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| 1908 presidential election | |
  Nominees Taft and Sherman | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | June 16–19, 1908 |
| City | Chicago,Illinois |
| Venue | Chicago Coliseum |
| Chair | Henry C. Lodge |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | William Howard Taft ofOhio |
| Vice-presidential nominee | James S. Sherman ofNew York |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 980 |
| Votes needed for nomination | 491 |
| Results (president) | Taft (OH): 702 (71.63%) Knox (PA): 68 (6.94%) Hughes (NY): 67 (6.84%) Cannon (IL): 58 (5.92%) Fairbanks (IN): 40 (4.08%) La Follette (WI): 25 (2.55%) Foraker (OH): 16 (1.63%) Roosevelt (NY): 3 (0.31%) Abstaining: 1 (0.10%) |
| Ballots | 1 |
| ‹ 1904 · 1912 › | |
The1908 Republican National Convention was held inChicago Coliseum,Chicago,Illinois on June 16 to June 19, 1908. It convened to nominate successors toPresidentTheodore Roosevelt and Vice PresidentCharles W. Fairbanks.
U.S. Secretary of WarWilliam Howard Taft ofOhio won Roosevelt's endorsement and received the presidential nomination. The convention nominatedNew YorkRepresentativeJames S. Sherman to be his vice presidentialrunning mate.
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The Republican platform celebrated the Roosevelt administration's economic policies such as the keeping of the protective tariff, establishment of a permanent currency system (theFederal Reserve), additional government supervision and control overtrusts. It championed enforcement ofrailroad rate laws, giving theInterstate Commerce Commission authority to investigate interstate railroads, and reduction of work hours for railroad workers, as well as general reduction in the work week.
In foreign policy, it supported a buildup of the armed forces, protection of American citizens abroad, extension of foreign commerce, vigorous arbitration and the Hague treaties, a revival of theU.S. Merchant Marine, support of war veterans, self-government forCuba and thePhilippines with citizenship for residents ofPuerto Rico.
In other areas, it advocated court reform, creation of a federal Bureau of Mines andMining, extension of ruralmail delivery, environmental conservation, upholding of the rights ofAfrican-Americans and the civil service, and greater efficiency in nationalpublic health agencies.
The platform lastly expressed pride in U.S. involvement in the building of thePanama Canal, the admission of theNew Mexico andArizona Territories; called for the celebration of the birthday ofAbraham Lincoln; and generally deplored theDemocratic Party while celebrating the policies of the Republicans. The platform explained the differences between democracy and republicanism in which the Republicans made clear that democracy was leaning towards socialism and republicanism towards individualism.
The following individuals spoke at the 1908 Republican National Convention. Many spoke with the goal of nominating a specific nominee as this was before the age of the primary and the nominees were all decided at the convention.
The Republicans faced difficulties selecting a successor to Roosevelt.Elihu Root was favored by Roosevelt, but his age and alignment with corporations made him unpalatable.[1][2] Prior to the convention, Vice PresidentCharles W. Fairbanks and New York GovernorCharles Evans Hughes both seemed like plausible nominees, but Roosevelt was determined to pick his own successor.[3] U.S. SenatorJoseph B. Foraker sought the nomination and was financed byWinthrop M. Crane andHenry Cabot Lodge.[4]
Roosevelt supported Secretary of WarWilliam Howard Taft.[2] Entering the convention, Taft, buoyed by the support of the popular Roosevelt, was virtually assured of the nomination.[5] U.S. SenatorJacob H. Gallinger was among the supporters of a movement to stop Taft's nomination.[4] Taft won the presidential nomination on the first ballot, overcoming Fairbanks and the other favorite son candidates.[6]
| Presidential Balloting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | 1st | Unanimous |
| Taft | 702 | 980 |
| Knox | 68 | |
| Hughes | 67 | |
| Cannon | 58 | |
| Fairbanks | 40 | |
| La Follette | 25 | |
| Foraker | 16 | |
| Roosevelt | 3 | |
| Not Voting | 1 | |
Presidential Balloting / 3rd Day of Convention (June 18, 1908)
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Taft preferred a progressive running mate such as Indiana SenatorAlbert Beveridge or Iowa SenatorJonathan Dolliver, but RepresentativeJames S. Sherman of New York had the support of SpeakerJoseph Gurney Cannon and the New York delegation,[2] as well as western support from SenatorCharles Curtis of Kansas.[7] Sherman was a fairly conservative Republican who was nonetheless acceptable to the more progressive wing of the party.[2] Sherman won the vice presidential nomination on the first ballot, taking 816 of the 979 votes cast.[8] Former New Jersey GovernorFranklin Murphy received 77 votes while Massachusetts GovernorCurtis Guild, Jr. received 75 votes, with the remaining votes going to GovernorGeorge L. Sheldon of Nebraska and Vice PresidentCharles Fairbanks.[8]
| Vice Presidential Balloting | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | 1st | Unanimous |
| Sherman | 816 | 980 |
| Murphy | 77 | |
| Guild | 75 | |
| Sheldon | 10 | |
| Fairbanks | 1 | |
| Not Voting | 1 | |
Vice Presidential Balloting / 4th Day of Convention (June 19, 1908)
| Preceded by 1904 Chicago, Illinois | Republican National Conventions | Succeeded by 1912 Chicago, Illinois |
