This is a list of Democratic National Conventions. These conventions are the presidential nominating conventions of the Democratic Party of the United States.

List of Democratic National Conventions

* Conventions whose nominees won the subsequent presidential election are tinted in light blue. * Four other conventions — in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016 — which nominated candidates who won the popular vote, but not the Electoral College, are tinted in pale yellow. Footnotes ¹

832 __NOTOC__ Year 832 ( DCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 832nd year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 832nd year of the 1st millennium, ...

A resolution endorsing "the repeated nominations which he

ackson Tulia Ackson (born 23 November 1976) is the Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, in office since 2022. She was appointed as a Member of Parliament by President John Magufuli. Early life Ackson was born on 23 November 1976 in B ...

has received in various parts of the Union" was passed by the convention.
²

840 __NOTOC__ Year 840 ( DCCCXL) was a leap year starting on Thursday in the Julian calendar, the 840th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 840th year of the 1st millennium, the 40th year of the 9th century, and the ...

A resolution stating "that the convention deem it expedient at the present time not to choose between the individuals in nomination, but to leave the decision to their Republican fellow-citizens in the several states" was passed by the convention. Most Van Buren electors voted for Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky for the vice presidency; others voted for

Littleton Waller Tazewell Littleton Waller Tazewell (December 17, 1774May 6, 1860) was a Virginia lawyer, plantation owner and politician who served as U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator and the 26th Governor of Virginia, as well as a member of the Virginia House of Dele ...

of Virginia and James K. Polk of Tennessee in the election of 1840.
³ 844

Silas Wright Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, United Stat ...

of New York was first nominated and he declined the nomination.
⁴ 860 JuneCaleb Cushing resigned as permanent chair.
⁵ 860 JuneDouglas and Johnson were chosen as the candidates of the Front Street Theater convention after most of the Southern delegations walked out. The convention bolters soon formed their own convention, located at the Maryland Institute, also in Baltimore, on June 28, 1860. At their convention Caleb Cushing again served as permanent chair and John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky was nominated for the presidency and

Joseph Lane Joseph "Joe" Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

was nominated for the vice presidency.
1860 Southern Democratic platform

⁶ 860 June

Benjamin Fitzpatrick Benjamin Fitzpatrick (June 30, 1802 – November 21, 1869) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama and a United States Senator from that state. He was a Democrat. Early life Born in Greene County, Georgia, Fitzpatrick was orphaned a ...

of Alabama was first nominated but he declined the nomination.
⁷ 872Greeley and B. Gratz Brown had already been endorsed by the Liberal Republican Party, meeting on May 1 in Cincinnati. A dissident group of Straight-Out Democrats, meeting in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

on September 3, nominated Charles O'Conor of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for President and

John Quincy Adams II John Quincy Adams II (September 22, 1833 – August 14, 1894) was an American politician who represented Quincy in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1866 to 1867, 1868 to 1869, 1871 to 1872, and from 1874 to 1875. Adams served as ...

of Massachusetts for Vice President, but both men declined the nomination.
⁸

896 __NOTOC__ Year 896 ( DCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * February – King Arnulf of Carinthia invades Italy at the head of an East ...

"Gold" Democrats opposed to the

Free Silver Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th-century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adhe ...

plank of the 1896 platform and to Wm J. Bryan's candidacy convened as the National Democratic Party in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

on September 2, and nominated John M. Palmer of Illinois for President and former Governor

Simon Bolivar Buckner Simon Bolivar Buckner ( ; April 1, 1823 – January 8, 1914) was an American soldier, Confederate combatant, and politician. He fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War. He later fought in the Confederate States Army ...

of Kentucky for Vice President.
⁹

Bryan was later nominated for President in St. Louis, together with

Thomas E. Watson Thomas Edward Watson (September 5, 1856 – September 26, 1922) was an American politician, attorney, newspaper editor and writer from Georgia. In the 1890s Watson championed poor farmers as a leader of the Populist Party, articulating an a ...

of Georgia for Vice President, by the National

Silver Republican Party The Silver Republican Party, later known as the Lincoln Republican Party, was a United States political party from 1896 to 1901. It was so named because it split from the Republican Party by supporting free silver (effectively, expansionary moneta ...

meeting on July 22, and by the People's Party (Populists) meeting on July 25.
¹⁰ 948Breakaway delegations left the Philadelphia Convention for conventions of the Progressive and States Rights Democratic Parties. The Progressives, meeting on July 23, also in Philadelphia, nominated former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for President and Senator

Glen H. Taylor Glen Hearst Taylor (April 12, 1904 – April 28, 1984) was an American politician, entertainer, businessman, and U.S. senator from Idaho. He was the vice presidential candidate on the Progressive Party ticket in the 1948 election. Taylor was ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

for Vice President.
1948 Progressive Party platform

The States' Rights Democrats (or "Dixiecrats"), meeting in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

on July 17, nominated Governors

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Prior to his 48 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South Car ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

for President and

Fielding Wright Fielding Lewis Wright (May 16, 1895May 4, 1956) was an American politician who served as the 19th Lieutenant Governor and 49th and 50th Governor of Mississippi. During the 1948 presidential election he served as the vice presidential nominee ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

for Vice President.
1948 States' Rights Democratic platform

¹¹

972 Year 972 ( CMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recent ...

Eagleton withdrew his candidacy after the convention and was replaced by

Sargent Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American diplomat, politician, and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family. Shriver was the driving force behind the creatio ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

.
¹² 016 Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida was intended to be the Temporary Chair, but was substituted for Stephanie Rawliings-Blake by the Democratic National Committee in the wake of the Wasserman/DNC email leak scandal. Wasserman resigned as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee effective after the close of the convention.
¹³ 020Originally scheduled for July 13–16, and originally planned for the

Fiserv Forum Fiserv Forum (stylized as fiserv.forum) () is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the home of the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball tea ...

, but postponed and moved due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

.
¹⁴ 020Centered in Milwaukee, but many speeches and roll call responses were given remotely due to the

Keynote speakers

* 1896 – U.S. Senator

John W. Daniel John Warwick Daniel (September 5, 1842June 29, 1910) was an American lawyer, author, and Democratic politician from Lynchburg, Virginia who promoted the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. Daniel served in both houses of the Virginia General Assemb ...

of Virginia * 1900 – Governor

Charles S. Thomas Charles Spalding Thomas (December 6, 1849June 24, 1934) was a United States senator from Colorado. Born in Darien, Georgia, he attended private schools in Georgia and Connecticut, and served briefly in the Confederate Army. Biography Thomas g ...

of Colorado * 1904 – U.S. Representative

John Sharp Williams John Sharp Williams (July 30, 1854September 27, 1932) was a prominent American politician in the Democratic Party from the 1890s through the 1920s, and served as the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1908 ...

of Mississippi * 1908 – U.S. Representative Theodore Bell of California * 1912 – Chief Judge Alton B. Parker of New York * 1916 – Governor Martin Glynn of New York * 1920 – DNC Chair

Homer Cummings Homer Stille Cummings (April 30, 1870 – September 10, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician who was the United States Attorney General from 1933 to 1939. He also was elected mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, three times before founding th ...

of Connecticut * 1924 – U.S. Senator

Pat Harrison Byron Patton "Pat" Harrison (August 29, 1881June 22, 1941) was a Mississippi politician who served as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1911 to 1919 and in the United States Senate from 1919 until his death. Early l ...

of Mississippi * 1928 –

Claude Bowers Claude Gernade Bowers (November 20, 1878 – January 21, 1958) was a newspaper columnist and editor, author of best-selling books on American history, Democratic Party politician, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ambassador to Spain (1933� ...

of New York * 1932 – U.S. Senator

Alben Barkley Alben William Barkley (; November 24, 1877 – April 30, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th vice president of the United States from 1949 to 1953 under Presid ...

of Kentucky * 1936 – U.S. Senator

of Kentucky and U.S. Senator Joseph Robinson of Arkansas * 1940 – U.S. Representative

William Bankhead William Brockman Bankhead (April 12, 1874 – September 15, 1940) was an American politician who served as the 42nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940, representing Alabama's 10th and later 7th congressiona ...

of Alabama * 1944 – Governor Robert Kerr of Oklahoma * 1948 – U.S. Senator

of Kentucky * 1952 – Governor

Paul Dever Paul Andrew Dever (January 15, 1903April 11, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as the 58th Governor of Massachusetts and was its youngest-ever Attorney General. Among his notable accomplishments ...

of Massachusetts * 1956 – Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee * 1960 – U.S. Senator

Frank Church Frank Forrester Church III (July 25, 1924 – April 7, 1984) was an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator from Idaho from 1957 until his defeat in 1981. As of 2022, he is the longes ...

of Idaho * 1964 – U.S. Senator

John O. Pastore John Orlando Pastore (March 17, 1907July 15, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Rhode Island from 1950 to 1976 and as the 61st governor of Rhode Island from 19 ...

of Rhode Island * 1968 – U.S. Senator

Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken Inouye ( ; September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Beginning in 1959, he was the first U.S. representative ...

of Hawaii * 1972 – Governor

Reubin Askew Reubin O'Donovan Askew (September 11, 1928 – March 13, 2014) was an American politician, who served as the 37th governor of Florida from 1971 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 7th U.S. Trade representative from 1979 t ...

of Florida * 1976 – U.S. Representative

Barbara Jordan Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-A ...

of Texas and U.S. Senator

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...

of Ohio * 1980 – U.S. Representative

Mo Udall Morris King "Mo" Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961, to May 4, 1991. He was a leading contender for the 1976 Democ ...

of Arizona * 1984 – Governor

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as ...

of New York * 1988 – State Treasurer

Ann Richards Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, w ...

of Texas * 1992 – U.S. Senator

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

of New Jersey, U.S. Representative

of Texas, and Governor Zell Miller of Georgia * 1996 – Governor

Evan Bayh Birch Evans Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011 and the 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh ...

of Indiana * 2000 – U.S. Representative

Harold Ford Jr. Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is an American financial managing director, pundit, author, and former U.S. Congressman who served from 1997–2007 in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party f ...

of Tennessee * 2004 – State Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

of Illinois * 2008 – Governor

Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gov ...

of Virginia * 2012 – Mayor Julián Castro of Texas * 2016 – U.S. Senator

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...

of Massachusetts * 2020 – 17 speakers

Gallery of convention sites

File:The_Democratic_convention_at_Charleston,_South_Carolina_-_Interior_of_the_hall_of_the_South_Carolina_Institute_in_Meeting_Street_(cropped1).jpg, Woodcarving of the failed 1860 Charleston convention File:Tammany_Hall_interior_for_the_national_convention_1868_crop.jpeg,

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

decorated for the 1868 convention File:1872_Democratic_National_Convention_-_Maryland_(cropped).jpg, Interior of

Ford's Grand Opera House Ford's Grand Opera House was a major music venue in Baltimore, Maryland, located on West Fayette Street between North Howard and Eutaw Streets. It was founded by theatre manager John T. Ford (also the owner of infamous Ford's Theatre in Washington ...

during the 1872 convention File:1876_Democratic_National_Convention_-_Missouri_(cropped).jpg, 1876 convention File:1880_DNC_(cropped).jpg, 1880 convention. File:8407-democraticconvention-halldiagram.jpg, Diagram of Convention Hall, Chicago, site of the 1884 convention File:Opening_session,_Democratic_National_Convention,_1904,_St._Louis,_Mo_LCCN2007663555_(cropped2).jpg, Opening session at the 1904 convention File:Baltimore_Convention_in_Session_(4295271031)_(cropped).jpg, 1912 convention in-session File:Opening session of the 1924 Democratic convention.png, 1924 convention in-session File:1928_DNC_IMG_8470.jpg, Photograph of the 1928 convention File:Eleanor_Roosevelt_addresses_Democratic_National_Convention,_Chicago,_Illinois._July_18,_1940.jpg, First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

speaking on the final day of the 1940 convention File:DemConv1960 (cropped).jpg, 1960 convention hall File:1964_DNC_day_1_(a).jpg, 1964 convention floor File:DNC_Nlc18572-21.jpg, Carter and Mondale stand together at the end of the 1976 convention File:1996_Democratic_National_Convention.jpg, 1996 convention hall File:Mayor_Thomas_M._Menino_welcomes_delegates_to_the_2004_Democratic_National_Convention_(15488514810).jpg, Boston mayor

Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...

welcomes delegates to the 2004 convention File:Jesse Jackson, Jr. DNC 2008.jpg, Floor of the 2008 convention File:ObamaSpeech2008DNC.jpg,

Invesco Field Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadium ...

, site of

's 2008 acceptance speech File:2012 DNC Debbie Wasserman Schultz (7935583066).jpg, Floor of the 2012 convention File:Hillary Clinton Speech at Democratic National Convention (July 28, 2016).jpg, Nominee

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

speaks at the 2016 convention

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Democratic National Conventions * Democratic Party (United States)-related lists

List of Democratic National Conventions

Keynote speakers

Gallery of convention sites

See also

References