| Year: | 1908 |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Image Size2: | 90 |
| Date: | July 7–10, 1908 |
| Venue: | Denver Auditorium Arena |
| City: | Denver, Colorado |
| Presidential Nominee: | William J. Bryan of Nebraska |
| Vice Presidential Nominee: | John W. Kern of Indiana |
| Previous Year: | 1904 |
| Next Year: | 1912 |
The 1908 Democratic National Convention took place from July 7 to July 10, 1908, at Denver Auditorium Arena in Denver, Colorado.
The event is widely considered a significant part of Denver's political and social history.
The 1908 convention was the first convention of a major political party in a Western state. The city did not host another nominating convention until a century later, at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
The convention was the second Democratic National Convention to include female delegates.[1] [2] They were Mary C. C. Bradford (Colorado) and Elizabeth Pugsley Hayward (Mrs. Henry J. Hayward) (Utah). Alternate delegates were Mrs. Charles Cook (Colorado), Harriet G. Hood (Wyoming), and Sara L. Ventress (Utah).[3]
Three names were placed in nomination: William Jennings Bryan, John A. Johnson, and George Gray. Bryan was unanimously declared the candidate for president after handily winning the first ballot's roll call.
| John W. Kern | Charles A. Towne | Archibald McNeil | Clark Howell | John Mitchell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former State Senator from Indiana (1893–1897) | Former U.S. Representative for New York's 14th District (1905–1907) | Coal Merchant from Connecticut | Former State Senator from Georgia (1901–1905) | 5th President of the UMW from Illinois (1898–1907) |
Before 1st Ballot | Before 1st Ballot | Before 1st Ballot | ||
| Jerry B. Sullivan | David R. Francis | George Gray | William G. Conrad | |
| Attorney at Law from Iowa | 20th U.S. Secretary of the Interior from Missouri (1896–1897) | Federal Appeals Judge from Delaware (1899–1914) | Banker and Businessman from Montana | |
| Lewis S. Chanler | John B. Stanchfield | John A. Johnson | Judson Harmon | William H. Berry | Morgan J. O'Brien | Herman A. Metz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46th Lieutenant Governor of New York (1907–1908) | Attorney at Law from New York | 16th Governor of Minnesota (1905–1909) | 41st U.S. Attorney General from Ohio (1895–1897) | State Treasurer of Pennsylvania (1907–1908) | Justice of the First Judicial Department from New York (1896–1906) | New York City Comptroller from New York (1906–1909) |
| [4] [5] [6] [7] | [8] [9] | [10] | ||||
| Francis B. Harrison | William L. Douglas | Martin W. Littleton | Ollie Murray James | William J. Gaynor | Herman Ridder | Joseph W. Folk |
| U.S. Representative for New York's 16th District (1907–1913) | 42nd Governor of Massachusetts (1905–1906) | Former Borough President of Brooklyn from New York (1904–1905) | U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 1st District (1903–1913) | Justice of the Second Judicial Department from New York (1905–1909) | President and Editor of the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung from New York (1907–1915) | 31st Governor of Missouri (1905–1909) |
| [11] | [12] [13] | [14] | ||||
John W. Kern of Indiana was unanimously declared the candidate for vice-president without a formal ballot after the names of Charles A. Towne, Archibald McNeil, and Clark Howell were withdrawn from consideration.