| 1904 presidential election | |
  Nominees Roosevelt and Fairbanks | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | June 21–23, 1904 |
| City | Chicago,Illinois |
| Venue | Chicago Coliseum |
| Chair | Joseph G. Cannon |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Theodore Roosevelt ofNew York |
| Vice-presidential nominee | Charles W. Fairbanks ofIndiana |
| Other candidates | Mark Hanna |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 994 |
| Votes needed for nomination | 498 |
| Results (president) | Theodore Roosevelt (NY): 994 (100%) |
| Ballots | 1 |
| ‹ 1900 · 1908 › | |
The1904 Republican National Convention was held in theChicago Coliseum,Chicago,Cook County,Illinois, on June 21 to June 23, 1904.
The popularPresidentTheodore Roosevelt had easily ensured himself of the nomination; a threat had come from the Old Guard favourite OhioSenatorMark Hanna, the loyalkingmaker in Republican politics, but he died early in 1904, which ended any opposition to Roosevelt within theRepublican Party.
There were also very informal talks with future presidentWilliam Howard Taft about trying for the nomination, but Taft refused these motions as evidenced by a letter toHenry Hoyt, the Solicitor General, in 1903.
Roosevelt was nominated by 994 votes to none, while the only other serious opponent to Roosevelt, Indiana SenatorCharles W. Fairbanks, was nominated forvice president by acclaimation.
Delegates from Wisconsin controlled byRobert M. La Follette were not seated and conservatives delegates controlled byJohn Coit Spooner were accepted instead.[1]
Two delegations, one all-whitelily-white delegation led byHenry C. Warmoth and a mixed-raceblack-and-tan delegation led by Walter L. Cohen, were sent from Louisiana. The credentials committee voted to seat the black-and-tan delegation on June 16, but later changed it to accept four at-large delegates from both factions and each one holding half a vote.[2]
Elihu Root andJoseph Gurney Cannon were selected as the presiding officers of the convention.Henry Cabot Lodge was selected to chair the Committee on Resolutions.[1]
The 1904 Republican platform favored the protective tariff, increased foreign trade, thegold standard, expansion of the Merchant Marine and strengthening of theUnited States Navy; it also praised Roosevelt's foreign and domestic policies.
As Theodore Roosevelt had ascended to the presidency following thedeath ofWilliam McKinley on September 14, 1901, he served the remainder of McKinley's term without a vice president as theTwenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution had not yet been passed. This also left the convention with the task of choosing a running mate for Roosevelt.
Entering the convention, SenatorCharles Fairbanks of Indiana was considered the likely favorite for the vice presidential nomination, but the Roosevelt administration favored Illinois RepresentativeRobert R. Hitt or Secretary of WarWilliam Howard Taft of Ohio;[3]SpeakerJoseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois also had support among the delegates, but Cannon had no desire to leave his position in the House.[3] After the administration decided not to launch a fight over the nomination of Fairbanks, he was nominated by acclamation.[4]
There were significantly fewer speakers at the 1904 convention than there are at a typical convention today. This is because the convention at the time was much lower in viewership (as there were not the mass media devices of TV or radio at this time only those actually invited saw it). Also, this was before the primary era so the delegates were expected to nominate the candidate at the actual convention as well as more typical tasks such as electing the chairman and handling other business which varies in importance at the Republican Convention today. Nonetheless, there were speeches by the following individuals at the 1904 Republican National Convention:
Roosevelt and his running mateCharles W. Fairbanks were unanimously nominated, but unlike candidates today, they did not give convention speeches, instead having individuals give nominating speeches for them. Roosevelt's nomination speech was made by former New York GovernorFrank S. Black and was seconded by Indiana SenatorAlbert Beveridge. Fairbanks's nomination speech was made by Iowa SenatorJonathan P. Dolliver and was seconded by New York SenatorChauncey Depew.
| Preceded by 1900 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Republican National Conventions | Succeeded by 1908 Chicago, Illinois |
