From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
1908 Republican National Convention
American political convention
American political convention
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| year | 1908 |
| party | Republican |
| image | RP1908.png |
| image_size | 125 |
| image2 | RV1908.png |
| image_size2 | 125 |
| caption | Nominees |
| Taft and Sherman | |
| date | June 16–19, 1908 |
| venue | Chicago Coliseum |
| city | Chicago, Illinois |
| chair | Henry C. Lodge |
| presidential_nominee | William Howard Taft |
| presidential_nominee_state | Ohio |
| vice_presidential_nominee | James S. Sherman |
| vice_presidential_nominee_state | New York |
| ballots | 1 |
| totaldelegates | 980 |
| votesneeded | 491 |
| presidenttotals | Taft (OH): 702 (71.63%) |
| Knox (PA): 68 (6.94%) | |
| Hughes (NY): 67 (6.84%) | |
| Cannon (IL): 58 (5.92%) | |
| Fairbanks (IN): 40 (4.08%) | |
| La Follette (WI): 25 (2.55%) | |
| Foraker (OH): 16 (1.63%) | |
| Roosevelt (NY): 3 (0.31%) | |
| Abstaining: 1 (0.10%) | |
| previous_year | 1904 |
| next_year | 1912 |
Taft and Sherman Knox (PA): 68 (6.94%) Hughes (NY): 67 (6.84%) Cannon (IL): 58 (5.92%) Fairbanks (IN): 40 (4.08%) La Follette (WI): 25 (2.55%) Foraker (OH): 16 (1.63%) Roosevelt (NY): 3 (0.31%) Abstaining: 1 (0.10%) The 1908 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois on June 16 to June 19, 1908. It convened to nominate successors to President Theodore Roosevelt and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks.
U.S. Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio won Roosevelt's endorsement and received the presidential nomination. The convention nominated New York Representative James S. Sherman to be his vice presidential running mate.
The Platform
The Republican platform celebrated the Roosevelt administration's economic policies such as the keeping of the protective tariff, establishment of a permanent currency system (the Federal Reserve), additional government supervision and control over trusts. It championed enforcement of railroad rate laws, giving the Interstate Commerce Commission authority to investigate interstate railroads, and reduction of work hours for railroad workers, as well as general reduction in the work week.
In foreign policy, it supported a buildup of the armed forces, protection of American citizens abroad, extension of foreign commerce, vigorous arbitration and the Hague treaties, a revival of the U.S. Merchant Marine, support of war veterans, self-government for Cuba and the Philippines with citizenship for residents of Puerto Rico.
In other areas, it advocated court reform, creation of a federal Bureau of Mines and Mining, extension of rural mail delivery, environmental conservation, upholding of the rights of African-Americans and the civil service, and greater efficiency in national public health agencies.
The platform lastly expressed pride in U.S. involvement in the building of the Panama Canal, the admission of the New Mexico and Arizona Territories; called for the celebration of the birthday of Abraham Lincoln; and generally deplored the Democratic Party while celebrating the policies of the Republicans. The platform explained the differences between democracy and republicanism in which the Republicans made clear that democracy was leaning towards socialism and republicanism towards individualism.
Speakers
The following individuals spoke at the 1908 Republican National Convention. Many spoke with the goal of nominating a specific nominee as this was before the age of the primary and the nominees were all decided at the convention.
June 16
- Prayer by Rt. Rev. P.J. Muldoon V.G.
- Julius C. Burrows, Michigan Senator
June 17
- Prayer by Rev. William Otis Waters
- Henry Cabot Lodge, Massachusetts Senator
June 18
- Prayer by Rev. Dr. John Wesley Hill
- George Henry Williams, Former Attorney General
- Henry Sherman Boutell of Illinois, Lawyer and diplomat
- Joseph W. Fordney, Congressman of Michigan
- Frank Hanly, Governor of Indiana
- Charles A. Bookwalter, Mayor of Indianapolis
- Stewart L. Woodford, Former Congressman and Judge of New York
- Theodore E. Burton, Congressman of Ohio
- George A. Knight, Attorney and Businessman
- C. B. M'Coy, Ohio Factory Owner
- W. O. Emory, Young Black Delegate from Macon, Georgia
- Robert S. Murphy, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
- James Scarlet, Prominent Attorney from Danville, Pennsylvania
- Henry F. Cochems, Wisconsin Football Star
- Charles A. A. McGee, Author of "The Truth About Money" from Wisconsin
June 19
- Prayer by Rabbi Tobias Schanfarber
- Timothy L. Woodruff, Businessman and Former Politician
- Joseph Gurney Cannon, Speaker of the House
- Augustus E. Willson, Governor of Kentucky
- Henry Cabot Lodge (For a Second Time)
- Chase Osborn of Michigan
- James Brownlow Yellowley, Mississippi State Legislator
- Thomas N. McCarter, Former Attorney General of New Jersey and public servant
- William Warner, Senator from Missouri
- Julius C. Burrows of Michigan
Presidential nomination
Presidential candidates
File:William Howard Taft, Bain bw photo portrait, 1908.jpg|War Secretary William Howard Taft of Ohio File:Philander C Knox-H&E.jpg|Senator Philander C. Knox of Pennsylvania File:Governor Charles Evans Hughes.jpg| File:JGCannon.jpg|Speaker Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois File:Charles W Fairbanks by Harris & Ewing.jpg|Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana File:Robert M La Follette, Sr.jpg| File:Senator Joseph B. Foraker.jpg|Senator Joseph B. Foraker of Ohio File:Leslie Shaw, Bain photo portrait.jpg|Former Treasury Secretary L. M. Shaw of Iowa (Not Nominated)
The Republicans faced difficulties selecting a successor to Roosevelt. Elihu Root was favored by Roosevelt, but his age and alignment with corporations made him unpalatable. U.S. Senator Joseph B. Foraker sought the nomination and was financed by Winthrop M. Crane and Henry Cabot Lodge.
Roosevelt supported Secretary of War William Howard Taft. U.S. Senator Jacob H. Gallinger was among the supporters of a movement to stop Taft's nomination. Taft won the presidential nomination on the first ballot, overcoming Fairbanks and the other favorite son candidates.
Withdrew Before Convention
File:Cortelyou-george-bruce.jpg|Treasury Secretary George B. Cortelyou of New York
Declined to Seek Nomination
File:Elihu Root, bw photo portrait, 1902.jpg|State Secretary Elihu Root of New York File:President Theodore Roosevelt, 1904.jpg|President Theodore Roosevelt of New York
| **Presidential Balloting** | Candidate | 1st | Unanimous | Taft | Knox | Hughes | Cannon | Fairbanks | La Follette | Foraker | Roosevelt | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 702 | 980 | |||||||||||
| 68 | ||||||||||||
| 67 | ||||||||||||
| 58 | ||||||||||||
| 40 | ||||||||||||
| 25 | ||||||||||||
| 16 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 |
Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 18, 1908) File:1908RepublicanPresidentialNomination1stBallot.png|1st Presidential Ballot
Vice Presidential nomination
Vice Presidential candidates
File:James S. Sherman 1909.jpg|Representative James S. Sherman of New York File:Franklin Murphy (NJ).jpg|Former Governor Franklin Murphy of New Jersey File:A record of the dedication of the statue of Major General William Francis Bartlett (1905) (14794194863).jpg|Governor Curtis Guild, Jr. of Massachusetts File:SHELDON, G.L. GOVERNOR LCCN2016857010.jpg|Governor George L. Sheldon of Nebraska (Not Nominated)
Taft preferred a progressive running mate such as Indiana Senator Albert Beveridge or Iowa Senator Jonathan Dolliver, but Representative James S. Sherman of New York had the support of Speaker Joseph Gurney Cannon and the New York delegation, Sherman was a fairly conservative Republican who was nonetheless acceptable to the more progressive wing of the party. Sherman won the vice presidential nomination on the first ballot, taking 816 of the 979 votes cast. Former New Jersey Governor Franklin Murphy received 77 votes while Massachusetts Governor Curtis Guild, Jr. received 75 votes, with the remaining votes going to Governor George L. Sheldon of Nebraska and Vice President Charles Fairbanks.
Declined to Seek Nomination
File:Beveridge-Albert-1920.jpg|Senator Albert J. Beveridge of Indiana File:Albert B Cummins.jpg|Governor Albert B. Cummins of Iowa File:Jonathan P. Dolliver - History of Iowa.jpg|Senator Jonathan P. Dolliver of Iowa File:Herbert S Hadley.jpg|Attorney General Herbert S. Hadley of Missouri File:Governor Charles Evans Hughes.jpg|Governor Charles E. Hughes of New York
| **Vice Presidential Balloting** | Candidate | 1st | Unanimous | Sherman | Murphy | Guild | Sheldon | Fairbanks | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 816 | 980 | ||||||||
| 77 | |||||||||
| 75 | |||||||||
| 10 | |||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||
| 1 |
Vice Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 19, 1908) File:1908RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination1stBallot.png|1st Vice Presidential Ballot
References
Works cited
References
- "Charles Warren Fairbanks, 26th Vice President (1905–1909)".
- (19 June 1908). "Taft Named; First Ballot". New York Times.
- "James S. Sherman, 27th Vice President (1909–1912)".
- (1910). "A History of the Republican National Conventions from 1856 to 1908". Republican National Convention.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 1908 Republican National Convention — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report