The 1868 Republican National Convention of the Republican Party of the

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was held in

Crosby's Opera House Crosby's Opera House (1865–1871) was an opera house in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was founded by Uranus H. Crosby in 1865 with the goal of advancing the arts in Chicago by bringing opera to the city. The five-story building was desig ...

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, on May 20 to May 21, 1868. Ulysses S. Grant won the election and became the 18th president of the United States. Commanding General of the U.S. Army

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

was the unanimous choice of the Republican convention delegates for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

. For

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

the delegates chose Speaker

Schuyler Colfax Schuyler Colfax Jr. ( ; March 23, 1823January 13, 1885) was an American journalist, businessman, and politician who served as the 17th vice president of the United States from 1869 to 1873, and prior to that as the 25th Speaker of the United Sta ...

, who was Grant's choice. In Grant's acceptance telegram, a letter to then President of the Republican National Convention Joseph R. Hawley, Grant said "Let us have peace".

Background

Republicans, led by their Radical faction, had scored decisive victories in the 1866 elections. If that trend continued in the 1867 elections, then the party's presidential nomination would likely go to a Radical like Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase or Senator Benjamin Wade. Chase had the support of important figures like Senator

Charles Sumner Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811March 11, 1874) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1851 until his death in 1874. Before and during the American Civil War, he was a leading American ...

and financier

Jay Cooke Jay Cooke (August 10, 1821 – February 16, 1905) was an American financier who helped finance the Union war effort during the American Civil War and the postwar development of railroads in the northwestern United States. He is generally acknowle ...

. More moderate Republicans, such as Senator William P. Fessenden, Charles Francis Adams Jr., and ''

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'', had interpreted the 1866 elections not as a mandate for radicalism, but as a rejection of President Andrew Johnson's programs and personality; therefore, they were wary of a Radical nominee. The Grant candidacy, though, took on momentum in the wake of the state elections in 1867. The electorate rejected the Radical Republican agenda by voting for Democratic control in the key Northern states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and by rejecting black manhood suffrage amendments in Kansas and Ohio. The election results bolstered the case of the moderate Republicans and seemed to close the door to a Radical nominee.

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, a Paris Temps journalist who would later be the French premier, reported accurately that "The real victims of the victory of the Democrats are Mr. Wade and Mr. Chase."

Presidential nomination

Presidential candidates

File:Ulysses S Grant by Brady c1870-restored (3x4 crop).jpg, Commanding General

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File:Samuel Portland Chase.jpg, Chief Justice
Salmon P. Chase
of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

''(Speculated)'' File:Benjamin F Wade - Brady-Handy (cropped).jpg, President pro tempore
Benjamin Wade
of

''(Speculated)'' As Republicans convened in Chicago in May 1868, Grant had no serious opposition for the nomination; he was nominated unanimously on the first ballot.
Presidential Balloting / 2nd Day of Convention (May 21, 1868) File:1868RepublicanPresidentialNomination1stBallot.png, 1st
Presidential Ballot

Vice presidential nomination

Vice presidential candidates

File:Schuyler Colfax portrait.jpg, Speaker

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

File:Benjamin F Wade - Brady-Handy (cropped).jpg, President Pro Tempore
Benjamin Wade
of

File:Reuben Fenton - Brady-Handy.jpg,

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Reuben Fenton
of

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File:Henry Wilson, VP of the United States.jpg,

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Henry Wilson Henry Wilson (born Jeremiah Jones Colbath; February 16, 1812 – November 22, 1875) was the 18th vice president of the United States, serving from 1873 until his death in 1875, and a United States Senate, senator from Massachusetts from 1855 to ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

File:Andrew Curtin2 (3x4a).jpg, Former

Andrew Curtin
of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

File:Hannibal Hamlin, photo portrait seated, c1860-65-retouched-crop.jpg, Former

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...

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File:James Speed.jpg, Former

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

James Speed
of

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File:James-Harlan.jpg,

James Harlan
of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

File:John Angel James Creswell, sitting.jpg, Former

John Creswell
of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

File:Samuel C. Pomeroy - Brady-Handy.jpg,

Samuel C. Pomeroy
of

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

File:William D. Kelley - Brady-Handy (1).jpg, Representative
William D. Kelley
of

''(Improper Nomination)'' Colfax was selected for vice president on the fifth ballot.Joseph E. Delgatto
Indiana Journal Hall of Fame
Schuyler Colfax 1966 Colfax was popular among Republicans for his friendly character, party loyalty, and Radical views on

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. Wilson received a large amount of support from the southern delegations.
Vice Presidential Balloting / 2nd Day of Convention (May 21, 1868) File:1868RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination1stBallot.png, 1st
Vice Presidential Ballot File:1868RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination2ndBallot.png, 2nd
Vice Presidential Ballot File:1868RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination3rdBallot.png, 3rd
Vice Presidential Ballot File:1868RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination4thBallot.png, 4th
Vice Presidential Ballot File:1868RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination5thBallotBefore.png, 5th
Vice Presidential Ballot
(Before Shifts) File:1868RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination5thBallotAfter.png, 5th
Vice Presidential Ballot
(After Shifts)

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.''

Works cited

External links

Republican Party Platform of 1868
at ''The American Presidency Project'' {{DEFAULTSORT:1868 Republican National Convention 1868 in Illinois Political conventions in Chicago Republican National Conventions 1868 United States presidential election 1868 conferences May 1868 19th-century political conferences Schuyler Colfax Henry Wilson