New York, NY

July 4 to 9, 1868

Nominated: Horatio Seymour, of New York for President

Nominated: Francis P Blair of Missouri for Vice President

The Democratic convention of 1868 opened on the Fourth of July in New York City. Before the convention opened it was hoped that Supreme Court Chief Justice Samuel Chase would be the Democratic candidate, but keeping with his position he did not mount a campaign for the job. When the conventioned opened George Pendelton the 1864 candidate for Vice President was in the lead. President Johnson who had always been a Democrat and was not being renominated by the Republicans on whose ticket he had run in 1864 also sought reelection this time as a Democrat. After twenty two ballots in which no one acheived the required votes to win, a draft movement quickly developed to nominate the convention chairman Horatio Seymour. He was a supporter of Chase, but the momentum was too great and he was unanimously nominated to be the next President.