5th Democratic National Convention, 1848
Temporary Chairman	Permanent Chairman	Presidential Nominee	Vice Presidential Nominee
J.S. Bryce LA	Former U.S. House Speaker Andrew Stevenson VA	U.S. Sen. Lewis Cass MI	U.S. Senator William O. Butler KY

Democratic Party during the Polk Administration

When the 29th Congress assembled on 12/1/1845, the Democrats had full control of the federal government. They gained eleven seats in the Senate and had a 34-22 majority. In the House, the Democrats had a 142-79 majority, although they actually lost five seats to the Whigs. By this time, the Mexican ambassador has already severed diplomatic relations due to the annexation of Texas, which occurred at the end of John Tyler’s term. Polk dispatched General Zachary Taylor with the American army to defend the southern Texan border. In early 1846, war broke out with Mexico as armies of the two nations clashed in the disputed territory between the Nueces and the Rio Grande.

The year 1846 was very good for Polk. The American forces routed the Mexican army, occupying California and advancing towards Mexico City. In the meantime, SOS Buchanan and the British agreed upon a treaty which divided the Oregon territory along the 49th parallel. On 7/31/1846, the tariff on imports was reduced, and on 8/6/1846, the Independent Treasury system was re-established. President Polk was well on his way towards completing his agenda. The first sign of trouble came on 8/8/1846 when the U.S. House was debating a bill authorizing $2,000,000 to convince Mexico to surrender. U.S. Rep. David Wilmot (D-PA) offered an amendment which banned slavery from any territories formed from land taken from Mexico. This amendment, which came to be called the Wilmot Proviso, passed the House. The Senate adjourned its session without taking any action.

During the congressional recess, twelve states elected U.S. Representatives to the following Congress (1847-1849). These elections were a referendum on the Wilmot Proviso. Northern Whigs, who supported the Proviso, gained eleven seats in New York, five in Pennsylvania, and five other seats. When Congress assembled for its second session, a stronger Wilmot Proviso was introduced, which would ban slavery from the Oregon Territory as well. Two American armies, under Winfield Scott and Franklin Pierce, advanced towards Mexico City and captured it on 9/14/1847. While the war rapidly reached its conclusion, several state legislatures condemned the USA’s only war of conquest, and in the states electing U.S. Representatives at this time, the Whigs gain ten more seats to control the next House.

Pre-Convention Maneuvering

On 8/6/1847, the Barre Whig listed the names of Democrats being promoted for the upcoming presidential nomination: Silas Wright, James Buchanan, Lewis Cass, Levi Woodbury, William O. Butler, George M. Dallas, Robert J. Walker, James Knox Polk, and Thomas Benton. The field narrowed somewhat as President Polk made it evident he did not desire a second term, Wright died on 8/27/1847, and Benton and Walker never organized campaigns.

Delegates to the national convention were selected over a ten-month period. The first delegates chosen were Maine’s at large delegates on 7/15/1847 (New Hampshire Patriot, 7/22/1847). Unlike 1844, the Democratic press did not track the endorsements of the state conventions; perhaps the state conventions were more reticent to make endorsements, as many hoped that President Polk would consent to run for a second term. The New Hampshire convention called for a national plank advocating the Wilmot Proviso, which created a storm in the party leading to the division of the New York Democratic Party.

Near the end of 1847, Democratic state conventions began to recommend candidates for the nomination. Florida’s Democrats placed Samuel Houston TX in nomination, and Missouri Democrats placed Lewis Cass in nomination. New Jersey Democrats, meeting in Camden, supported VP Dallas. (Pittsfield Sun, 12/9/1847)

In early 1848, two other candidates were endorsed by state conventions. In the critical Pennsylvania convention, SOS James Buchanan won the endorsement by a vote of 84 to 34 for VP Dallas, 10 for Cass, and 5 for Van Buren. This victory effectively knocked Dallas out of the running (New Hampshire Patriot, 3/16/1848). Michigan Democrats unanimously endorsed their favorite son Lewis Cass, who was making a series of speeches on the floor of the U.S. Senate supporting the War and opposing the Wilmot Proviso (Pittsfield Sun, 2/17/1848). Meanwhile, Missouri Democrats switched their endorsement from Cass to Levi Woodbury (New Hampshire Patriot, 5/4/1848).

The National Convention

The 5th Democratic National Convention assembled in the Universalist Church Building in Baltimore MD. Each state was granted one delegate per electoral vote, but some states sent more delegates than allotted. Virginia, for example, sent 69 delegates to cast its 23 votes, and Kentucky sent 32 delegates to cast its 12 votes.

Temporary Chairman: J.S. Bryce LA

Permanent Chairman: Andrew Stevenson VA

The first important issue to deal with was the Credentials Committee. The main concern was the set of two competing New York delegations, called the Hunkers and the Barnburners. The initial Credentials Committee report dealt with all other issues. The convention allowed the single South Carolina delegate to cast the entire vote of the state, and after protracted debate seated both New York delegations with a half vote per delegate. This did not satisfy the New York delegations, and neither participated in the convention’s proceedings until the vice presidential ballot.

The Rules Committee recommended that the convention affirm the rules of the 1844 convention. This led to a discussion of the two-thirds rule, which was upheld by a vote of 175-78 (New York abstaining).

The Presidential Nomination

Lewis Cass was nominated for President on the fourth ballot. The chairman ruled (without objection) that two-thirds of the votes cast (170) rather than two-thirds of the electoral vote (194) would be sufficient for nomination.

On the first ballot, Cass led with 126 votes. His support was based in states without an Atlantic Ocean border. Buchanan placed second with 55 votes; his vote came primarily from PA, NJ, and NC. Woodbury placed third with 53 votes; his votes came from New England, AL, and GA. On the following ballots, Cass gradually gained delegate votes. At the end of the fourth ballot, Cass was declared the nominee with 179 votes.

Presidential Balloting – DNC 1848
Contender: Ballot	1st	2d	3d	4th
Lewis Cass MI	125	133	156	179
Levi P. Woodbury NH	53	56	53	38
James Buchanan PA	55	54	39	33
Abstaining	39	38	37	35
John C. Calhoun SC	9	0	0	0
W.J. Worth NY	6	6	5	1
William O. Butler KY	0	0	0	4
George M. Dallas PA	3	3	0	0

Other business

After the appointment of a Platform Committee, which had been overlooked earlier, the convention proceeded to the vice presidential nomination. William O. Butler KY was nominated for vice president on the second ballot.

The final day of the convention began with a motion that in the future, states only send as many delegates as they had electoral votes. The motion failed. The platform was typical of Democratic platforms of the time, with a strong states rights theme. However, William L. Yancey AL offered a proposal that Congress had no power to regulate slavery in the territories or the states. After the amendment lost 36-216, the platform passed unanimously.

The final action of the convention was the creation of the initial Democratic National Committee.

4th Democratic National Convention (1844)

6th Democratic National Convention (1852)

Popular Vote of 1848

Electoral Vote of 1848