1940 Democratic National Convention
Encyclopedia
The 1940 Democratic National Convention
was held at the Chicago Stadium
in Chicago, Illinois from July 15–18, 1940. The convention resulted in the re-nomination of President Franklin Roosevelt as the Democratic Party
candidate for an unprecedented third term. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace
was nominated for Vice-President.
Despite the unprecedented bid for a third term, Roosevelt was nominated on the first ballot. Roosevelt's most formidable challengers were his former campaign manager James Farley
and his Vice President, John Nance Garner
. Both had sought the nomination for the presidency and soundly lost to Roosevelt who would be "drafted" at the convention. Henry Wallace was Roosevelt's preferred choice for the Vice-Presidency. His candidacy was opposed vehemently by some delegates, particularly the conservative wing of the party which had been unenthusiastic about Wallace's liberal positions. Nonetheless, Wallace was ultimately nominated.
when he refused to run for a third term in 1796, and the tradition was further supported by Thomas Jefferson
, founder of the Democratic Party. Roosevelt, however, refused to give a definitive statement as to his willingness to be a candidate, even indicating to his old friend and political kingmaker James Farley
that he would not be a candidate again and that he could seek the nomination. However, as Nazi Germany
swept through Western Europe
and menaced Britain in the summer of 1940 Roosevelt decided that only he had the necessary experience and skills to see the nation safely through the Nazi threat. He was aided by the party's political bosses, who feared that no Democrat except Roosevelt could defeat the charismatic Wendell Willkie
, the Republican candidate.
operatives planted around the stadium echoed and spread the chant, remembered as the "voice from the sewers."
, Roosevelt's Vice President, was a Texas conservative who had turned against Roosevelt because of his liberal economic and social policies; Roosevelt therefore decided to pick another running mate. He chose Henry A. Wallace
, his Secretary of Agriculture
, to be the vice-presidential nominee. Wallace, an outspoken liberal, was strenuously opposed by many delegates at the convention, particularly the more conservative Southern Democrats
. When Roosevelt aide Harry Hopkins
told Roosevelt by telephone that Wallace's nomination was meeting resistance, Roosevelt threatened not to run if Wallace was not nominated, even drafting a speech declining the nomination. Wallace was successfully nominated after Eleanor Roosevelt flew to Chicago to campaign on his behalf. James Farley could not be on the ticket as Vice-President because both he and Roosevelt were from New York State.
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
was held at the Chicago Stadium
Chicago Stadium
The Chicago Stadium was an indoor sports arena and theater in Chicago. It opened in 1929, and closed in 1994.-History:The Stadium hosted the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL from 1929–1994 and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA from 1967–1994....
in Chicago, Illinois from July 15–18, 1940. The convention resulted in the re-nomination of President Franklin Roosevelt as the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate for an unprecedented third term. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
was nominated for Vice-President.
Despite the unprecedented bid for a third term, Roosevelt was nominated on the first ballot. Roosevelt's most formidable challengers were his former campaign manager James Farley
James Farley
James Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...
and his Vice President, John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner
John Nance Garner, IV , was the 32nd Vice President of the United States and the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives .- Early life and family :...
. Both had sought the nomination for the presidency and soundly lost to Roosevelt who would be "drafted" at the convention. Henry Wallace was Roosevelt's preferred choice for the Vice-Presidency. His candidacy was opposed vehemently by some delegates, particularly the conservative wing of the party which had been unenthusiastic about Wallace's liberal positions. Nonetheless, Wallace was ultimately nominated.
Democratic candidates
Throughout the winter, spring, and summer of 1940 there was much speculation as to whether Roosevelt would break with long-standing tradition and run for an unprecedented third term. The "two-term" tradition, although not yet enshrined in the U.S. Constitution as the 22nd Amendment, had been established by President George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
when he refused to run for a third term in 1796, and the tradition was further supported by Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, founder of the Democratic Party. Roosevelt, however, refused to give a definitive statement as to his willingness to be a candidate, even indicating to his old friend and political kingmaker James Farley
James Farley
James Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...
that he would not be a candidate again and that he could seek the nomination. However, as Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
swept through Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and menaced Britain in the summer of 1940 Roosevelt decided that only he had the necessary experience and skills to see the nation safely through the Nazi threat. He was aided by the party's political bosses, who feared that no Democrat except Roosevelt could defeat the charismatic Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
, the Republican candidate.
Voice from the sewers
Roosevelt's backers sealed the deal with an elaborate stunt during the convention itself. Chicago Superintendent of Sewers Thomas D. Garry waited in a basement room with a microphone hooked up to the Chicago Stadium loudspeakers. When Kentucky Senator Alben Barkley mentioned the president by name during a floor speech, Garry began to shout over the speakers, "We want Roosevelt! The world wants Roosevelt!" Chicago machineChicago Machine
The Chicago Machine is a mens field lacrosse team that plays in Major League Lacrosse that was based in Chicago, Illinois until the franchise left after the 2009 season to be a travel team in 2010. The team then transferred its roster to the reborn Rochester Rattlers on November 23, 2010 when it...
operatives planted around the stadium echoed and spread the chant, remembered as the "voice from the sewers."
The balloting
| Presidential Ballot | Vice Presidential Ballot | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... | 946 (86.32%) | Henry A. Wallace Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A... | 626 |
| James A. Farley | 72 (6.57%) | William B. Bankhead William B. Bankhead William Brockman Bankhead was an American politician from Alabama who served as U.S. Representative and Speaker of the House. He was a Democrat. Bankhead was a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other southern... | 329 |
| John Nance Garner John Nance Garner John Nance Garner, IV , was the 32nd Vice President of the United States and the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives .- Early life and family :... | 61 (5.57%) | Paul V. McNutt Paul V. McNutt Paul Vories McNutt was an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Indiana during the Great Depression, high commissioner to the Philippines, administrator of the Federal Security Agency, chairman of the War Manpower Commission and ambassador to the Philippines.-Family and... | 68 |
| Millard E. Tydings | 9 (0.82%) | Alva B. Adams Alva B. Adams Alva Blanchard Adams was a Democratic politician who represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1923 until 1924 and again from 1933 to 1941.-Biography:... | 11 |
| Cordell Hull Cordell Hull Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II... | 5 (0.47%) | James A. Farley | 7 |
| Jesse H. Jones | 5 | ||
| Joseph C. O'Mahoney Joseph C. O'Mahoney Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney was a Democratic United States Senator from Wyoming.O'Mahoney was born in Chelsea, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, November 5, 1884. He attended the parochial and public schools and Columbia University, New York City... | 3 | ||
| Alben W. Barkley Alben W. Barkley Alben William Barkley was an American politician in the Democratic Party who served as the 35th Vice President of the United States , under President Harry S. Truman.... | 2 | ||
| Prentiss M. Brown Prentiss M. Brown Prentiss Marsh Brown was a Democratic U.S. Representative and Senator from the state of Michigan.- Biography :... | 1 | ||
| Louis A. Johnson Louis A. Johnson Louis Arthur Johnson was the second United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the cabinet of President Harry S. Truman from March 28, 1949 to September 19, 1950.... | 1 | ||
| Scott W. Lucas Scott W. Lucas Scott Wike Lucas was a two-term Democratic United States Senator from Illinois, and the United States Senate Majority Leader from 1948 to 1950.... | 1 | ||
| Bascomb Timmons | 1 | ||
| David I. Walsh David I. Walsh David Ignatius Walsh was a United States politician from Massachusetts. As a member of the Democratic Party, he served in the state legislature and then as Lieutenant Governor and then as the 46th Governor . His first term in the U.S... | 0.5 |
Vice-presidential selection
John Nance GarnerJohn Nance Garner
John Nance Garner, IV , was the 32nd Vice President of the United States and the 44th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives .- Early life and family :...
, Roosevelt's Vice President, was a Texas conservative who had turned against Roosevelt because of his liberal economic and social policies; Roosevelt therefore decided to pick another running mate. He chose Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
, his Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
, to be the vice-presidential nominee. Wallace, an outspoken liberal, was strenuously opposed by many delegates at the convention, particularly the more conservative Southern Democrats
Southern Democrats
Southern Democrats are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the American South. In the 19th century, they were the definitive pro-slavery wing of the party, opposed to both the anti-slavery Republicans and the more liberal Northern Democrats.Eventually "Redemption" was finalized in...
. When Roosevelt aide Harry Hopkins
Harry Hopkins
Harry Lloyd Hopkins was one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's closest advisers. He was one of the architects of the New Deal, especially the relief programs of the Works Progress Administration , which he directed and built into the largest employer in the country...
told Roosevelt by telephone that Wallace's nomination was meeting resistance, Roosevelt threatened not to run if Wallace was not nominated, even drafting a speech declining the nomination. Wallace was successfully nominated after Eleanor Roosevelt flew to Chicago to campaign on his behalf. James Farley could not be on the ticket as Vice-President because both he and Roosevelt were from New York State.
See also
- 1940 Republican National Convention1940 Republican National ConventionThe 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of Indiana for President and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for Vice-President....
- United States presidential election, 1940United States presidential election, 1940The United States presidential election of 1940 was fought in the shadow of World War II as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression. Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt , a Democrat, broke with tradition and ran for a third term, which became a major issue...
- Democratic National ConventionDemocratic National ConventionThe Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
- 22nd Amendment