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.

List of Democratic National Conventions

DatesYearLocationTemporary ChairPermanent ChairPlatform
BallotsPresidential NomineeVice Presidential Nominee
May 21–231832The Athenaeum and Warfield's Church, BaltimoreRobert Lucas of Ohio–1Andrew Jackson of Tennessee1Martin Van Buren of New York
May 20–221835Fourth Presbyterian Church, BaltimoreAndrew Stevenson of Virginia–1Martin Van Buren of New YorkRichard Johnson of Kentucky
May 5–61840The Assembly Rooms, BaltimoreWilliam Carroll of Tennessee1Martin Van Buren of New York–2
May 27–291844Odd Fellows Hall, BaltimoreHendrick Bradley Wright of Pennsylvania9James K. Polk of TennesseeGeorge M. Dallas of Pennsylvania3
May 22–251848Universalist Church, BaltimoreJ. S. Bryce of LouisianaAndrew Stevenson of Virginia4Lewis Cass of MichiganWilliam O. Butler of Kentucky
June 1–51852Maryland Institute, BaltimoreRomulus M. Saunders of North CarolinaJohn Davis of Indiana49Franklin Pierce of New HampshireWilliam R. King of Alabama
June 2–61856Smith and Nixon's Hall, CincinnatiJohn Elliot Ward of Georgia17James Buchanan of PennsylvaniaJohn C. Breckinridge of Kentucky
April 23–May 31860South Carolina Institute Hall, CharlestonCaleb Cushing of MassachusettsSee below57DeadlockedDeadlocked
June 18–231860Front Street Theater, BaltimoreCaleb Cushing of Massachusetts4
David Tod of Ohio		2Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois5Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia56
August 29–311864The Amphitheatre, ChicagoHoratio Seymour of New York1George B. McClellan of New JerseyGeorge H. Pendleton of Ohio
July 4–91868Tammany Hall, New York CityHenry L. Palmer of WisconsinHoratio Seymour of New York22Horatio Seymour of New YorkFrancis P. Blair, Jr. of Missouri
July 9–1018727Ford's Grand Opera House, BaltimoreThomas Jefferson Randolph of VirginiaJames R. Doolittle of Wisconsin1Horace Greeley of New York7B. Gratz Brown of Missouri7
June 27–291876Merchant's Exchange Building, St. LouisJohn A. McClernand of Illinois2Samuel J. Tilden of New YorkThomas A. Hendricks of Indiana
June 22–241880Cincinnati Music Hall, CincinnatiGeorge Hoadly of OhioJohn W. Stevenson of Kentucky2Winfield S. Hancock of PennsylvaniaWilliam H. English of Indiana
July 8–111884Interstate Exposition Building, ChicagoRichard B. Hubbard of TexasWilliam F. Vilas of Wisconsin2Grover Cleveland of New YorkThomas A. Hendricks of Indiana
June 5–71888Exposition Building, St. LouisPatrick Collins of Massachusetts1Grover Cleveland of New YorkAllen G. Thurman of Ohio
June 21–231892Wigwam, ChicagoWilliam Claiborne Owens of KentuckyWilliam Lyne Wilson of West Virginia1Grover Cleveland of New YorkAdlai Stevenson I of Illinois
July 7–1118968Chicago Coliseum, ChicagoJohn W. Daniel of VirginiaStephen M. White of California5William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska9Arthur Sewall of Maine
July 4–61900Convention Hall, Kansas CityJames D. Richardson of Tennessee1William Jennings Bryan of NebraskaAdlai Stevenson I of Illinois
July 6–91904St. Louis ColiseumChamp Clark of Missouri1Alton B. Parker of New YorkHenry G. Davis of West Virginia
July 7–101908Denver Auditorium Arena, DenverHenry D. Clayton of Alabama1William Jennings Bryan of NebraskaJohn W. Kern of Indiana
June 25–July 21912Fifth Regiment Armory, BaltimoreOllie M. James of Kentucky46Woodrow Wilson of New JerseyThomas R. Marshall of Indiana
June 14–161916Convention Hall, St. LouisOllie M. James of Kentucky1Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey Thomas R. Marshall of Indiana
June 28–July 61920Civic Auditorium, San FranciscoJoseph T. Robinson of Arkansas44James M. Cox of OhioFranklin D. Roosevelt of New York
June 24–July 91924Madison Square Garden, New YorkThomas J. Walsh of Montana103John W. Davis of New YorkCharles W. Bryan of Nebraska
June 26–291928Sam Houston Hall, HoustonJoseph T. Robinson of Arkansas1Al Smith of New York Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas
June 27–July 21932Chicago Stadium, ChicagoAlben W. Barkley of KentuckyThomas J. Walsh of Montana4Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York John Nance Garner of Texas
June 23–271936Convention Hall and Franklin Field, PhiladelphiaJoseph T. Robinson of ArkansasAcclamationFranklin D. Roosevelt of New York John Nance Garner of Texas
July 15–181940Chicago Stadium, ChicagoAlben W. Barkley of Kentucky1Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York Henry A. Wallace of Iowa
July 19–211944Chicago Stadium, ChicagoRobert Kerr of OklahomaSamuel D. Jackson of Indiana1Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York Harry S. Truman of Missouri
July 12–14194810Convention Hall, PhiladelphiaSam Rayburn of Texas1Harry S. Truman of Missouri Alben W. Barkley of Kentucky
July 21–261952International Amphitheatre, ChicagoSam Rayburn of Texas3Adlai Stevenson of Illinois John Sparkman of Alabama
August 13–171956International Amphitheatre, ChicagoSam Rayburn of Texas1Adlai Stevenson of Illinois Estes Kefauver of Tennessee
July 11–151960Memorial Sports Arena and Memorial Coliseum, Los AngelesLeRoy Collins of Florida1John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas
August 24–271964Convention Center, Atlantic CityJohn W. McCormack of MassachusettsAcclamationLyndon B. Johnson of Texas Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota
August 26–291968International Amphitheatre, ChicagoCarl Albert of Oklahoma1Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota Edmund Muskie of Maine
July 10–131972Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami BeachDaniel Inouye of HawaiiLawrence F. O'Brien of Massachusetts1George McGovern of South Dakota Thomas Eagleton of Missouri11
July 12–151976Madison Square Garden, New YorkLindy Boggs of Louisiana1Jimmy Carter of Georgia Walter Mondale of Minnesota
August 11–141980Madison Square Garden, New YorkTip O'Neill of Massachusetts1Jimmy Carter of Georgia Walter Mondale of Minnesota
July 16–191984Moscone Center, San FranciscoMartha Layne Collins of Kentucky1Walter Mondale of Minnesota Geraldine Ferraro of New York
July 18–211988The Omni, AtlantaJim Wright of Texas1Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts Lloyd Bentsen of Texas
July 13–161992Madison Square Garden, New YorkAnn Richards of Texas1Bill Clinton of Arkansas Al Gore of Tennessee
August 26–291996United Center, ChicagoDick Gephardt of Missouri
Tom Daschle of South Dakota		AcclamationBill Clinton of Arkansas Al Gore of Tennessee
August 14–172000Staples Center, Los AngelesTerry McAuliffe of New YorkAcclamationAl Gore of Tennessee Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
July 26–292004FleetCenter, BostonBill Richardson of New Mexico1John Kerry of Massachusetts John Edwards of North Carolina
August 25–282008Pepsi Center and Invesco Field, DenverHoward Dean of VermontNancy Pelosi of California1/AcclamationBarack Obama of Illinois Joe Biden of Delaware
September 3–62012Time Warner Cable Arena, CharlotteDebbie Wasserman Schultz of FloridaAntonio Villaraigosa of California1/AcclamationBarack Obama of Illinois Joe Biden of Delaware
July 25–282016Wells Fargo Center, PhiladelphiaStephanie Rawlings-Blake Mayor, Baltimore Maryland12Marcia Fudge of Ohio1Hillary Clinton of New York Tim Kaine of Virginia
August 17–20132020Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, WisconsinBennie Thompson of MississippiJoe Biden of Delaware

Footnotes
1 A resolution endorsing "the repeated nominations which he has received in various parts of the Union" was passed by the convention.
2 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 Silas Wright of New York was first nominated and he declined the nomination.
4 Caleb Cushing resigned as permanent chair.
5 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.
6 Benjamin Fitzpatrick of Alabama was first nominated but he declined the nomination.
7 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 "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 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 meeting on July 25.
10 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.
The States' Rights Democrats, meeting in Birmingham, Alabama on July 17, nominated Governors Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for President and Fielding Wright of Mississippi for Vice President.
11 Eagleton withdrew his candidacy after the convention and was replaced by Sargent Shriver of Maryland.
12 Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida was intended to be the Temporary Chair, but was substituted for Stephanie Rawliings-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 Originally scheduled for July 13–16, and originally planned for the Fiserv Forum, but postponed and moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
14 Originally scheduled to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but presumptive nominee Joe Biden has suggested that the convention may be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keynote speakers