Organization of the nation's first "third party"
The anti-masonic movement emerged in the late 1820s, following the disappearance of William Morgan. Morgan vanished in 1826 soon after announcing that he was writing a book exposing the secrets of masonry. Three Masons were tried and convicted of kidnapping Morgan, but his body was never found. An Anti-Masonic political movement offered candidates in the spring elections of 1828 in New York State; Solomon Southwick, the candidate for Governor, received 12% of the vote. The party won four seats in the state senate and 17 in the state assembly. By the time of the 1831 national convention, the party held 16 seats in the U.S. House.
The Anti-Masonic Party was organized as a national political party in a convention held on 9/11-18/1830 in Philadelphia. Ninety-six delegates attended from 10 states and the Michigan Territory. The convention held "considerable debate" upon the issue of calling a more general convention for choosing candidates for President and Vice President, finally passing a resolution calling for such a convention to meet on 9/26/1831 in Baltimore. At this time, "conventions" were an innovative means of gathering people to discuss common interests; other conventions of the era included those for agricultural or social causes.
National Convention
The first national nominating convention in US History was that of the Anti-Masonic Party, which met in the Athenaeum in Baltimore on 9/26-28/1831. There were 111 delegates present from 13 states (all from free states except for Maryland and Delaware). The delegates met behind closed doors for several days before the convention officially opened, in which the convention made some initial decisions. Several presidential ballots were taken, in which William Wirt eventually defeated John McLean for the nomination. This vote was not included in the proceedings, which only stated the formal ballot.
Chairman: John C. Spencer NY, who had led the investigation into the disappearance of William Morgan.
The convention was organized on the 26th and heard reports of its committees on the 27th. Chief Justice John Marshall, being in Baltimore at the time, sat through the afternoon session as a visitor.
The 28th was spent on the official roll call for President and Vice President. During the balloting, the name of each delegate was called, after which that delegate placed a written ballot in a special box. Delegates Abner Phelps and Thaddeus Stevens were appointed tellers to count the votes.
William Wirt was nominated for President with 108 votes to one for Richard Rush and two abstaining. Amos Ellmaker was nominated for Vice President with 108 votes to one for John C. Spencer (chairman of the convention) and two abstaining.
The official proceedings of the convention were printed in Niles's Weekly Register on 10/1 and 10/8/1831.
2d Anti-Masonic National Convention (1836)
Popular Vote of 1832
Electoral Vote of 1832
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