1848 Democratic National Convention

1848 Democratic National Convention
1848 presidential election;
	Nominees; Cass and Butler
Convention
Date(s)	May 22–25, 1848
City	Baltimore, Maryland
Venue	Universalist Church
Candidates
Presidential nominee	Lewis Cass of Michigan
Vice presidential nominee	William O. Butler of Kentucky
	‹ 1844 · 1852 ›

The 1848 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from monday May 22 to thursday May 25 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1848 election. The convention selected Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan for president and former Representative William O. Butler of Kentucky for vice president.

As incumbent Democratic President James K. Polk declined to seek re-election, the Democratic Party nominated a new presidential candidate for the 1848 election. The major competitors for the presidential nomination were Cass, Secretary of State James Buchanan of Pennsylvania, and Supreme Court Justice Levi Woodbury of New Hampshire. Cass led on the first presidential ballot, and he continued to gain delegates until he clinched the nomination on the fourth ballot. Butler won the vice presidential nomination on the second ballot, defeating former Governor John A. Quitman of Mississippi and several other candidates. The Democratic ticket was defeated in the 1848 election by the Whig ticket of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore.

Proceedings[]

Former Speaker of the House Andrew Stevenson of Virginia was made the president (chair) of the convention.

After readopting the two-thirds rule for selecting the nominee, the assembly turned to the thorny problem of competing delegations representing different factions of the New York party.^[1] The convention adopted a compromise (by a vote of 133 to 118) of splitting the thirty-six votes between the pro-Van Buren faction and the Hunkers that opposed them: despite this, the pro-Van Burenite Barnburners promptly walked out of the convention, while the remaining New York delegates cast blank ballots throughout.

The Democratic National Committee was established at this convention.^[2]

Presidential nomination[]

Presidential candidates[]

Senator
Lewis Cass
of Michigan
Associate Justice
Levi Woodbury
of New Hampshire
Secretary of State
James Buchanan
of Pennsylvania
Former President
Martin Van Buren
from New York
(withdrew before first ballot)

The main competitors for the nomination were Senator Lewis Cass of Michigan, Secretary of State James Buchanan from Pennsylvania, and Supreme Court Justice Levi Woodbury from New Hampshire.

On the first ballot, Cass had a large lead with 125 of the 254 delegate votes cast, with Buchanan and Woodbury receiving 55 and 53 votes respectively.^[1] On the next two ballots Cass gained a simple majority, while Woodbury's total was steady and Buchanan's began to fall. After Cass received 179 votes out of 254 on the fourth ballot, the chair declared that Cass had reached the required 170 votes and was therefore nominated.

Presidential vote
Ballots	1	2	3	4
Lewis Cass	125	133	156	179
Levi Woodbury	53	56	53	38
James Buchanan	55	54	40	33
John C. Calhoun	9	0	0	0
William Jenkins Worth	6	5	5	1
George M. Dallas	3	3	0	0
William Orlando Butler	0	0	0	3
Abstaining	39	39	36	36

1st Presidential Ballot
2nd Presidential Ballot
3rd Presidential Ballot
4th Presidential Ballot

Vice Presidential nomination[]

Vice Presidential candidates[]

Former Representative
William O. Butler
of Kentucky
Former Governor
John A. Quitman
of Mississippi
Former Senator
William R. King
of Alabama
Secretary of the Navy
John Y. Mason
of Virginia
Representative
James Iver McKay
of North Carolina
Inspector General of the Tennessee Militias
Levin Hudson Coe
of Tennessee^[3]

Declined[]

Reporter of Decisions
Benjamin Howard
of Maryland

Cass/Butler campaign poster

Turning to the choice of a vice presidential running mate, the convention picked General William O. Butler of Kentucky^[1] over General John A. Quitman of Mississippi, former Senator and Minister to France William R. King of Alabama, Secretary of the Navy John Y. Mason of Virginia, and Representative James Iver McKay of North Carolina. Before it adjourned on May 25, this convention also appointed the first Democratic National Committee.^[1]

Vice Presidential vote
	1st	2nd Before shifts	2nd After shifts
William Orlando Butler	114	179	254
John A. Quitman	74	62	0
William R. King	26	8	0
John Y. Mason	24	5	0
James Iver McKay	13	0	0
Jefferson Davis	1	0	0
Abstaining	38	36	36

1st Vice Presidential Ballot
2nd Vice Presidential Ballot Before Shifts
2nd Vice Presidential Ballot After Shifts

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Klunder, William (1996). Lewis Cass and the Politics of Moderation. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. pp. 184–186. Archived from the original on 2015-10-14.
^ Smith, Melissa M.; Williams, Glenda C.; Powell, Larry; Copeland, Gary A. (2010). Campaign Finance Reform: The Political Shell Game. Lexington Books. p. 13. ISBN 9780739145678.
^ Levin Hudson Coe, Tennessee Encyclopedia, August 7, 2018

External links[]

Democratic Party Platform of 1848 at The American Presidency Project

Preceded by 1844 Baltimore, Maryland	Democratic National Conventions	Succeeded by 1852 Baltimore, Maryland

[moderation-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Klunder, William (1996). Lewis Cass and the Politics of Moderation. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. pp. 184–186. Archived from the original on 2015-10-14.

[2] Smith, Melissa M.; Williams, Glenda C.; Powell, Larry; Copeland, Gary A. (2010). Campaign Finance Reform: The Political Shell Game. Lexington Books. p. 13. ISBN 9780739145678.

[3] Levin Hudson Coe, Tennessee Encyclopedia, August 7, 2018

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