Democratic National Convention, 1928
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Due to the efforts of businessman Jesse H. Jones, the Democratic National Committee chose Houston as the site of the 1928 Democratic National Convention. Located on this site, the 20,000-seat Sam Houston Hall was completed in 64 days at a cost of $200,000. The convention met from June 26 to 29. Major issues addressed included the enforcement of prohibition and the plight of America's farmers. One senator remarked that the 1928 delegates constituted the most disorderly orderly crowd he had ever seen. On June 28 New York Governor Alfred E. Smith (1873-1944) was nominated for president on the first ballot. An anti-prohibitionist, Smith was the first Roman Catholic to be nominated for the U. S. Presidency by a major political party. Senate Majority Leader Joseph T. Robinson, a Southerner and supporter of prohibition, received the nomination for vice president on June 29. Smith, who did not attend the convention, later read a formal acceptance speech in Albany, New York. On November 6, Republican candidate Herbert Hoover won the national election by a wide margin. Though Alfred E. Smith had been nominated for the nation's highest office at the Houston convention, he did not carry Texas in the November general election.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1928 Houston hosted the Democratic National Convention inside Sam Houston Hall, a 20,000-seat auditorium raised in just 64 days thanks to businessman Jesse H. Jones. Meeting June 26–29, the delegates wrangled over Prohibition and the struggles of American farmers before nominating New York Governor Alfred E. Smith—the first Roman Catholic ever placed atop a major party's presidential ticket—with Arkansas's Joseph T. Robinson as his running mate. Smith lost decisively that November to Herbert Hoover and failed even to carry Texas.
Why it matters
The convention marked the first time a major American party nominated a Catholic for president, a milestone in the nation's long, halting movement toward religious pluralism in public life.
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Related people
- · Alfred E. Smith
- · Jesse H. Jones
- · Joseph T. Robinson
- · Herbert Hoover
Related events
- · 1928 Democratic National Convention
Themes & tags
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