List of Democratic National Conventions explained

This is a list of Democratic National Conventions. These conventions are the presidential nominating conventions of the Democratic Party of the United States.

List of Democratic National Conventions

• Conventions whose nominees won the subsequent presidential election are tinted in light blue.
• Four other conventions — in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016 — which nominated candidates who won the popular vote, but not the Electoral College, are tinted in pale yellow.

Dates^[1]	Year	style=width:20%;	Location	State	Temporary Chair	style=width:18%;	Permanent Chair	Platform ^[2]	style=width:4%;	Ballots	Presidential Nominee	Vice Presidential Nominee
–23	1832	The Athenaeum and Warfield's Church, Baltimore	Maryland		Robert Lucas of Ohio	–		Andrew Jackson of Tennessee^1	Martin Van Buren of New York
–22	1835	Fourth Presbyterian Church, Baltimore	Maryland		Andrew Stevenson of Virginia	–		Martin Van Buren of New York	Richard Johnson of Kentucky
–6	1840	The Assembly Rooms, Baltimore	Maryland		William Carroll of Tennessee	1840 platform		Martin Van Buren of New York	–^2
–29	1844	Odd Fellows Hall, Baltimore	Maryland		Hendrick Bradley Wright of Pennsylvania	1844 platform		James K. Polk of Tennessee	George M. Dallas of Pennsylvania^3
–25	1848	Universalist Church, Baltimore	Maryland	J. S. Bryce of Louisiana	Andrew Stevenson of Virginia	1848 platform		Lewis Cass of Michigan	William O. Butler of Kentucky
–5	1852	Maryland Institute, Baltimore	Maryland	Romulus M. Saunders of North Carolina	John Davis of Indiana	1852 platform		Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire	William R. King of Alabama
–6	1856	Smith and Nixon's Hall, Cincinnati	Ohio		John Elliot Ward of Georgia	1856 platform		James Buchanan of Pennsylvania	John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky
–May 3	1860	South Carolina Institute Hall, Charleston	South Carolina		Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts	See below		Deadlocked	Deadlocked
–23	1860	Front Street Theater, Baltimore	Maryland		Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts^4 David Tod of Ohio	1860 N.D. platform		Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois^5	Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia^5,6
–31	1864	The Amphitheatre, Chicago	Illinois		Horatio Seymour of New York	1864 platform		George B. McClellan of New Jersey	George H. Pendleton of Ohio
–9	1868	Tammany Hall, New York City	New York	Henry L. Palmer of Wisconsin	Horatio Seymour of New York	1868 platform		Horatio Seymour of New York	Francis P. Blair, Jr. of Missouri
–10	data-sort-value="1872"	1872^7	Ford's Grand Opera House, Baltimore	Maryland	Thomas Jefferson Randolph of Virginia	James R. Doolittle of Wisconsin	1872 platform		Horace Greeley of New York^7	B. Gratz Brown of Missouri^7
–29	1876	Merchant's Exchange Building, St. Louis	Missouri		John A. McClernand of Illinois	1876 platform		Samuel J. Tilden of New York	Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana
–24	1880	Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati	Ohio	George Hoadly of Ohio	John W. Stevenson of Kentucky	1880 platform		Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania	William H. English of Indiana
–11	1884	Interstate Exposition Building, Chicago	Illinois	Richard B. Hubbard of Texas	William F. Vilas of Wisconsin	1884 platform		Grover Cleveland of New York	Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana
–7	1888	Exposition Building, St. Louis	Missouri		Patrick Collins of Massachusetts	1888 platform		Grover Cleveland of New York	Allen G. Thurman of Ohio
–23	1892	Wigwam, Chicago	Illinois	William Claiborne Owens of Kentucky	William Lyne Wilson of West Virginia	1892 platform		Grover Cleveland of New York	Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois
–11	data-sort-value="1896"	1896^8	Chicago Coliseum, Chicago	Illinois	John W. Daniel of Virginia	Stephen M. White of California	1896 platform		William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska^9	Arthur Sewall of Maine
–6	1900	Convention Hall, Kansas City	Missouri	Charles Thomas of Colorado^[3]	James D. Richardson of Tennessee	1900 platform		William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska	Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois
–9	1904	St. Louis Coliseum, St. Louis	Missouri	John Sharp Williams of Mississippi^[4]	Champ Clark of Missouri	1904 platform		Alton B. Parker of New York	Henry G. Davis of West Virginia
–10	1908	Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver	Colorado	Theodore Bell of California^[5]	Henry D. Clayton of Alabama	1908 platform		William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska	John W. Kern of Indiana
–July 2	1912	Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore	Maryland	Alton B. Parker of New York^[6]	Ollie M. James of Kentucky	1912 platform		Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey	Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana
–16	1916	Convention Hall, St. Louis	Missouri		Ollie M. James of Kentucky	1916 platform		Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey (speech)	Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana
–July 6	1920	Civic Auditorium, San Francisco	California	Homer Stille Cummings of Connecticut^[7]	Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas	1920 platform		James M. Cox of Ohio	Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York
–July 9	1924	Madison Square Garden, New York	New York	Martin H. Glynn of New York^[8]	Thomas J. Walsh of Montana	1924 platform		John W. Davis of New York	Charles W. Bryan of Nebraska
–29	1928	Sam Houston Hall, Houston	Texas		Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas	1928 platform		Al Smith of New York (speech)	Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas
–July 2	1932	Chicago Stadium, Chicago	Illinois	Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky	Thomas J. Walsh of Montana	1932 platform		Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech)	John Nance Garner of Texas
–27	1936	Convention Hall and Franklin Field, Philadelphia	Pennsylvania		Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas	1936 platform	Acclamation	Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech)	John Nance Garner of Texas
–18	1940	Chicago Stadium, Chicago	Illinois		Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky	1940 platform		Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech)	Henry A. Wallace of Iowa
–21	1944	Chicago Stadium, Chicago	Illinois	Robert Kerr of Oklahoma	Samuel D. Jackson of Indiana	1944 platform		Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech)	Harry S. Truman of Missouri
–14	data-sort-value="1948"	1948^10	Convention Hall, Philadelphia	Pennsylvania		Sam Rayburn of Texas	1948 platform		Harry S. Truman of Missouri (speech)	Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky
–26	1952	International Amphitheatre, Chicago	Illinois		Sam Rayburn of Texas	1952 platform		Adlai Stevenson of Illinois (speech)	John Sparkman of Alabama
–17	1956	International Amphitheatre, Chicago	Illinois		Sam Rayburn of Texas	1956 platform		Adlai Stevenson of Illinois (speech)	Estes Kefauver of Tennessee
–15	1960	Memorial Sports Arena and Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles	California		LeRoy Collins of Florida	1960 platform		John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts (speech)	Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas
–27	1964	Convention Hall, Atlantic City	New Jersey		John W. McCormack of Massachusetts	1964 platform	Acclamation	Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas (speech)	Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota
–29	1968	International Amphitheatre, Chicago	Illinois		Carl Albert of Oklahoma	1968 platform		Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota (speech)	Edmund Muskie of Maine
–13	1972	Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach	Florida	Daniel Inouye of Hawaii	Lawrence F. O'Brien of Massachusetts	1972 platform		George McGovern of South Dakota (speech)	Thomas Eagleton of Missouri^11
–15	1976	Madison Square Garden, New York	New York		Lindy Boggs of Louisiana	1976 platform		Jimmy Carter of Georgia (speech)	Walter Mondale of Minnesota
–14	1980	Madison Square Garden, New York	New York		Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts	1980 platform		Jimmy Carter of Georgia (speech)	Walter Mondale of Minnesota
–19	1984	Moscone Center, San Francisco	California		Martha Layne Collins of Kentucky	1984 platform		Walter Mondale of Minnesota (speech)	Geraldine Ferraro of New York
–21	1988	The Omni, Atlanta	Georgia		Jim Wright of Texas	1988 platform		Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts (speech)	Lloyd Bentsen of Texas
–16	1992	Madison Square Garden, New York	New York		Ann Richards of Texas	1992 platform		Bill Clinton of Arkansas (speech)	Al Gore of Tennessee
–29	1996	United Center, Chicago	Illinois		Dick Gephardt of Missouri Tom Daschle of South Dakota	1996 platform	Acclamation	Bill Clinton of Arkansas (speech)	Al Gore of Tennessee
–17	2000	Staples Center, Los Angeles	California		Terry McAuliffe of New York	2000 platform	Acclamation	Al Gore of Tennessee (speech)	Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
–29	2004	FleetCenter, Boston	Massachusetts		Bill Richardson of New Mexico	2004 platform		John Kerry of Massachusetts (speech)	John Edwards of North Carolina
–28	2008	Pepsi Center and Invesco Field, Denver	Colorado	Howard Dean of Vermont	Nancy Pelosi of California	2008 platform	data-sort-value="1"	1 / Acclamation	Barack Obama of Illinois (speech)	Joe Biden of Delaware
–6	2012	Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte	North Carolina	Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida	Antonio Villaraigosa of California	2012 platform	data-sort-value="1"	1 / Acclamation	Barack Obama of Illinois (speech)	Joe Biden of Delaware
–28	2016	Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Maryland^12	Marcia Fudge of Ohio	2016 platform		Hillary Clinton of New York (speech)	Tim Kaine of Virginia
–20^13	2020	Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee Various locations remotely^14	Wisconsin	Not chosen	Bennie Thompson of Mississippi	2020 platform		Joe Biden of Delaware (speech)	Kamala Harris of California
–22	2024	United Center, Chicago	Illinois	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Kamala Harris of California	Tim Walz of Minnesota

Footnotes

¹[1832] A resolution endorsing "the repeated nominations which he [Jackson] has received in various parts of the Union" was passed by the convention.
²[1840] A resolution stating "that the convention deem it expedient at the present time not to choose between the individuals in nomination, but to leave the decision to their Republican fellow-citizens in the several states" was passed by the convention. Most Van Buren electors voted for Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky for the vice presidency; others voted for Littleton Waller Tazewell of Virginia and James K. Polk of Tennessee in the election of 1840.
³[1844] Silas Wright of New York was first nominated and he declined the nomination.
⁴[1860 June] Caleb Cushing resigned as permanent chair.
⁵[1860 June] Douglas and Johnson were chosen as the candidates of the Front Street Theater convention after most of the Southern delegations walked out. The convention bolters soon formed their own convention, located at the Maryland Institute, also in Baltimore, on June 28, 1860. At their convention Caleb Cushing again served as permanent chair and John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky was nominated for the presidency and Joseph Lane of Oregon was nominated for the vice presidency. (1860 Southern Democratic platform)
⁶[1860 June] Benjamin Fitzpatrick of Alabama was first nominated but he declined the nomination.
⁷[1872] Greeley and B. Gratz Brown had already been endorsed by the Liberal Republican Party, meeting on May 1 in Cincinnati. A dissident group of Straight-Out Democrats, meeting in Louisville, Kentucky on September 3, nominated Charles O'Conor of New York for President and John Quincy Adams II of Massachusetts for Vice President, but both men declined the nomination.^[9]
8[1896] "Gold" Democrats opposed to the Free Silver plank of the 1896 platform and to Wm J. Bryan's candidacy convened as the National Democratic Party in Indianapolis on September 2, and nominated John M. Palmer of Illinois for President and former Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner of Kentucky for Vice President.
⁹[1896] Bryan was later nominated for President in St. Louis, together with Thomas E. Watson of Georgia for Vice President, by the National Silver Republican Party meeting on July 22, and by the People's Party (Populists) meeting on July 25.^[10]
10 [1948] Breakaway delegations left the Philadelphia Convention for conventions of the Progressive and States Rights Democratic Parties. The Progressives, meeting on July 23, also in Philadelphia, nominated former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for President and Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho for Vice President. (1948 Progressive Party platform)
The States' Rights Democrats (or "Dixiecrats"), meeting in Birmingham, Alabama on July 17, nominated Governors Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for President and Fielding Wright of Mississippi for Vice President. (1948 States' Rights Democratic platform)^[11]
11[1972] Eagleton withdrew his candidacy after the convention and was replaced by Sargent Shriver of Maryland.
¹²[2016] Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida was intended to be the Temporary Chair, but was substituted for Stephanie Rawlings-Blake by the Democratic National Committee in the wake of the Wasserman/DNC email leak scandal. Wasserman resigned as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee effective after the close of the convention.^[12]
13[2020] Originally scheduled for July 13–16, and originally planned for the Fiserv Forum, but postponed and moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
¹⁴[2020] Centered in Milwaukee, but many speeches and roll call responses were given remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[13]

Keynote speakers

• 1896 – U.S. Senator John W. Daniel of Virginia^[14]
• 1900 – Governor Charles S. Thomas of Colorado^[15]
• 1904 – U.S. Representative John Sharp Williams of Mississippi^[15]
• 1908 – U.S. Representative Theodore Bell of California^[16]
• 1912 – Chief Judge Alton B. Parker of New York
• 1916 – Governor Martin Glynn of New York^[17]
• 1920 – DNC Chair Homer Cummings of Connecticut^[18]
• 1924 – U.S. Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi^[19]
• 1928 – Claude Bowers of New York^[20]
• 1932 – U.S. Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky^[21]
• 1936 – U.S. Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky and U.S. Senator Joseph Robinson of Arkansas^[22]
• 1940 – U.S. Representative William Bankhead of Alabama^[23]
• 1944 – Governor Robert Kerr of Oklahoma^[24]
• 1948 – U.S. Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky^[25]
• 1952 – Governor Paul Dever of Massachusetts^[26]
• 1956 – Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee^[27]
• 1960 – U.S. Senator Frank Church of Idaho
• 1964 – U.S. Senator John O. Pastore of Rhode Island^[28]
• 1968 – U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii
• 1972 – Governor Reubin Askew of Florida^[29]
• 1976 – U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas and U.S. Senator John Glenn of Ohio^[30]
• 1980 – U.S. Representative Mo Udall of Arizona
• 1984 – Governor Mario Cuomo of New York^[25]
• 1988 – State Treasurer Ann Richards of Texas
• 1992 – U.S. Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas, and Governor Zell Miller of Georgia^[25]
• 1996 – Governor Evan Bayh of Indiana
• 2000 – U.S. Representative Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee
• 2004 – State Senator Barack Obama of Illinois
• 2008 – Governor Mark Warner of Virginia
• 2012 – Mayor Julián Castro of Texas
• 2016 – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• 2020 – 17 speakers
• 2024 - President of the United States Joe Biden^[31]

See also

• List of United States Democratic Party presidential tickets
• List of presidential nominating conventions in the United States
• List of Republican National Conventions
• List of Whig National Conventions
• U.S. presidential election
• U.S. presidential primary
• 2016 Democratic National Convention
• 2020 Democratic National Convention

Notes and References

1. Book: Thompson . Margaret C. . Presidential Elections Since 1789 . . 1983 . Washington, D.C. . 65 . 0-87187-268-4 .
2. American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara, at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/platforms.php (retrieved February 3, 2012)
3. Book: Democratic party. National convention, Kansas City . Official proceedings of the Democratic national convention held in Kansas City, Mo., July 4th, 5th and 6th, 1900 . 1900 . Chicago, Ill., McLellan printing co. . The Library of Congress . 29.
4. Book: Blumenberg, Milton W. . Official report of the proceedings of the Democratic national convention held in St. Louis, Mo., July 6, 7, 8, and 9, 1904, resulting in the nomination of Hon. Alton B. Parker (of New York) for president and Hon. Henry G. Davis (of West Virginia) for vice-president. . 1904 . Press of the Publishers' printing company . New York . 15.
5. Book: Blumenberg, Milton W. . Official report of the proceedings of the Democratic national convention held in Denver, Colorado, July 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1908, resulting in the nomination of Hon. William Jennings Bryan (of Nebraska) for president and Hon. John Worth Kern (of Indiana) for vice-president . 1908 . Press of Western Newspaper Union . Chicago . 13.
6. Book: Democratic National Convention. (1912 : Baltimore, Md) . Official report of the proceedings of the Democratic national convention, held in Baltimore, Maryland, June 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and July 1 and 2, 1912, resulting in the nomination of Hon. Woodrow Wilson (of New Jersey) for president and Hon. Thomas Riley Marshall (of Indiana) for vice-president . Blumenberg . Milton W. . Woodson . Urey . 1912 . [Chicago : The Peterson linotyping co. |others=University of California Libraries].
7. Web site: Democrats Wildly Acclaim Wilson, Tammany Alone Silent; Chairman Puts League to the Fore and Delegates Cheer; With 21 Candidates, it is Now the Field Against M'Adoo . 2022-12-01 . archive.nytimes.com.
8. Book: Granat, Louis . Official report of the proceedings of the Democratic national convention, held at Saint Louis, Missouri, June 14, 15 and 16th, 1916 . Kremer . J. Bruce . 1916 . Chicago.
9. Tim Taylor, The Book of Presidents, Arno Press, New York, 1972, page 215.
10. Tim Taylor, The Book of Presidents, Arno Press, New York, 1972, page 283.
11. Tim Taylor, The Book of Presidents, Arno Press, New York, 1972, page 470.
12. Web site: Pavlecic . Jacob . DNC Announces Convention Officers . Politics PA . 26 July 2016.
13. Web site: KimS. 2020-06-25. DemDaily: Democrats Announce Virtual Convention!. 2020-08-19. Demlist. en-US.
14. Web site: US President – D Convention Race – Jul 07, 1896 . Our Campaigns . 2015-08-29 . 2016-07-27.
15. Web site: Past Keynote Speakers . Washingtonpost.com . 2016-07-27.
16. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp--rv/politics/documents/Past_Democratic_Keynote_Speakers.html
17. Web site: US President – D Convention Race – Jun 14, 1916 . Our Campaigns . 2016-07-27.
18. Web site: Democrats Wildly Acclaim Wilson, Tammany Alone Silent; Chairman Puts League to the Fore and Delegates Cheer; With 21 Candidates, it is Now the Field Against M'Adoo . The New York Times . July 1, 2000.
19. Web site: Hail to the Chief: 1924 . Library.olemiss.edu . 2016-07-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160715043656/http://www.library.olemiss.edu/exhibits/hail_to_the_chief/exhibitions/elections/1924.html . 2016-07-15 . dead .
20. Web site: Bowers in Democratic Keynote Scores Corruption; Smith Certain on First Ballot as Convention Opens, Picks Robinson as Running Mate, Dictates Platform . The New York Times . June 26, 2000.
21. Web site: Roosevelt Orders Two-Thirds Rule Fight End, But Backers in Committee Take Issue to Floor; Delegates Wildly Cheer Barkley's Repeal Plea . The New York Times . June 24, 2000.
22. Web site: Robinson Rallies Democrats With Defense of New Deal; Committee Considers Platform Supplied by President; Roosevelt Expected to Draft Lehman After Convention . The New York Times . July 10, 2000.
23. Web site: Democrats Are Not 'War Party', Convention's Keynote Declares; Roosevelt 'Draft' Move Growing . The New York Times . July 6, 2000.
24. Web site: Democrats Press 'War Chief' Issue; Second Place Open . The New York Times . July 10, 2000.
25. Web site: Archived copy . . 2009-01-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025130845/http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/democratic_conventions.pdf . 2012-10-25.
26. Web site: Barkley Quits Race, Blasts Union Chiefs; Move to Draft Stevenson Is Increasing; Southerners Lose Loyalty Pledge Fight . The New York Times . July 11, 2000.
27. Web site: Democratic Keynote Talk Assails Nixon as 'Hatchet Man' of G.O.P.; Lays 'Indifference' to President . The New York Times . July 10, 2000.
28. Web site: John Pastore, Prominent Figure in Rhode Island Politics for Three Decades, Dies at 93 . The New York Times . Richard . Goldstein . July 17, 2000 . May 8, 2010.
29. Web site: Special Section: 200 Faces for the Future . https://web.archive.org/web/20080612214305/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879402-4,00.html . dead . June 12, 2008 . TIME . 1974-07-15 . 2016-07-27.
30. Web site: Democrats Meet, Strauss Asks an end of 'Years of Nixon-Ford'; Beame and Carey Join in Attack . Partners.nytimes.com . 1976-07-13 . 2016-07-27.
31. Web site: Biden to make a forceful case for Harris and Walz in convention speech . August 17, 2024 . Mike . Memoli . Monica . Alba . NBCNews.com . August 20, 2024.