National Politics: The 1924 Republican Nomination Race

NATIONAL POLITICS: THE 1924 REPUBLICAN NOMINATION RACE

Coolidge Meets the Progressive Challenge

Calvin Coolidge had been president only a few months when the 1924 presidential campaign season began. Harding's unexpected death in August 1923 put Coolidge in the White House, but it did not earn him the confidence of the Republican old guard or the party's progressive senators. Coolidge used the presidential primaries as an opportunity to unite his party and solidify support for his nomination. Yet two Republican mavericks, Sen. Hiram Johnson of California and Sen. Robert La Follette of Wisconsin, complicated Coolidge's task. Both progressive senators challenged their party's incumbent president for the Republican nomination. Senator Johnson criticized the administration's tax-reduction plan, advised against involvement in the World Court, and advocated the termination of all immigration from Asia. Johnson's determined efforts, however, delivered him only one primary victory, in South Dakota. Coolidge even prevailed comfortably in Johnson's home state of California. While Johnson entered nearly every primary, La Follette selected his fights more judiciously. Running in only two states, La Follette defeated Coolidge in Wisconsin, La Follette's home state, and the progressive senator placed second among the three contenders in North Dakota. Besides the progressive challenge Coolidge also had to contend with repercussions from the Teapot Dome scandal, with its allegations of corruption in Harding's administration.

The Republican Convention

When the Republicans convened on 10 June 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio, most of their business seemed pro forma. Their nominee was apparent. One new rule reflected the broadened electorate. Because women had entered national politics after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Republican National Committee provided for equal representation, one woman and one man from each state and territory, on the committee. The convention received unprecedented attention, with gavel-to-gavel radio coverage for the first time in American history. As the party in power, Republicans opted for a concise and noncontroversial platform, which trumpeted the party's accomplishments since 1921: lowering taxes and keeping the country out of the League of Nations. La Follette's supporters put forth an alternative platform that blasted the government and private monopoly, but it was defeated without a vote.

Coolidge Is Nominated

Having met the progressive challenge during the primaries and demonstrated his ability to quell negative fallout from Teapot Dome, Coolidge assured himself a first-ballot victory. Since Coolidge's nomination was certain, nomination speeches, rather than balloting, occupied conventioneers' attention. Dr. Marion L. Burton's speech, one of the longest nominating speeches in convention history, praised Coolidge, "The Man, The American, and the Human Being." After nine seconding speeches, delegates bestowed a near-unanimous vote on Coolidge. Only thirty-four die-hard delegates maintained their commitments to La Follette and Johnson.

Selecting a Vice President

Harding's death and Wilson's near death in office persuaded delegates of the importance of the vice presidential candidate selection. Coolidge had not designated a running mate, so several names emerged. On the first ballot six candidates divided the vote. Frank Lowden led the field with 222, despite his repeated assertions that he was not interested in and would not accept the position. After three ballots Lowden won, and he still refused to accept the nomination. Herbert Hoover and Charles G. Dawes then stood as the two most likely contenders. Despite broad popularity, each man was unpopular with at least one bloc of voters. Hoover's role in fixing agriculture prices during the war had alienated farmers, and Dawes was unpopular with organized labor because of his opposition to strikes. By a vote of 682-234 Dawes secured the nomination, reflecting the Republicans' greater interest in agrarian support than the labor vote. Moreover, Dawes's criticism of the closed shop endeared him to many conservatives. Dawes was the author of the Dawes Plan, which renegotiated German reparations payments.

Sources:

Richard C. Bain and Judith H. Parris, Convention Decisions and Voting Records, second edition (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1973);

David Burner, "Election of 1924," in History of American Presidential Elections 1789-1968, edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., volume 3 (New York: Chelsea House/McGraw-Hill, 1971), pp. 2459-2581;

"National Affairs," Time, 3 (21 June 1924): 1-7.