1956 Republican National Convention

Convention scheduling

The 1956 Republican convention was held after that year's Democratic National Convention. This was unusual, as since 1864, in every election but 1888, Democrats had held their convention second. It has become an informal tradition that the party holding the White House (which, accordingly, in 1956 had been the Republican Party) hosts their convention second, but it is unclear when this tradition began (Democrats had held the White House and held their conventions second between 1936 and 1952, but it is unclear whether they scheduled their conventions second in these years because of their White House incumbency, or whether they scheduled them second because it was traditional that Democratic National Conventions had been held after the Republican National Convention).

Presidential nomination

Presidential candidates

File:Eisenhower official cropped.png|President Dwight D. Eisenhower of Pennsylvania

President Eisenhower was unanimously re-nominated by the Republican delegates for President of the United States.

Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (August 22, 1956) File:1956RepublicanPresidentialNomination1stBallot.png|1st Presidential Ballot

Vice Presidential nomination

Vice Presidential candidates

File:Richard Nixon official portrait as Vice President (cropped).tiff|

Eisenhower had considered other running mates, but with his health a concern, he ultimately decided that Vice President Richard Nixon was best prepared to assume the presidency. By the time of the convention, a unanimous renomination for Nixon was expected until one renegade delegate, former Democratic Congressman and perennial candidate Terry Carpenter, decided to place in nomination for vice president a man named Joe Smith, from Carpenter's own Terrytown, Nebraska. When asked who Joe Smith was at the 1956 convention, Carpenter mysteriously replied, "Oh, he is a symbol of an open convention, in that sense of the word." It was eventually revealed that there was no such man, and that his nomination was a protest against the perceived political theater of the closed 1956 Republican National Convention. Carpenter ultimately did cast his one dissenting vote for vice president for Joe Smith.

Vice Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (August 22, 1956) File:1956RepublicanVicePresidentialNomination1stBallot.png|1st Vice Presidential Ballot

References

References

1. Nichols, David A.. (2011). "Eisenhower 1956: The President's Year of Crisis--Suez and the Brink of War". Simon & Schuster.
2. (3 August 2000). "Whose Convention Goes First?".
3. "Joe Smith Incident {{!}} C-SPAN.org".
4. (July 19, 2016). "The Lone Dissenter".
5. "Terry Carpenter".