The
United States presidential election of 1928 pitted
RepublicanThe United States Republican Party is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States.-Creation:The Republican Party organized in 1854...
Herbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
against
DemocratThe history of the Democratic Party of the United States is an account of the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest democratic party in the world.-Origins:...
Al SmithAlfred Emanuel Smith, Jr. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American politician who was elected Governor of New York four times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. He was the first Roman Catholic and Irish-American to run for President as a major party...
. The Republicans were identified with the booming economy of the 1920s, whereas Smith, a Roman Catholic, suffered politically from anti-Catholic prejudice, his
anti-prohibitionistIn the history of the United States, Prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, is the period from 1919 to 1933, during which the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol for consumption were banned nationally as mandated in the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States...
stance, and the legacy of corruption of
Tammany HallTammany Hall , was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics and helping immigrants rise up in American politics from the 1790s to the 1960s...
with which he was associated. Hoover won a landslide victory.
Republican Party nomination
Republican candidates:
- Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
, U.S. Secretary of Commerce from CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
- Frank Lowden, former governor of Illinois
Illinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
- Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
, U.S. Senate Majority Leader from KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
Candidates gallery
With
President CoolidgeJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the...
choosing not to enter the race, the race for the nomination was wide open. The leading candidates were Secretary of Commerce Herbert C. Hoover, former
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
Governor Frank O. Lowden and Senate Majority Leader
Charles CurtisCharles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
. A draft-Coolidge movement failed to gain traction with party insiders, and failed to persuade Coolidge himself.
In the few primaries that mattered Hoover didn't do as well as expected, and it was thought that the President or
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
Charles Dawes might accept a draft in case of a deadlock, but Lowden withdrew just as the convention was about to start, paving the way for a Hoover victory.
The Republican Convention, held in
Kansas City, MissouriKansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...
from June 12 to June 15, nominated Hoover on the first ballot. With Hoover disinclined to interfere in the selection of his running mate, the party leaders were at first partial to giving Dawes a shot at a second term, but when this information leaked, Coolidge sent an angry telegram saying that he would consider a second nomination for Dawes, whom he hated, a "personal affront." To attract votes from farmers concerned about Hoover's pro-business orientation, it was instead offered to Senator Curtis, who accepted. He was nominated overwhelmingly on the first ballot.
In his acceptance speech a week after the convention ended, Secretary Hoover said: "We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of this land... We shall soon with the help of God be in sight of the day when poverty will be banished from this land."
The Balloting
| Presidential Ballot | | Vice Presidential Ballot | |
|---|
Herbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted government intervention under the rubric "economic...
| 837 | Charles CurtisCharles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
| 1,052 |
|---|
| Frank O. Lowden | 74 | Herman L. Ekern | 19 |
|---|
Charles CurtisCharles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States...
| 64 | Charles G. DawesCharles Gates Dawes was an American banker and politician who was the 30th Vice President of the United States. For his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served in the First World War, was U.S...
| 13 |
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| James E. Watson | 45 | Hanford MacNider Hanford MacNider was a United States diplomat and United States Army General, serving in both World War I and World War II. He was a Scottish Rite Freemason.-Biography:...
| 2 |
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| George W. Norris | 24 | | |
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| Guy D. Goff Guy Despard Goff was a United States Senator from West Virginia.Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, he attended the common schools and William and Mary College...
| 18 | | |
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Calvin CoolidgeJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the...
| 17 | | |
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Charles G. DawesCharles Gates Dawes was an American banker and politician who was the 30th Vice President of the United States. For his work on the Dawes Plan for World War I reparations he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served in the First World War, was U.S...
| 4 | | |
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Charles E. HughesCharles Evans Hughes Sr. was a lawyer and Republican politician from the State of New York. He served as Governor of New York , United States Secretary of State , Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Chief Justice of the United States...
| 1 | | |
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Democratic Party nomination
Democratic candidates:
- Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith, Jr. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American politician who was elected Governor of New York four times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. He was the first Roman Catholic and Irish-American to run for President as a major party...
, governor of New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- 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...
, U.S. representative from TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
- James A. Reed
James Alexander Reed was an American Democratic Party politician from Missouri.Reed was born on a farm in Richland County, Ohio. He moved with his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the age of 3. He went to public schools and attended Coe College...
, U.S. senator from MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
- Atlee Pomerene
Atlee Pomerene was a Democratic Party politician from Ohio. He represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 1911 until 1923.-Early life and career:...
, former U.S. senator from OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
Candidates gallery
With the memory of the Teapot Dome scandal rapidly fading, and the current state of prosperity making that year's Presidential nomination not worth all that much, most of the major Democratic leaders such as William G. McAdoo were content to sit this one out. One who didn't was New York Governor Alfred E. Smith, who had tried twice before.
The
1928 Democratic National ConventionThe 1928 Democratic National Convention was held at Sam Houston Hall in Houston, Texas from June 26 - June 28, 1928. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York for President and Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas for Vice-President.The convention was the...
was held in
Houston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
, June 26 to June 28 and Smith became the candidate on the first ballot.
The leadership asked the delegates to nominate Sen.
Joseph T. RobinsonJoseph Taylor Robinson was an American politician from Arkansas, of the Democratic Party. He was a state representative, a U.S. Representative, Governor of Arkansas, U.S. Senator, and Senate Majority Leader, and he was a candidate for Vice President in the 1928 U.S...
of Arkansas, who was in many ways Smith's political polar opposite, to be his running mate, and he was nominated for Vice-President.
Smith was the first Roman Catholic to gain a major party's nomination for President, and his religion became an issue during the campaign. Many Protestants feared that Smith would take orders from church leaders in Rome in making decisions affecting the country.
The Balloting
| Presidential Ballot | | Vice Presidential Ballot | |
|---|
| Alfred E. Smith | 849.17 | Joseph T. RobinsonJoseph Taylor Robinson was an American politician from Arkansas, of the Democratic Party. He was a state representative, a U.S. Representative, Governor of Arkansas, U.S. Senator, and Senate Majority Leader, and he was a candidate for Vice President in the 1928 U.S...
| 1,035.17 |
|---|
Cordell HullCordell 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...
| 71.84 | Alben W. BarkleyAlben William Barkley was an American politician who served as the 35th Vice President of the United States from 1949 to 1953 under President Harry S. Truman.Prior to the Vice Presidency, Barkley served in the U. S...
| 77 |
|---|
Walter F. GeorgeWalter Franklin George was an American politician from the state of Georgia. He was a long-time United States Senator and was President pro tempore. He was a Democrat.-Early years:...
| 52.5 | Nellie T. Ross | 31 |
|---|
James A. ReedJames Alexander Reed was an American Democratic Party politician from Missouri.Reed was born on a farm in Richland County, Ohio. He moved with his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the age of 3. He went to public schools and attended Coe College...
| 52 | Henry T. AllenHenry Tureman Allen is known for exploring the Copper River in Alaska in 1885 along with the Tanana and Koyukuk rivers by transversing 1,500 miles of wilderness. His trek has been compared to that of Lewis and Clark....
| 28 |
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| Atlee Pomerene Atlee Pomerene was a Democratic Party politician from Ohio. He represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 1911 until 1923.-Early life and career:...
| 47 | George L. BerryGeorge Leonard Berry was president of the International Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America from 1907 to 1948 and a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1937 to 1938.-Early life:...
| 17.5 |
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| Jesse H. Jones | 43 | Dan J. Moody Daniel James Moody, Jr. was a U.S. political figure and Democrat. Born in Taylor, Texas, he served as the Governor of Texas between 1927 and 1931, and is best remembered in Texas history as a reformer and an opponent of the Ku Klux Klan...
| 9.33 |
|---|
Evans WoollenEvans Woollen was the second head college football coachfor the Wabash College Little Giants located in Crawfordsville, Indianaand he held that position for the 1886 season....
| 32 | Duncan U. FletcherDuncan Upshaw Fletcher was an American lawyer and politician of the Democratic Party. Senator Fletcher was the longest serving U.S. Senator in Florida's history.-Early Life and Career:...
| 7 |
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| Byron P. Harrison | 20 | John H. Taylor John Harris Taylor was one of the seven presidents of Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
| 6 |
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| William A. Ayres | 20 | Lewis G. Stevenson | 4 |
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| Richard C. Watts | 18 | Evans WoollenEvans Woollen was the second head college football coachfor the Wabash College Little Giants located in Crawfordsville, Indianaand he held that position for the 1886 season....
| 2 |
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| Gilbert M. Hitchcock | 16 | Joseph P. Tumulty | 1 |
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A. Victor DonaheyAlvin Victor Donahey was a Democratic Party politician from Ohio. Donahey was the 50th Governor of Ohio and a United States Senator from Ohio.Donahey was born in Cadwallader, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. His parents were John C...
| 5 | | |
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| Houston Thompson | 2 | | |
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Theodore G. BilboTheodore Gilmore Bilbo was an American politician. Bilbo, a Democrat, twice served as governor of Mississippi and later became a U.S. Senator . A master of scathing filibuster and a "rough and tumble" fighter in debate, Bilbo became a synonym for white supremacy...
| 1 | | |
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Prohibition Party nomination
The Prohibition Convention was held in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
from July 10 through July 12. Smith openly opposed
ProhibitionProhibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol. Typically, the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries...
. Some members of the Prohibition Party wanted to throw their support to Hoover, thinking that their candidate would not win and that they didn't want their candidate to provide the margin by which Smith would win. Nonetheless,
William F. VarneyWilliam Frederick Varney was an American politician.-Life:He was the son of Rev. F. W. Varney ....
was nominated for President over Hoover by a margin of 68–45.
Results
The election was held on November 6, 1928.
Republican candidate Herbert Hoover won election by a wide margin on pledges to continue the economic boom of the
CoolidgeJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the...
years. Smith won the electoral votes only of the traditionally Democratic
Southern United StatesThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and two
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
States. Hoover even triumphed in Smith's home state of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
by a narrow margin.
Smith's Catholicism and perceived anti-Prohibitionism as well as association with Tammany Hall hurt him in the
SouthSolid South refers to the electoral support of the Southern United States for the Democratic Party candidates for nearly a century from 1877, the end of the Reconstruction, to 1964, during the middle of the Civil Rights era....
, where several states were won by the Republicans for the first time since Reconstruction. However, in southern states with sizable African American populations (and where the vast majority of African Americans could not vote at the time), perception took hold of Hoover as being for integration or at least not committed to maintaining segregation, which in turn overcame all of these things. During the race,
MississippiMississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
Senator Theodore Bilbo claimed that Hoover had met with a black member of the
Republican National CommitteeThe Republican National Committee provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is also responsible for organizing and...
and danced with her. But Smith's religion helped him with New England immigrants, which may explain his narrow victories in traditionally Republican
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
and
Rhode IslandRhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.
This was the first time
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
ever voted Republican.
Source (Popular Vote):
Source (Electoral Vote):
Primary sources
- Hoover, Herbert. The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover: The Cabinet and the Presidency, 1920-1933 (1952),
- Smith, Alfred E. Campaign Addresses 1929.
See also
- President of the United States
The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
- United States Senate elections, 1928
- History of the United States (1918-1945)
External links