1868 Republican National Convention

1868 Republican National Convention

1868 presidential election
Nominees Grant and Colfax
Convention
Date(s)	May 20–21, 1868
City	Chicago, Illinois
Venue	Crosby's Opera House
Candidates
Presidential nominee	Ulysses S. Grant of Illinois
Vice-presidential nominee	Schuyler Colfax of Indiana

The 1868 Republican National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in Crosby's Opera House, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, on May 20 to May 21, 1868.

General Ulysses S. Grant had emerged as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination after being the Union commander in the Civil War. He was nominated for President unopposed on the first ballot. To balance Grant, a former Democrat and a hard drinker, the convention chose House Speaker Schuyler Colfax, a former Whig and temperance man, for Vice President. In Grant's acceptance telegram he said "Let us have peace", which captured the imagination of the American people.

Presidential candidates

Candidate	Born	Office Held	State	Delegates
Ulysses S. Grant	April 27, 1822 (age 46) Point Pleasant, Ohio	6th Commanding General of the United States Army (1864–1869)	Ohio	650

Withdrew before convention

• 
  Chief Justice
  Salmon P. Chase
  of Ohio
• 
  Senator
  Benjamin Wade
  of Ohio

Presidential balloting

Presidential Ballot
Ballot	1st
Ulysses S. Grant	650

Candidates for the vice-presidential nomination

• Benjamin F. Wade (Ohio)
• John A. J. Creswell (Maryland)
• Andrew G. Curtin (Pennsylvania)
• Reuben E. Fenton (New York)
• Hannibal Hamlin (Maine)
• James Harlan (Iowa)
• William D. Kelley (Pennsylvania)
• Samuel C. Pomeroy (Kansas)
• James Speed (Kentucky)
• Henry Wilson (Massachusetts)

Vice Presidential Ballot
Ballot	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th Before Shifts	5th After Shifts
Schuyler Colfax	115	145	165	186	226	541
Benjamin Wade	147	170	178	206	207	38
Reuben E. Fenton	126	144	139	144	139	69
Henry Wilson	119	114	101	87	56	0
Andrew G. Curtin	51	45	40	0	0	0
Hannibal Hamlin	28	30	25	25	20	0
James Speed	22	0	0	0	0	0
James Harlan	16	0	0	0	0	0
John A.J. Creswell	14	0	0	0	0	0
Samuel C. Pomeroy	6	0	0	0	0	0
William D. Kelley	4	0	0	0	0	0

See also

• United States presidential election, 1868

References

• Presidential election, 1868.: Proceedings of the National union Republican convention, held at Chicago, May 20 and 21, 1868./ reported by Ely, Burnham & Bartlett, Chicago, official reporters of the convention.

External links

• Republican Party Platform of 1868 at The American Presidency Project