The 1956 Republican National Convention was held by the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

of the United States at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, from August 20 to August 23, 1956. U.S. Senator

William F. Knowland William Fife Knowland (June 26, 1908 – February 23, 1974) was an American politician and newspaper publisher. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from California from 1945 to 1959. He was Senate Majority Le ...

was temporary chairman and former speaker of the House

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served as permanent chairman. It renominated President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

as the party's candidates for the 1956 presidential election. On August 23, 1956, singer Nat King Cole spoke at the Republican Convention. The 1956 Republican convention was held after that year's Democratic National Convention. This was unusual, as since

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, in every election but

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, Democrats had held their convention second. It has become an informal tradition that the party holding the White House (which, accordingly, in 1956 had been the Republican Party) hosts their convention second, but it is unclear when this tradition began (Democrats had held the White House and held their conventions second between

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and

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, but it is unclear whether they scheduled their conventions second in these years because of their White House incumbency, or whether they scheduled them second because it was traditional that Democratic National Conventions had been held after the Republican National Convention).

The 'Joe Smith incident'

President Eisenhower was unanimously re-nominated by the Republican delegates for President of the United States. Such was expected for Vice President Nixon as well, until one renegade delegate, former Democratic Congressman and perennial candidate Terry Carpenter, decided to place in nomination for Vice President a man named Joe Smith, from Carpenter's own

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. When asked who Joe Smith was at the 1956 convention, Carpenter mysteriously replied, "Oh, he is a symbol of an open convention, in that sense of the word." It was eventually revealed that there was no such man, and that his nomination was a protest against the perceived political theater of the closed 1956 Republican National Convention. He ultimately did cast his one dissenting vote for Vice President for Joe Smith.

References

External links

Republican Party platform of 1956
at ''The American Presidency Project''
Eisenhower nomination acceptance speech for President at RNC
(transcript) at ''The American Presidency Project''
Universal newsreel footage of the conventionUniversal newsreel footage of the conventionVideo of Nixon nomination acceptance speech for Vice President and Eisenhower nomination acceptance speech for President at RNC from C-SPAN (via YouTube)

Audio of Eisenhower nomination acceptance speech for President at RNC
{{Authority control Republican National Conventions 1956 United States presidential election 1956 in California Republican Party (United States) events in California 1956 conferences August 1956 events in the United States

The 'Joe Smith incident'

See also

References

External links