1848 Whig National Convention
| 1848 presidential election | |
  Nominees Taylor and Fillmore | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | June 7, 1848 |
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Zachary Taylor of Louisiana |
| Vice-presidential nominee | Millard Fillmore of New York |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 280 |
| Votes needed for nomination | 143 |
| Results (president) | Taylor (LA): 171 (61.07%) Scott (NY): 63 (22.5%) Clay (KY): 32 (11.43%) Webster (MA): 14 (5%) |
| Ballots | 4 |
The 1848 Whig National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Whig Party. The convention was held in Philadelphia. War hero Zachary Taylor, a major general from Louisiana with no political background, was nominated as the party's candidate for president. Former New York Representative Millard Fillmore was nominated for vice president. They won the 1848 presidential election, defeating the Democratic candidates Lewis Cass and William O. Butler.
The Convention
The convention was quick, convening for only a day on June 7. Taylor had been courted by both the Democrats and the Whigs. Taylor ultimately declared himself a Whig. When delegates met in Philadelphia, Taylor secured 171 votes and won the presidential nomination on the fourth ballot. Former New York Representative Millard Fillmore was chosen as the vice presidential candidate on the second ballot.
Several well-known political figures challenged Taylor for the nomination but failed to win enough votes at the convention. Henry Clay, Winfield Scott, and Daniel Webster all sought the nomination. Webster was offered the vice presidential spot on the ticket, but declined.
Whig candidates
- Zachary Taylor, U.S. Major General from Louisiana
- Henry Clay, former U.S. senator from Kentucky
- Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the U.S. Army from New Jersey
- Daniel Webster, U.S. senator from Massachusetts
- John Middleton Clayton, U.S. senator from Delaware
- John McLean, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from Ohio
the voting
| Convention Presidential vote | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Name | Zachary Taylor | Henry Clay | Winfield Scott | Daniel Webster | John Middleton Clayton | John McLean | not voting |
| Party | Whig | Whig | Whig | Whig | Whig | Whig | Whig |
| first ballot | 111 | 97 | 43 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| second ballot | 118 | 86 | 49 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| third ballot | 133 | 74 | 54 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| fourth ballot | 171 (58.97%) | 32 (11.03%) | 63 (21.72%) | 14 (4.83%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 10 (3.45%) |
| Margin | 0 (0.00%) | -139 (-47.94%) | -108 (-37.25%) | -157 (-54.14%) | -171 (-58.97%) | -171 (-58.97%) | |
| Ballots | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Millard Fillmore | 115 | 173 |
| Abbott Lawrence | 109 | 87 |
| Not Voting | 16 | 24 |
| Andrew Stewart | 14 | 0 |
| Thomas M.T. McKennan | 13 | 0 |
| George Evans | 6 | 2 |
| John Sergeant | 6 | 1 |
| John M. Clayton | 3 | 3 |
| Hamilton Fish | 2 | 0 |
| Rufus Choate | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas Ewing, Sr. | 1 | 0 |
| Solomon Foot | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas B. King | 1 | 0 |
| George Lunt | 1 | 0 |
| John Young | 1 | 0 |
References
- Holt, Michael F. (1999). The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-505544-6.
- <http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=58512> Accessed: June 11, 2016