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1892 Republican National Convention

The 1892 Republican National Convention was held at the Industrial Exposition Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June 7 to June 10, 1892. The party nominated President Benjamin Harrison for re-election on the first ballot and Whitelaw Reid of New York for vice president.[1]

Convention

June 7–10, 1892

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Industrial Exposition Building

William McKinley

Benjamin Harrison of Indiana

Whitelaw Reid of New York

James G. Blaine
William McKinley

906

454

Harrison (IN): 535.17 (59.07%)
McKinley (OH): 182 (20.09%)
Blaine (ME): 181.83 (20.07%)
Reed (ME): 4 (0.44%)
Lincoln (IL): 1 (0.11%)

1

James S. Clarkson of Iowa was the outgoing chairman of the Republican National Committee. J. Sloat Fassett of New York was the temporary chairman, and Governor William McKinley Jr. of Ohio was the permanent chair of the convention.


Harrison's Secretary of State James G. Blaine, who had resigned from the cabinet on June 4, 1892, the eve of the convention, had his name submitted for consideration by the delegates, but drew little support. Future president William McKinley barely edged out Blaine for second place among the delegates.


Although successful in his bid for re-nomination, President Harrison's performance was underwhelming for an incumbent, due in part to the crushing defeat that the party had suffered in the 1890 mid-term elections. He and Reid would lose the fall 1892 election to former President Grover Cleveland and Adlai Stevenson.


The 1892 RNC was also the first convention where women were allowed to be delegates. Therese Alberta (Parkinson) Jenkins, delegate from Wyoming, cast the first vote by a woman for president; Wyoming had granted full suffrage for women at statehood in 1890.

Preconvention[edit]

Benjamin Harrison lost the support of Mark Hanna and Thomas Brackett Reed due to his patronage decisions. Hanna was the treasurer of the Republican National Committee and raised significant funds for Harrison in 1888. Matthew Quay gave his support to the anti-Harrison movement as he felt Harrison accepted his resignation as chair of the RNC too quickly. Thomas C. Platt was critical of Harrison for not making him Secretary of the Treasury.[2]


Quay, James S. Clarkson, and other Republicans attempted to have James G. Blaine run, but Blaine announced that he would not on February 1, 1892. Anti-Harrison Republicans considered supporting Russell A. Alger, Shelby M. Cullom, William McKinley, Reed, Whitelaw Reid, and John Sherman.[3]


Henry W. Blair, a former U.S. senator from New Hampshire, declared his candidacy in February 1892.[4][5] Quay supported McKinley at the convention.[6]


Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio sent uninstructed delegations.[7]

History of the United States Republican Party

List of Republican National Conventions

U.S. presidential nomination convention

1892 United States presidential election

1892 Democratic National Convention

Knoles, George (1971). . Stanford University Press. ISBN 040450969X.

The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1892

Calhoun, Charles William (2005). . New York: Times Books. ISBN 978-0-8050-6952-5.

Benjamin Harrison

Horner, William T. (2010). Ohio's Kingmaker: Mark Hanna, Man and Myth. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press.  978-0-8214-1894-9.

ISBN

Huber, Molly (April 26, 2011). . MNopedia. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved November 3, 2012.

"Republican National Convention, June 1892"

Muzzey, David Saville (1934). . New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company.

James G. Blaine: A Political Idol of Other Days

at The American Presidency Project

Republican Party platform of 1892

at The American Presidency Project

Harrison acceptance letter