1848 Whig National Convention

 

 

The convention was held from June 7 to 9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Every state was represented except for Texas. It was chaired by John A. Collier and John M. Morehead. Taylor had been courted by both the Democrats and the Whigs, but ultimately declared himself a Whig. The platform adopted largely consisted of praise for Taylor, with less attention paid to specific policies.^[1]

The venue for the convention was the Chinese Museum Building. The building since was destroyed by fire in 1854.^[2]

There were 280 individuals seated as delegates to the convention.^[2]

By 1847, General Zachary Taylor had emerged as a contender for the Whig nomination in the 1848 presidential election.^[3] Despite Taylor's largely unknown political views, many Whigs believed he was the party's strongest possible candidate due to his martial accomplishments in the Mexican–American War.^[4] Henry Clay initially told his allies that he would not run in the 1848 presidential election, but he was unwilling to support Taylor, a "mere military man.".^[5] Although Daniel Webster and General Winfield Scott each commanded a limited base of support in the party, Taylor and Clay each saw the other as their lone serious rival for the Whig nomination.^[6]

Taylor led on the first ballot and grew his lead on subsequent ballots. On the fourth ballot, he secured 171 votes and won the presidential nomination.

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

Whig Party leader Thurlow Weed hoped to secure the vice presidency for former New York governor William H. Seward, a vocal opponent of slavery, or to have him appointed U.S. Secretary of State.^[7] New Yorkers opposed to Seward promoted Millard Fillmore, the New York State Comptroller, for vice president; under the conventions of the time, two top positions could not go to individuals from the same state.^[8] Former congressman Solomon Foot of Vermont went to the convention as a supporter of Abbott Lawrence for vice president.^[9] As a key Taylor supporter, Lawrence expected to be nominated for vice president.^[10] Northern anti-slavery delegates perceived Lawrence as more accepting of slavery than Fillmore.^[10] Recognizing that the Whigs would likely collapse if Lawrence was nominated and the northern anti-slavery delegates left the party, or if southern delegates left following a Seward nomination, Foot agreed to shift his support to Fillmore.^[8][10] Lawrence's support eroded as other northern delegates followed Foot's lead, and on the first ballot, Fillmore had 115 votes and Lawrence 109.^[8][10] (Seward was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate for the term starting in March 1849.)^[11]

•  
  Comptroller
  Millard Fillmore
  of New York
•  
  Former Representative
  Abbott Lawrence
  of Massachusetts
•  
  Representative
  Andrew Stewart
  of Pennsylvania
•  
  Former Representative
  Thomas McKennan
  of Pennsylvania
•  
  Former Senator
  George Evans
  of Maine
•  
  Former Representative
  John Sergeant
  of Pennsylvania
•  
  Senator
  John M. Clayton
  of Delaware
•  
  Lieutenant Governor
  Hamilton Fish
  of New York
•  
  Governor
  John Young
  of New York
•  
  Former Senator
  Thomas Ewing
  of Ohio
•  
  Speaker
  Robert C. Winthrop
  of Massachusetts
•  
  Publisher
  Thurlow Weed
  of New York

•  
  Former Governor
  William H. Seward
  of New York
•  
  Representative
  Thomas B. King
  of Georgia

•  
  Senator
  Daniel Webster
  of Massachusetts

Webster was offered the vice presidential spot on the ticket, but declined. Former New York Representative Millard Fillmore was chosen as the vice presidential candidate on the second ballot.

•  
  1st Vice Presidential Ballot
•  
  2nd Vice Presidential Ballot

• U.S. presidential nomination convention
• 1848 United States presidential election
• 1848 Democratic National Convention

• Heidler, David S.; Heidler, Jeanne T. (2010). Henry Clay: The Essential American. Random House. ISBN 978-1-58836-995-6.
• Holt, Michael F. (1999). The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-505544-6.
• Klotter, James C. (2018). Henry Clay: The Man Who Would Be President. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190498047.

• Chester, Edward W A guide to political platforms (1977) online
• Porter, Kirk H. and Donald Bruce Johnson, eds. National party platforms, 1840-1964 (1965) online 1840-1956

• <http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=58512> Accessed: June 11, 2016