1912 Republican National Convention


The 1912 Republican National Convention was held at the Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, from June 18 to June 22, 1912. The party nominated President William Howard Taft and [Vice President of the United States|President of the United States|Vice President] James S. Sherman for re-election for the 1912 United States presidential election.
Sherman died days before the election, and was replaced as Republican vice-presidential nominee by Nicholas Murray Butler of New York. The ticket went on to place 3rd in the November election behind former president Theodore Roosevelt, who ran under the banner of the new Progressive or "Bull Moose" Party, and [History of the United States History of the United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party|Democratic] governor Woodrow Wilson.

Background

This convention marked the climax of a split in the party, resulting from a power struggle between incumbent Taft and former president Theodore Roosevelt that started in 1910. Politically liberal states for the first time were holding Republican primaries. Though Roosevelt had endorsed Taft as his successor, Taft's drift to the right had alienated Roosevelt, who launched a challenge to Taft's re-nomination. Roosevelt overwhelmingly won the primaries — winning 9 out of 13 states. Both Taft and Roosevelt lost their home states to each other. Senator Robert M. La Follette, a reformer, won two states, including his home state of Wisconsin. Through the primaries, Senator La Follette won a total of 36 delegates; President Taft won 48 delegates; and Roosevelt won 278 delegates. However, 36 more conservative states did not hold primaries, but instead selected delegates via state conventions. For years Roosevelt had tried to attract Southern white Democrats to the Republican Party, and he tried to win delegates there in 1912. However, Taft had the support of black Republicans in the South, and defeated Roosevelt there.

Convention

Entering the convention, the Roosevelt and Taft forces seemed evenly matched, and a compromise candidate seemed possible. Taft was willing to compromise with Missouri governor Herbert S. Hadley as presidential nominee; Roosevelt said no.
The Taft and Roosevelt camps engaged in a fight for the delegations of various states, with Taft emerging victorious, and Roosevelt claiming that several delegations were fraudulently seated because of the machinations of conservative party leaders including William Barnes Jr. and Boies Penrose. Roosevelt then accused Taft of steamroller tactics and ordered his supporters to take no further part in the convention. Following the seating of the anti-Roosevelt delegations, California governor Hiram Johnson proclaimed that progressives would form a new party to nominate Roosevelt. Roosevelt ultimately ran a third party campaign as part of the Progressive Party. Taft and Roosevelt both lost the 1912 election to the Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson.
Delegations from the south acted as rotten boroughs due to their size despite having no influence in elections. An attempt to reduce their influence failed in 1908, with Roosevelt having fought against it. The southern delegations, whose 252 delegates accounted for almost half of the number needed to win the nomination, almost entirely supported Taft.

Presidential nomination

Presidential candidates

Though many of Roosevelt's delegates remained at the convention, most refused to take part in the presidential ballot in protest of the contested delegates. Additionally, Roosevelt's name was not placed in nomination. Thus, Taft was re-nominated handily on the first ballot.
Presidential balloting / 5th day of convention
The balloting by states was as follows:
State
Alabama 24 22 2
Arizona 6 6
Arkansas 18 17 1
California 26 2 24
Colorado 12 12
Connecticut 14 14
Delaware 6 6
Florida 12 12
Georgia 28 28
Idaho 8 1 7
Illinois 58 2 53 2 1
Indiana 30 20 3 7
Iowa 26 16 10
Kansas 20 2 18
Kentucky 26 24 2
Louisiana 20 20
Maine 12 12
Maryland 16 1 9 5 1
Massachusetts 36 20 16
Michigan 30 20 9 1
Minnesota 24 24
Mississippi 20 17 3
Missouri 36 16 20
Montana 8 8
Nebraska 16 2 14
Nevada 6 6
New Hampshire 8 8
New Jersey 28 2 26
New Mexico 8 7 1
New York 90 76 8 6
North Carolina 24 1 1 22
North Dakota 10 10
Ohio 48 14 34
Oklahoma 20 4 1 15
Oregon 10 8 2
Pennsylvania 76 9 2 2 62 1
Rhode Island 10 10
South Carolina 18 16 1 1
South Dakota 10 5 5
Tennessee 24 23 1
Texas 40 31 8 1
Utah 8 8
Vermont 8 6 2
Virginia 24 22 1 1
Washington 14 14
West Virginia 16 16
Wisconsin 26 26
Wyoming 6 6
Alaska 2 2
District of Columbia 2 2
Hawaii 6 6
Philippines 2 2
Puerto Rico 2 2
Total 1078 561 107 17 41 2 344 6

Vice presidential nomination

Vice presidential candidates

Like Taft, Vice President James S. Sherman of New York was renominated by the party. Though Taft and Sherman did not get along early in their tenure, the two became closer allies as Taft's split with Roosevelt deepened, and Taft did not object to the re-nomination of Sherman. Taft's allies sought progressive leaders such as Idaho senator William E. Borah or Vermont governor John A. Mead to join the ticket, but both declined to be considered. Missouri governor Herbert S. Hadley and former vice president Charles Fairbanks were also mentioned as possibilities. Sherman died shortly before the election, and was not replaced on the ticket. In January, after the election had already been decided, Republican leaders appointed Columbia University president Nicholas Butler to fill out the ticket for the purposes of receiving electoral votes.
'''Vice presidential balloting / 5th day of convention '''

Works cited

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Primary sources