Date(s) July 7–10, 1908 | City Denver, Colorado | |
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Venue Denver Auditorium Arena Presidential nominee William J. Bryan of Nebraska Vice Presidential nominee John W. Kern of Indiana | ||
The 1908 Democratic National Convention took place from July 7 to July 10, 1908, at Denver Auditorium Arena in Denver, Colorado.
The event is widely considered a significant part of Denver's political and social history.
The Convention
The 1908 convention was the first convention of a major political party in a Western state. The city did not host another nominating convention until a century later, at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
The convention was the second Democratic National Convention to include female delegates. They were Mary C.C. Bradford (Colorado) and Elizabeth Pugsley Hayward (Mrs. Henry J. Hayward) (Utah). Alternate delegates were Mrs. Charles Cook (Colorado), Harriet G. Hood (Wyoming), and Sara L. Ventress (Utah).
The delegates to the convention nominated William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska for President over George Gray of Delaware and John A. Johnson of Minnesota.
John W. Kern of Indiana was unanimously declared the candidate for vice-president without a formal ballot after the names of Charles A. Towne, Archibald McNeil, and Clark Howell were withdrawn from consideration.