# List of Democratic National Conventions

This is a list of Democratic National Conventions. These conventions are the presidential nominating conventions of the Democratic Party of the United States of America.

## List of Democratic National Conventions

* Conventions whose nominees won the subsequent presidential election are tinted in light blue.
* Four other conventions — in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016 — which nominated candidates who won the popular vote, but not the Electoral College, are tinted in pale yellow.
| Dates | Year | Location | State | Temporary Chair | Permanent Chair | Platform | Ballots | Presidential Nominee | Vice Presidential Nominee |
| May 21–23 | 1832 | The Athenaeum and Warfield's Church, Baltimore | Maryland | [data missing] | Robert Lucas of Ohio | – | 1 | Andrew Jackson of Tennessee$^1$ | Martin Van Buren of New York |
| May 20–22 | 1835 | Fourth Presbyterian Church, Baltimore | Maryland | [data missing] | Andrew Stevenson of Virginia | – | 1 | Martin Van Buren of New York | Richard Johnson of Kentucky |
| May 5–6 | 1840 | The Assembly Rooms, Baltimore | Maryland | [data missing] | William Carroll of Tennessee | 1840 platform | 1 | Martin Van Buren of New York | –$^2$ |
| May 27–29 | 1844 | Odd Fellows Hall, Baltimore | Maryland | [data missing] | Hendrick Bradley Wright of Pennsylvania | 1844 platform | 9 | James K. Polk of Tennessee | George M. Dallas of Pennsylvania$^3$ |
| May 22–25 | 1848 | Universalist Church, Baltimore | Maryland | J. S. Bryce of Louisiana | Andrew Stevenson of Virginia | 1848 platform | 4 | Lewis Cass of Michigan | William O. Butler of Kentucky |
| June 1–5 | 1852 | Maryland Institute, Baltimore | Maryland | Romulus M. Saunders of North Carolina | John Davis of Indiana | 1852 platform | 49 | Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire | William R. King of Alabama |
| June 2–6 | 1856 | Smith and Nixon's Hall, Cincinnati | Ohio | [data missing] | John Elliot Ward of Georgia | 1856 platform | 17 | James Buchanan of Pennsylvania | John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky |
| April 23–May 3 | 1860 | South Carolina Institute Hall, Charleston | South Carolina | [data missing] | Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts | See below | 57 | Deadlocked | Deadlocked |
| June 18–23 | 1860 | Front Street Theater, Baltimore | Maryland | [data missing] | Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts$^4$ David Tod of Ohio | 1860 N.D. platform | 2 | Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois$^5$ | Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia$^{5,6}$ |
| August 29–31 | 1864 | The Amphitheatre, Chicago | Illinois | [data missing] | Horatio Seymour of New York | 1864 platform | 1 | George B. McClellan of New Jersey | George H. Pendleton of Ohio |
| July 4–9 | 1868 | Tammany Hall, New York City | New York | Henry L. Palmer of Wisconsin | Horatio Seymour of New York | 1868 platform | 22 | Horatio Seymour of New York | Francis P. Blair Jr. of Missouri |
| July 9–10 | 1872$^7$ | Ford's Grand Opera House, Baltimore | Maryland | Thomas Jefferson Randolph of Virginia | James R. Doolittle of Wisconsin | 1872 platform | 1 | Horace Greeley of New York$^7$ | B. Gratz Brown of Missouri$^7$ |
| June 27–29 | 1876 | Merchant's Exchange Building, St. Louis | Missouri | [data missing] | John A. McClernand of Illinois | 1876 platform | 2 | Samuel J. Tilden of New York | Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana |
| June 22–24 | 1880 | Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati | Ohio | George Hoadly of Ohio | John W. Stevenson of Kentucky | 1880 platform | 2 | Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania | William H. English of Indiana |
| July 8–11 | 1884 | Interstate Exposition Building, Chicago | Illinois | Richard B. Hubbard of Texas | William F. Vilas of Wisconsin | 1884 platform | 2 | Grover Cleveland of New York | Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana |
| June 5–7 | 1888 | Exposition Building, St. Louis | Missouri | [data missing] | Patrick Collins of Massachusetts | 1888 platform | 1 | Grover Cleveland of New York | Allen G. Thurman of Ohio |
| June 21–23 | 1892 | Wigwam, Chicago | Illinois | William Claiborne Owens of Kentucky | William Lyne Wilson of West Virginia | 1892 platform | 1 | Grover Cleveland of New York | Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois |
| July 7–11 | 1896$^8$ | Chicago Coliseum, Chicago | Illinois | John W. Daniel of Virginia | Stephen M. White of California | 1896 platform | 5 | William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska$^9$ | Arthur Sewall of Maine |
| July 4–6 | 1900 | Convention Hall, Kansas City | Missouri | Charles Thomas of Colorado | James D. Richardson of Tennessee | 1900 platform | 1 | William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska | Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois |
| July 6–9 | 1904 | St. Louis Coliseum, St. Louis | Missouri | John Sharp Williams of Mississippi | Champ Clark of Missouri | 1904 platform | 1 | Alton B. Parker of New York | Henry G. Davis of West Virginia |
| July 7–10 | 1908 | Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver | Colorado | Theodore Bell of California | Henry D. Clayton of Alabama | 1908 platform | 1 | William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska | John W. Kern of Indiana |
| June 25–July 2 | 1912 | Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore | Maryland | Alton B. Parker of New York | Ollie M. James of Kentucky | 1912 platform | 46 | Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey | Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana |
| June 14–16 | 1916 | Convention Hall, St. Louis | Missouri | [data missing] | Ollie M. James of Kentucky | 1916 platform | 1 | Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey (speech) | Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana |
| June 28–July 6 | 1920 | Civic Auditorium, San Francisco | California | Homer Stille Cummings of Connecticut | Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas | 1920 platform | 44 | James M. Cox of Ohio | Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York |
| June 24–July 9 | 1924 | Madison Square Garden, New York | New York | Martin H. Glynn of New York | Thomas J. Walsh of Montana | 1924 platform | 103 | John W. Davis of New York | Charles W. Bryan of Nebraska |
| June 26–29 | 1928 | Sam Houston Hall, Houston | Texas | [data missing] | Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas | 1928 platform | 1 | Al Smith of New York (speech) | Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas |
| June 27–July 2 | 1932 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago | Illinois | Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky | Thomas J. Walsh of Montana | 1932 platform | 4 | Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech) | John Nance Garner of Texas |
| June 23–27 | 1936 | Convention Hall and Franklin Field, Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | [data missing] | Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas | 1936 platform | Acclamation | Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech) | John Nance Garner of Texas |
| July 15–18 | 1940 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago | Illinois | [data missing] | Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky | 1940 platform | 1 | Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech) | Henry A. Wallace of Iowa |
| July 19–21 | 1944 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago | Illinois | Robert Kerr of Oklahoma | Samuel D. Jackson of Indiana | 1944 platform | 1 | Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York (speech) | Harry S. Truman of Missouri |
| July 12–14 | 1948$^{10}$ | Convention Hall, Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | [data missing] | Sam Rayburn of Texas | 1948 platform | 1 | Harry S. Truman of Missouri (speech) | Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky |
| July 21–26 | 1952 | International Amphitheatre, Chicago | Illinois | [data missing] | Sam Rayburn of Texas | 1952 platform | 3 | Adlai Stevenson of Illinois (speech) | John Sparkman of Alabama |
| August 13–17 | 1956 | International Amphitheatre, Chicago | Illinois | [data missing] | Sam Rayburn of Texas | 1956 platform | 1 | Adlai Stevenson of Illinois (speech) | Estes Kefauver of Tennessee |
| July 11–15 | 1960 | Memorial Sports Arena and Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles | California | [data missing] | LeRoy Collins of Florida | 1960 platform | 1 | John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts (speech) | Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas |
| August 24–27 | 1964 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City | New Jersey | [data missing] | John W. McCormack of Massachusetts | 1964 platform | Acclamation | Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas (speech) | Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota |
| August 26–29 | 1968 | International Amphitheatre, Chicago | Illinois | [data missing] | Carl Albert of Oklahoma | 1968 platform | 1 | Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota (speech) | Edmund Muskie of Maine |
| July 10–13 | 1972 | Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach | Florida | Daniel Inouye of Hawaii | Lawrence F. O'Brien of Massachusetts | 1972 platform | 1 | George McGovern of South Dakota (speech) | Thomas Eagleton of Missouri$^{11}$ |
| July 12–15 | 1976 | Madison Square Garden, New York | New York | [data missing] | Lindy Boggs of Louisiana | 1976 platform | 1 | Jimmy Carter of Georgia (speech) | Walter Mondale of Minnesota |
| August 11–14 | 1980 | Madison Square Garden, New York | New York | [data missing] | Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts | 1980 platform | 1 | Jimmy Carter of Georgia (speech) | Walter Mondale of Minnesota |
| July 16–19 | 1984 | Moscone Center, San Francisco | California | [data missing] | Martha Layne Collins of Kentucky | 1984 platform | 1 | Walter Mondale of Minnesota (speech) | Geraldine Ferraro of New York |
| July 18–21 | 1988 | The Omni, Atlanta | Georgia | [data missing] | Jim Wright of Texas | 1988 platform | 1 | Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts (speech) | Lloyd Bentsen of Texas |
| July 13–16 | 1992 | Madison Square Garden, New York | New York | [data missing] | Ann Richards of Texas | 1992 platform | 1 | Bill Clinton of Arkansas (speech) | Al Gore of Tennessee |
| August 26–29 | 1996 | United Center, Chicago | Illinois | [data missing] | Dick Gephardt of Missouri Tom Daschle of South Dakota | 1996 platform | Acclamation | Bill Clinton of Arkansas (speech) | Al Gore of Tennessee |
| August 14–17 | 2000 | Staples Center, Los Angeles | California | [data missing] | Terry McAuliffe of New York | 2000 platform | Acclamation | Al Gore of Tennessee (speech) | Joe Lieberman of Connecticut |
| July 26–29 | 2004 | FleetCenter, Boston | Massachusetts | [data missing] | Bill Richardson of New Mexico | 2004 platform | 1 | John Kerry of Massachusetts (speech) | John Edwards of North Carolina |
| August 25–28 | 2008 | Pepsi Center and Invesco Field, Denver | Colorado | Howard Dean of Vermont | Nancy Pelosi of California | 2008 platform | 1 / Acclamation | Barack Obama of Illinois (speech) | Joe Biden of Delaware |
| September 4–6 | 2012 | Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte | North Carolina | Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida | Antonio Villaraigosa of California | 2012 platform | 1 / Acclamation | Barack Obama of Illinois (speech) | Joe Biden of Delaware |
| July 25–28 | 2016 | Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Maryland$^{12}$ | Marcia Fudge of Ohio | 2016 platform | 1 | Hillary Clinton of New York (speech) | Tim Kaine of Virginia |
| August 17–20$^{13}$ | 2020 | Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee Various locations remotely$^{14}$ | Wisconsin | Not chosen | Bennie Thompson of Mississippi | 2020 platform | 1 | Joe Biden of Delaware (speech) | Kamala Harris of California |
| August 19–22 | 2024 | United Center, Chicago | Illinois | TBA | Minyon Moore of Illinois | 2024 platform | 1 | Kamala Harris of California (speech) | Tim Walz of Minnesota |
Footnotes
$^1$[1832] A resolution endorsing "the repeated nominations which he [Jackson] has received in various parts of the Union" was passed by the convention.
$^2$[1840] A resolution stating "that the convention deem it expedient at the present time not to choose between the individuals in nomination, but to leave the decision to their Republican fellow-citizens in the several states" was passed by the convention. Most Van Buren electors voted for Richard Mentor Johnson of Kentucky for the vice presidency; others voted for Littleton Waller Tazewell of Virginia and James K. Polk of Tennessee in the election of 1840.
$^3$[1844] Silas Wright of New York was first nominated and he declined the nomination.
$^4$[1860 June] Caleb Cushing resigned as permanent chair.
$^5$[1860 June] Douglas and Johnson were chosen as the candidates of the Front Street Theater convention after most of the Southern delegations walked out. The convention bolters soon formed their own convention, located at the Maryland Institute, also in Baltimore, on June 28, 1860. At their convention Caleb Cushing again served as permanent chair and John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky was nominated for the presidency and Joseph Lane of Oregon was nominated for the vice presidency. (1860 Southern Democratic platform)
$^6$[1860 June] Benjamin Fitzpatrick of Alabama was first nominated but he declined the nomination.
$^7$[1872] Greeley and B. Gratz Brown had already been endorsed by the Liberal Republican Party, meeting on May 1 in Cincinnati. A dissident group of Straight-Out Democrats, meeting in Louisville, Kentucky on September 3, nominated Charles O'Conor of New York for President and John Quincy Adams II of Massachusetts for Vice President, but both men declined the nomination. $^8$[1896] "Gold" Democrats opposed to the Free Silver plank of the 1896 platform and to Wm J. Bryan's candidacy convened as the National Democratic Party in Indianapolis on September 2, and nominated John M. Palmer of Illinois for President and former Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner of Kentucky for Vice President. $^9$[1896] Bryan was later nominated for President in St. Louis, together with Thomas E. Watson of Georgia for Vice President, by the National Silver Republican Party meeting on July 22, and by the People's Party (Populists) meeting on July 25. $^{10}$ [1948] Breakaway delegations left the Philadelphia Convention for conventions of the Progressive and States Rights Democratic Parties. The Progressives, meeting on July 23, also in Philadelphia, nominated former Vice President Henry A. Wallace of Iowa for President and Senator Glen H. Taylor of Idaho for Vice President. (1948 Progressive Party platform) The States' Rights Democrats (or "Dixiecrats"), meeting in Birmingham, Alabama on July 17, nominated Governors Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for President and Fielding Wright of Mississippi for Vice President. (1948 States' Rights Democratic platform)
$^{11}$[1972] Eagleton withdrew his candidacy after the convention and was replaced by Sargent Shriver of Maryland.
$^{12}$[2016] Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida was intended to be the Temporary Chair, but was substituted for Stephanie Rawlings-Blake by the Democratic National Committee in the wake of the Wasserman/DNC email leak scandal. Wasserman resigned as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee effective after the close of the convention.
$^{13}$[2020] Originally scheduled for July 13–16, and originally planned for the Fiserv Forum, but postponed and moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
$^{14}$[2020] Centered in Milwaukee, but many speeches and roll call responses were given remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Keynote speakers

* 1896 – U.S. Senator John W. Daniel of Virginia
* 1900 – Governor Charles S. Thomas of Colorado
* 1904 – U.S. Representative John Sharp Williams of Mississippi
* 1908 – U.S. Representative Theodore Bell of California
* 1912 – Chief Judge Alton B. Parker of New York
* 1916 – Governor Martin Glynn of New York
* 1920 – DNC Chair Homer Cummings of Connecticut
* 1924 – U.S. Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi
* 1928 – Claude Bowers of New York
* 1932 – U.S. Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky
* 1936 – U.S. Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky and U.S. Senator Joseph Robinson of Arkansas
* 1940 – U.S. Representative William Bankhead of Alabama
* 1944 – Governor Robert Kerr of Oklahoma
* 1948 – U.S. Senator Alben Barkley of Kentucky
* 1952 – Governor Paul Dever of Massachusetts
* 1956 – Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee
* 1960 – U.S. Senator Frank Church of Idaho
* 1964 – U.S. Senator John O. Pastore of Rhode Island
* 1968 – U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii
* 1972 – Governor Reubin Askew of Florida
* 1976 – U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas and U.S. Senator John Glenn of Ohio
* 1980 – U.S. Representative Mo Udall of Arizona
* 1984 – Governor Mario Cuomo of New York
* 1988 – State Treasurer Ann Richards of Texas
* 1992 – U.S. Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan of Texas, and Governor Zell Miller of Georgia
* 1996 – Governor Evan Bayh of Indiana
* 2000 – U.S. Representative Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee
* 2004 – State Senator Barack Obama of Illinois
* 2008 – Governor Mark Warner of Virginia
* 2012 – Mayor Julián Castro of Texas
* 2016 – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
* 2020 – 17 speakers
* 2024 – County Executive Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland

## Gallery of convention sites

* Wood engraving of the failed 1860 Charleston convention
* Tammany Hall decorated for the 1868 convention
* Interior of Ford's Grand Opera House during the 1872 convention
* 1876 convention
* 1880 convention.
* Diagram of Convention Hall, Chicago, site of the 1884 convention
* Opening session at the 1904 convention
* 1912 convention in-session
* 1924 convention in-session
* Photograph of the 1928 convention
* First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt speaking on the final day of the 1940 convention
* 1960 convention hall
* 1964 convention floor
* Carter and Mondale stand together at the end of the 1976 convention
* 1996 convention hall
* Boston mayor Thomas Menino welcomes delegates to the 2004 convention
* Floor of the 2008 convention
* Invesco Field, site of Barack Obama's 2008 acceptance speech
* Floor of the 2012 convention
* Nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at the 2016 convention