The Baltimore Conventions

The First in a 20 party series on the history of the Democratic Convention

The first six Democratic national conventions were held in Baltimore. Given that much of the population of the US still lived on the east coast, it was convenient, especially for Washington politicians. Here is a rundown of the first conventions.

First: May 21 – 23, 1832

Venue: Athenaem, St Paul and East Lexington Streets. The building burned down in 1835. Today, the site houses the Baltimore Plaza Hotel.

Events: Andrew Jackson, seeking re-election, is unanimously re-elected by the delegates. Vice President John Calhoun is ousted over the issue of nullification; Jackson replaces him with Martin Van Buren, who had been both Senator and Governor of New York, as well as Secretary of State.

November: Jackson coasts to a fairly easy re-election over Henry Clay of Kentucky.

Second: May 20-22, 1835

Venue: Fourth Presbyterian Church, location uncertain.

Events: Jackson was able to handpick Van Buren as his successor, and he was nominated unanimously. Van Buren chose Richard Mentor Johnson, a former Senator and Congressman from Kentucky as his running mate. Johnson made history as the only Vice President ever selected by the United States Senate.

November 1836: Van Buren defeats four regional Whig candidates, with William Henry Harrison being the strongest.

Third: May 5-6, 1840

Venue: The Assembly Rooms, location uncertain.

Events: Van Buren is renominated unanimously. Johnson, seen as a liability, is dumped as Vice President, but delegates cannot agree on a replacement. Van Buren is the only candidate since the 12th amendment (1804) to run without a Vice President. The convention is the first to pass a platform; it includes an explicit pro-slavery plank.

November: Harrison, a war hero from 1812, soundly defeats Van Buren. The economic crisis of 1837 played a major role in his defeat. Harrison would only serve one month before dying of pneumonia.

Fourth: May 27-29, 1844

Venue: Odd Fellows Hall, North Gay Street. The building was demolished in 1899. Today the site contains War Memorial Plaza, directly across from Baltimore’s City Hall.

Events: This was the first contentious Democratic convention. For eight ballots, the vote was divided fairly evenly between former president Martin Van Buren and Lewis Cass of Michigan. Once delegates decided they were going nowhere, the settled on “dark horse” James Knox Polk, former Speaker of the House with 231 votes on the ninth ballot. After NY Senator Silas Wright declined, delegates chose Pennsylvania Senator George Dallas as Polk’s running mate.

November: Polk defeated Henry Clay of Kentucky in an extremely close election.

Fifth: May 22 – 25, 1848

Venue: First Universalist Church, 12 West Franklin (Franklin and Charles). The church celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2017, and is still standing.

Events: Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan was the frontrunner from the beginning, defeated Supreme Court Justice Levi Woodbury and future president James Buchanan. Delegates chose former congressman William Orlando Butler of Kentucky for Vice President, in hopes he would finance the presidential campaign (he did, substantially).

November: War hero Zachary Taylor defeats Cass in a fairly close election, with Taylor winning due to large states such as New York and Pennsylvania. Taylor dies in 1850, and Vice President Millard Fillmore takes over.

Sixth: June 1-5, 1852

Venue: Maryland Institute, Baltimore and Frederick. The building was destroyed in the Baltimore fire of 1904. Today the site contains the Central District Baltimore Police Department station. The school still exists as the Maryland College of Art and Design.

Events: If you are looking for the ultimate “dark horse” pick Franklin Pierce. The former New Hampshire senator’s name was only put into contention after 35 failed ballots, and he was finally selected as the nominee on the 49th ballot. Cass, the 1848 nominee, started strong but faded as James Buchanan of Pennsylvania grew in strength. Stephen Douglas of Illinois was also a contender. Delegates chose William Rufus King of Alabama, with whom Buchanan had a very close relationship, as vice president.

November: Pierce defeated General Winfield Scott by a decent margin in the popular vote and a huge margin electorally. King was Vice President for only 45 days before dying of tuberculosis; he never spent a day in Washington as VP.