1948 Republican National Convention
The 1948 Republican National Convention was held at the Municipal Auditorium, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 21 to 25, 1948.
New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey had paved the way to win the Republican presidential nomination in the primary elections, where he had beaten Minnesota Governor Harold E. Stassen and World War II hero General Douglas MacArthur. In Philadelphia he was nominated on the third ballot over the opposition from die-hard conservative Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft, the future "minister of peace" Stassen, Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg, and California Governor Earl Warren. In all Republican conventions since 1948, the nominee has been selected on the first ballot. Warren was nominated for Vice President. The Republican ticket of Dewey and Warren surprisingly went on to lose the general election to the Democratic ticket of Harry S. Truman and Alben W. Barkley. The convention was televised on the East Coast by CBS and NBC.
Platform
The party platform formally adopted at the convention included the following points:
- Reduction of the public debt
- Federal aid to states for slum clearance and low-cost housing
- Extension of Social Security benefits
- A federal anti-lynching law
- Federal civil rights legislation. Texas delegate Orville Bullington led a successful protest demanding southern representation on the platform panel considering the civil rights proposals.
- Abolition of the poll tax
- A crackdown on domestic Communism
- Recognition of the state of Israel
- International arms control "on basis of reliable disciplines against bad faith".
Candidates before the convention
- Businessman Riley A. Bender of Illinois
- Speaker of the House Joseph William Martin, Jr. of Massachusetts
-
Former Senator Herbert E. Hitchcock of South Dakota
-
Former Governor Harold E. Stassen of Minnesota
Balloting
| Ballot | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NY Governor Thomas E. Dewey | 434 | 515 | 1094 |
| OH Senator Robert Taft | 224 | 274 | 0 |
| Frm. MN Governor Harold Stassen | 157 | 149 | 0 |
| MI Senator and President pro tem Arthur Vandenberg | 62 | 62 | 0 |
| CA Governor Earl Warren | 59 | 57 | 0 |
| House Speaker Joseph Martin | 18 | 10 | 0 |
| General Douglas MacArthur | 11 | 7 | 0 |
| Others | 127 | 20 | 0 |
Vice-presidential nomination
Dewey had a long list of potential running-mates, including the option of reselecting his 1944 running mate Senator John Bricker of Ohio or choosing someone else in Congressman Charles Halleck of Indiana, and former-Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota. Dewey however, chose two-term California Governor Earl Warren as his running-mate; Warren was nominated unopposed.
See also
| Preceded by 1944 Chicago, Illinois |
Republican National Conventions | Succeeded by 1952 Chicago, Illinois |
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