Republican Convention nominates Benjamin Harrison in Chicago

Background. Benjamin Harrison was elected by the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly in 1881 to a six-year Senate term, serving from 1881 to 1887. In 1887, largely as a result of Democratic gerrymandering of Indiana's legislative districts, he was defeated for reelection. Levi Parsons Morton later served as the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893, the term following this convention.

Convention Process. The convention took place at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Presidential balloting occurred over several days, specifically on June 22, 23, and 25, 1888. Vice presidential balloting also took place on June 25. The proceedings included debates over delegate votes, with allegations of vote-buying involving Southern delegates. The convention ultimately nominated Harrison and Morton, setting the stage for the general election.

Platform Issues. The convention alleged that the "present Administration and the Democratic majority in Congress owe their existence to the suppression of the ballot by a criminal nullification of the Constitution." It declared itself "uncompromisingly in favor of the American system of protection" and protested "against its destruction as proposed by the President and his party." Anticipating a principal part of Harrison's campaign, the tariff became the main issue of the 1888 campaign. The convention also foreshadowed the admission of six new states during Harrison's term, between 1889 and 1890, declaring that peoples whose conditions insured stable local government "should be permitted...to form for themselves constitutions and State government, and be admitted into the Union".