1956 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

1956 Democratic vice presidential nomination

← 1952 August 16, 1956 (1956-08-16) 1960 →
All 1,366 delegate votes of the Democratic National Convention 686 1/2 delegate votes needed to win
Nominee Estes Kefauver John F. Kennedy Albert Gore Sr. Home state Tennessee Massachusetts Tennessee 1st Ballot (Final) 483.5 (35.24%) 304 (22.16%) 178 (12.97%) 2nd Ballot (During) 551.5 (40.20%) 648 (47.23%) 80.5 (5.87%) 2nd Ballot (Final) 755.5 (55.07%) 589 (42.93%) 13.5 (0.98%)   Nominee Robert F. Wagner Jr. Hubert Humphrey Home state New York Minnesota 1st Ballot (Final) 162.5 (11.84%) 134.5 (9.80%) 2nd Ballot (During) 9.5 (0.69%) 74.5 (5.43%) 2nd Ballot (Final) 6 (0.44%) 2 (0.15%)
Previous Vice Presidential nominee John Sparkman Vice Presidential nominee Estes Kefauver

The selection of the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate for the 1956 United States presidential election occurred at the party's national convention on August 16, 1956. Former presidential candidate and Tennessee's Senator Estes Kefauver defeated Massachusetts' Senator John F. Kennedy.

Background

Senator John Sparkman, who was the party's vice presidential nominee in 1952, was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate and later became the head of Alabama's delegation to the national convention, but did not attempt the presidential or vice presidential nomination.^[1][2]

On July 9, Governor Frank G. Clement, who was speculated as a possible vice presidential candidate, was selected to give the keynote address at the national convention, but he stated that he had no intention of seeking the vice presidency.^[3][4]

Former Massachusetts Governor Paul A. Dever stated that although Kennedy was not an active candidate he was in the running for the vice presidential nomination and that the Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, and New Jersey delegations would support him. Senator Spessard Holland stated that a Stevenson-Kennedy ticket would easily carry Florida, and other Kennedy supporters stated that having a Catholic vice presidential nominee would guarantee 132 electoral votes along with those from the Solid South.^[5][6][7]

California Attorney General

After winning the presidential nomination, Adlai Stevenson II announced that he would allow the convention delegates to choose his running mate and did not support any candidate.^[9] Governor W. Averell Harriman, who had received the second highest amount of delegates on the presidential ballot, also announced that he was not interested in the vice presidential nomination.^[10]

On August 16, 1956, the vice presidential ballot started with multiple Southern favorite sons being supported on the first ballot.^[11] The Southern delegations planned to deny Estes Kefauver a majority on the first ballot, due to his anti-segregation views, and then to unify behind an acceptable candidate. Kefauver's home state, Tennessee, supported Senator Al Gore Sr. on the first ballot and then realigned its support to Kennedy on the second and third ballots.^[12]

After initially leading on the first ballot Kefauver fell behind Kennedy on the second before receiving a majority on the third ballot after Gore withdrew and endorsed him, resulting in Kefauver in first place and Kennedy in second.^[13] Governor Orval Faubus, who had opposed Kefauver's nomination, stated that his nomination "leaves us with a lot of hard work to do before November".^[12]

Results

References