| 1836 presidential election | |
 .jpg) Nominees Van Buren and Johnson | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | May 20–22, 1835 |
| City | Baltimore,Maryland |
| Venue | Fourth Presbyterian Church |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Martin Van Buren ofNew York |
| Vice-presidential nominee | Richard M. Johnson ofKentucky |
| ‹ 1832 · 1840 › | |
The1835 Democratic National Convention was held from May 20 to May 22, 1835, inBaltimore, Maryland. The convention nominated incumbentVice PresidentMartin Van Buren forpresident and RepresentativeRichard Mentor Johnson ofKentucky for vice president.
FormerSpeaker of the HouseAndrew Stevenson served as the convention chairman. With the support of PresidentAndrew Jackson, Van Buren won the presidential nomination unanimously. Johnson narrowly won the two-thirds majority necessary for the vice presidential nomination, overcoming a challenge fromWilliam Cabell Rives of Virginia. The Democratic ticket of Van Buren and Johnson went on to win the1836 presidential election.
On February 23, 1835, PresidentAndrew Jackson wrote toJames Gwin ofTennessee and claimed a preference for someone who would "most likely to be the choice of the great body of republicans" in regard to his successor. He expressed the desire to hold another national convention to nominate candidates for the presidency and vice presidency. He instructed Gwin to show the letter to the editor of theNashville Republican. The newspaper later reprinted the letter.[1]
Andrew Stevenson ofVirginia served as the chairman and convention president. Six convention vice presidents and four secretaries were appointed.
Tennessee,Illinois,South Carolina, andAlabama sent no delegates to the convention.
.jpg)
President Jackson had long planned for Vice President Martin Van Buren to succeed him, and Van Buren was the unanimous choice of the delegates for the presidency.
| Presidential Balloting | |
|---|---|
| Candidate | 1st |
| Van Buren | 265 |
| Not Represented | 23 |
Jackson and other major Democrats had settled onRichard Mentor Johnson, a Kentucky representative who had fought in theWar of 1812, as Van Buren's running mate, but many Virginia Democrats backedWilliam Cabell Rives, the former Ambassador to France.[2]
A man from Tennessee, Edward Rucker, who was present at the convention but was not sent as a delegate, cast all 15 votes Tennessee was entitled to for Van Buren, and for Johnson for the vice presidential nomination. Johnson was nominated for vice president after winning one vote more than the two-thirds majority required.
The delegation of Virginia declared that it had no confidence in Johnson's character and principles, and would not support him.[3]
| Vice Presidential Balloting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | 1st | Percentage |
| Johnson | 178 | 67.17% |
| Rives | 87 | 32.83% |
| Not Represented | 23 | 7.99% |
Letters went out on May 23 from the convention president and vice presidents asking for the acceptance of the nominations by the nominees. Van Buren replied and accepted the nomination on May 29;[4] Johnson, likewise on June 9.[5]
TheWhigs did not put forward a national ticket nominated by national convention. Van Buren defeated his many competitors for the presidency in thegeneral election. While the electors of Virginia supported Van Buren for the presidency, they cast their vice presidential votes forWilliam Smith. Consequently, Johnson received a plurality, but not a majority, of the electoral votes for the vice presidency. In the subsequent contingent election in theSenate, Johnson was elected vice president.
| Preceded by 1832 Baltimore, Maryland | Democratic National Conventions | Succeeded by 1840 Baltimore, Maryland |
