was the mastermind. After Harding's election he became

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

. On February 11, 1920, long before the convention, Daugherty predicted: :I don't expect Senator Harding to be nominated on the first, second, or third ballots, but I think we can afford to take chances that about 11 minutes after two, Friday morning of the convention, when 15 or 12 weary men are sitting around a table, someone will say: 'Who will we nominate?' At that decisive time, the friends of Harding will suggest him and we can well afford to abide by the result." Daugherty's prediction described essentially what occurred, but historians argue that Daugherty's prediction has been given too much weight in narratives of the convention. The "smoke filled room" was actually a suite rented by National Chairman Will H. Hays. For six hours the leaders considered numerous alternatives, including Wood, Lowden, and Johnson. However, there were objections to all of them. Headlines in the next morning newspapers suggested intrigue. Historian Wesley M. Bagby argues, "Various groups actually worked along separate lines to bring about the nomination - without combination and with very little contact." Bagby finds that the key factor in Harding's nomination was his wide popularity among the rank and file of the delegates.Wesley M. Bagby, "The 'Smoke Filled Room' and the Nomination of Warren G. Harding." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 41.4 (1955): 657–7
online

Vice Presidential nomination

Vice Presidential candidates

File:Calvin Coolidge-by Garo-1923.jpg,

Calvin Coolidge
of

File:LENROOT, IRWIN L. SENATOR LCCN2016857277 (cropped).jpg,

Irvine Lenroot
of

File:Henry Justin Allen in 1918.jpg,

Henry Justin Allen
of

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

File:Colonel Henry Watkins Anderson circa 1915.jpg, ARC Commissioner
Henry W. Anderson
of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

File:Portrait of Senator Hiram Johnson of California, 1926.jpeg,

Hiram Johnson
of

''(Not Nominated –
Declined Consideration)'' Before Harding was nominated, Johnson, Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen, Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge, Wisconsin Senator Irvine Lenroot, Kentucky Governor Edwin P. Morrow, and Harding himself were all seen as possible vice presidential nominees. Once the presidential nomination was finally settled, Harding and the party bosses asked Johnson to join the ticket as a progressive balance to Harding. When Johnson turned down the offer, they approached Lenroot, who accepted. However, when Illinois Senator Medill McCormick stood up to nominate Lenroot, several delegates began to shout for Coolidge. Though initially he had only been nominated after the refusal of Senator Lodge (another Massachusetts man), a groundswell of support built up for Coolidge, who won the nomination over Lenroot; historian Donald R. McCoy called it the first time since the

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

nomination of

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...

that "the delegates had taken control of a Republican convention". Coolidge, who was not at the convention during the vice presidential nomination, agreed to join the ticket.
Vice Presidential Balloting / 5th Day of Convention (June 12, 1920) File:1920RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination1stBallot.png, 1st
Vice Presidential Ballot

Notes

References

Bibliography

Official Report of the Proceedings of the Seventeenth Republican National Convention, Held in Chicago, Illinois, June 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, 1920

External links

Republican Party platform of 1920
at ''The American Presidency Project''
Harding acceptance speech
at ''The American Presidency Project'' {{Authority control Republican National Convention Political conventions in Chicago Republican National Conventions Republican National Convention Republican National Convention Republican National Convention 1920s political conferences Events at Chicago Coliseum