1964 Republican National Convention
Encyclopedia
The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party
of the United States
took place in the Cow Palace
, San Francisco, California
, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one (1956) national Republican convention on the West Coast. Many believed that a convention at San Francisco indicated the rising power of the Republican party in the west.
of New York and conservative Barry Goldwater
of Arizona as the two leading candidates. Shortly before the California primary, Rockefeller's wife, whom he had just married the previous year soon after divorcing his previous wife, gave birth; this drew renewed attention to his family life which hurt his popularity among conservatives and led to Goldwater winning the primary. An anti-Goldwater organization called for the nomination of Governor William Scranton
of Pennsylvania, but the effort failed. Although former President Dwight Eisenhower only reluctantly supported Goldwater after he won the nomination, former President Herbert Hoover
gave him enthusiastic endorsement. By the end of the primaries, Goldwater’s nomination was all secure.
Senator Margaret Chase Smith
's name was entered for nomination at the Convention, the first time a woman's name was entered for nomination at a major party convention.
, a Congressman from New York, as his running mate. In his acceptance speech, he declared communism as a "principal disturber of the peace in the world today" and said, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Some people, including those within his own campaign staff, believed this weakened Goldwater's chances, as he effectively severed ties with the moderates and liberals of the Republican Party.
Former GOP presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon
introduced the Arizonan as "Mr. Conservative" and "Mr. Republican" and he continued that "he is the man who, after the greatest campaign in history, will be Mr. President — Barry Goldwater".
Worth noting is that the Keynote Address was given by then actor Ronald Reagan
, who had officially become a Republican during the election. Reagan's speech was very well received and it is believed to be the start of his political career; within two years Reagan successfully ran for Governor of California in 1966. Reagan would become the 1980 Republican Nominee and be elected President in a landslide. Reagan's beliefs were considered to be nearly identical to those of Goldwater, and some conservatives joke that Goldwater did win the 1964 election but that it took 16 years to count all of the votes. Goldwater and Reagan had a good friendship during the latter's presidency, and Goldwater referred to Reagan as the best President he ever worked with.
, condemnations of the Kennedy
and Johnson
foreign and domestic policy, calls for more open space for free enterprise, a hard-line against Communist North Vietnam
, calls for reform of the United Nations
, a staunch support of NATO, calls for lower taxes and a hard-line against international Communism.
, an extremely obscure congressman from Western New York, was nominated unanimously on a roll call vote. He was chosen because, as Goldwater remarked: "he drives Johnson nuts."
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
took place in the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one (1956) national Republican convention on the West Coast. Many believed that a convention at San Francisco indicated the rising power of the Republican party in the west.
Political context
The Republican primaries of 1964 featured liberal Nelson RockefellerNelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
of New York and conservative Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
of Arizona as the two leading candidates. Shortly before the California primary, Rockefeller's wife, whom he had just married the previous year soon after divorcing his previous wife, gave birth; this drew renewed attention to his family life which hurt his popularity among conservatives and led to Goldwater winning the primary. An anti-Goldwater organization called for the nomination of Governor William Scranton
William Scranton
William Warren Scranton is a former U.S. Republican Party politician. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967. From 1976 to 1977, he served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations.-Early life:...
of Pennsylvania, but the effort failed. Although former President Dwight Eisenhower only reluctantly supported Goldwater after he won the nomination, former President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
gave him enthusiastic endorsement. By the end of the primaries, Goldwater’s nomination was all secure.
Senator Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Chase Smith was a Republican Senator from Maine, and one of the most successful politicians in Maine history. She was the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. House and the Senate, and the first woman from Maine to serve in either. She was also the first woman to have her name...
's name was entered for nomination at the Convention, the first time a woman's name was entered for nomination at a major party convention.
The convention
The Republican National Convention of 1964 was a tension-filled contest. Goldwater's conservatives were openly clashing with Rockefeller's moderates. Goldwater was regarded as the "conservatives' leading spokesman." As a result, Goldwater was not as popular with the moderates and liberals of the Republican party. When Rockefeller attempted to deliver a speech, he was booed by the convention's conservative delegates, who regarded him as a member of the "eastern liberal establishment." Despite the infighting, Goldwater was easily nominated. He chose William E. MillerWilliam E. Miller
William Edward "Bill" Miller was a New York politician. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 1964 election...
, a Congressman from New York, as his running mate. In his acceptance speech, he declared communism as a "principal disturber of the peace in the world today" and said, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Some people, including those within his own campaign staff, believed this weakened Goldwater's chances, as he effectively severed ties with the moderates and liberals of the Republican Party.
Former GOP presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
introduced the Arizonan as "Mr. Conservative" and "Mr. Republican" and he continued that "he is the man who, after the greatest campaign in history, will be Mr. President — Barry Goldwater".
Worth noting is that the Keynote Address was given by then actor Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, who had officially become a Republican during the election. Reagan's speech was very well received and it is believed to be the start of his political career; within two years Reagan successfully ran for Governor of California in 1966. Reagan would become the 1980 Republican Nominee and be elected President in a landslide. Reagan's beliefs were considered to be nearly identical to those of Goldwater, and some conservatives joke that Goldwater did win the 1964 election but that it took 16 years to count all of the votes. Goldwater and Reagan had a good friendship during the latter's presidency, and Goldwater referred to Reagan as the best President he ever worked with.
The platform
The 1964 Republican Platform was dominated by Goldwater conservatives, which meant the platform was dominated by calls for limited governmentLimited government
Limited government is a government which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is generally disallowed by law, usually in a written constitution. It is written in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8...
, condemnations of the Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
foreign and domestic policy, calls for more open space for free enterprise, a hard-line against Communist North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
, calls for reform of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, a staunch support of NATO, calls for lower taxes and a hard-line against international Communism.
Presidential
- Barry GoldwaterBarry GoldwaterBarry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
883 - William ScrantonWilliam ScrantonWilliam Warren Scranton is a former U.S. Republican Party politician. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967. From 1976 to 1977, he served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations.-Early life:...
214 - Nelson RockefellerNelson RockefellerNelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
114 - George RomneyGeorge W. RomneyGeorge Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
41 - Margaret Chase SmithMargaret Chase SmithMargaret Chase Smith was a Republican Senator from Maine, and one of the most successful politicians in Maine history. She was the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. House and the Senate, and the first woman from Maine to serve in either. She was also the first woman to have her name...
27 - Walter JuddWalter JuddWalter Henry Judd was an American politician best known for his battle in Congress to define the conservative position on China as all-out support for the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-sheck and opposition to the Communists under Mao...
22 - Hiram FongHiram FongHiram Leong Fong , born Yau Leong Fong , was an American businessman and politician from Hawaii. He is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such...
5 - Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
2
Vice Presidential
William E. MillerWilliam E. Miller
William Edward "Bill" Miller was a New York politician. He was the Republican Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 1964 election...
, an extremely obscure congressman from Western New York, was nominated unanimously on a roll call vote. He was chosen because, as Goldwater remarked: "he drives Johnson nuts."
Historical Notes
This was the only Republican convention between 1948 and 2008 that failed to feature a candidate with the surname Nixon, Dole or Bush on the ticket.External links
- 1964 Republican National Convention at Smithsonian Magazine