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Era
Republican National Convention, June 1892
Republicans from across the nation came to Minneapolis in June 1892 for secret meetings, public rallies and speeches, and their official national convention, which culminated in the nomination of US President Benjamin Harrison as the party's presidential candidate.
Hosting the 1892 Republican National Convention was a sign of Minneapolis's growing importance. New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Omaha, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chattanooga, and Cincinnati were all in the running for the honor, but it went to Minneapolis on the seventh ballot at the Republican National Committee meeting on November 21, 1891, in Washington, DC. Republicans chose Minneapolis in an attempt to hold the region for the Republican Party.
Excitement ran high in Minneapolis after its selection. Prominent Minnesotans worked hard to prepare the city for the tens of thousands of visitors that were expected. The Industrial Exposition Building, constructed in 1886, was selected to hold the convention. The nearby West Hotel, considered the most luxurious hotel in the region at the time, would provide accommodations for the convention's most important delegates.
The convention was not scheduled to begin until June 7, 1892, but attendees began arriving in Minneapolis as early as June 1. The local papers buzzed about their presence.
President Harrison did not attend, nor did his main Republican rival, James G. Blaine. However, many top politicians of the time were in Minneapolis, including Chauncey Depew, James S. Clarkson, Joseph Foraker, and future Republican president William McKinley. Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony were in town, too, not to attend the convention but to draw attention to their causes.
The work of nominating a presidential candidate started even before the convention delegates arrived. Influential supporters of President Harrison and James G. Blaine came to Minneapolis early, organized committees, and held secret meetings off the convention floor to strategize and negotiate, sometimes late into the night.
During the official convention June 7-10, these groups and others, including the African American delegation and supporters of rising star William McKinley, jockeyed for position. Although there was much speculation, no one knew for sure who would be nominated.
Finally, on June 9, an organized poll held at a secret assembly showed that the majority of delegates would support President Harrison, either out of personal preference or because they had previously pledged to do so. With that knowledge, President Harrison's supporters allowed a public roll call and nomination to take place.
The process began at 11 a.m. on June 10, and within a few hours, President Harrison had been nominated as the convention's candidate. A subsequent roll call gave Whitelaw Reid of New York the nomination for vice president, and the 1892 convention adjourned. President Harrison did not win reelection in the fall, losing the presidency to Democrat Grover Cleveland.

Bibliography
"Big Guns Coming." Minneapolis Journal, June 1, 1892.
"Finally Let Go." St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 10, 1892.
Green, Ken. "The 1892 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis." Hennepin History 55, no. 4 (Autumn 1996): 22–29.
Holmquist, June Drenning. "Convention City: The Republicans in Minneapolis, 1892." Minnesota History 35, no. 2 (June 1956): 64–76.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/35/v35i02p064-076.pdf
Knoles, George Harmon. The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1892. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1942.
"Looks Like a Bluff." Minneapolis Journal, June 9, 1892.
"The Minneapolis Convention." Harper's Weekly 36 no. 1852 (June 18, 1892): 580–582.
Nathanson, Iric. "The Ballot Has Been Fought and Won: The 1892 Republican Convention." Hennepin History 65, no. 3 (Fall 2006): 16–29.
Staples, Loring M. The West Hotel Story. Minneapolis: Carlson Printing Company, 1979.
"These Don't Lie." St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 10, 1892.
"They Want to Vote." Minneapolis Journal, June 9, 1892.
Related Resources
Primary
P1547
George A. Brackett Papers, 1858–1920
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: George Brackett was head of the Minnesota committee responsible for planning the 1892 Republican National Convention.
P1598
William S. King Papers, 1848–1906
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: William King was a prominent businessman and politician involved in planning the 1892 Republican National Convention.
I.227
Sound and Visual Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Six reproductions of photographs from the 1892 Republican National Convention (originals in the Library of Congress).
"Blaine Enthusiasm." Minneapolis Journal, June 9, 1892.
"Called to Order." The Appeal, June 11, 1892.
Convention Manual and Visitors' Guide for Delegates, Alternates and Visitors. Minneapolis, 1892.
Directory of Delegates and Alternates, Republican National Convention, Minneapolis, 1892, with Plan of Hall. Minneapolis: Tribune Job Printing Co., 1892.
"From Each State." St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 4, 1892.
"How it Was Done." Minneapolis Journal, June 11, 1892.
Official Guide Book to Lake Minnetonka. Minneapolis: Beard-Hudson Print Co., 1892. (Published for the convention committee, Republican National Convention.)
Proceedings of the Tenth Republican National Convention. Minneapolis: Harrison and Smith, Printers, 1892.
"Where the Delegates Will be Seated." Minneapolis Journal, June 4, 1892.
Secondary
Atwater, Isaac, ed. History of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. vol. 2. New York: Munsell and Company, Publishers, 1893.
Depew, Chauncey M. My Memories of Eighty Years. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922.
Nathanson, Iric. "African Americans and the 1892 Republican National Convention, Minneapolis." Minnesota History 61, no. 2 (Summer 2008): 76–82.
Web
The Minnesota Historical Society. History Topics, 1892 Republican National Convention.
http://libguides.mnhs.org/rnc1892
Related Images

Interior of the Exposition Hall at the Republican National Convention, Minneapolis
Interior of the Exposition Hall at the Republican National Convention, Minneapolis.
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Nomination Hall, Republican National Convention, Minneapolis
Nomination Hall, Republican National Convention, 1892.
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Delegates march up Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis
Arrival of the delegates as they march up Nicollet Avenue toward the West Hotel during the Republican National Convention, Minneapolis.
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Blaine and Harrison delegates, West Hotel, Minneapolis
James G. Blaine and Benjamin Harrison delegates to the Republican National Convention cheering in the hallways of the West Hotel, 1892.
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Republican National Convention ticket (front)
Ticket for 1892 Republican National Convention (front).
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Republican National Convention ticket (back)
Ticket for 1892 Republican National Convention (back).
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Pitcher set presented at Republican National Convention
Commemorative silver pitcher presented to George Brackett. Brackett was head of the Minnesota committee responsible for planning the 1892 Republican National Convention.
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Republican National Convention ribbon
Ribbon badge worn by a Minnesota delegate at the 1892 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.
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1892 Republican National Convention badge
1892 Republican National Convention badge that reads, "Information Cheerfully Given."
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Ballot record
1892 Republican National Convention ballot record.
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Related Articles
Turning Point
US President Benjamin Harrison is nominated as the Republican candidate for president on the first ballot on the final day of the 1892 Republican National Convention.
Chronology
1891
1892
Bibliography
"Big Guns Coming." Minneapolis Journal, June 1, 1892.
"Finally Let Go." St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 10, 1892.
Green, Ken. "The 1892 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis." Hennepin History 55, no. 4 (Autumn 1996): 22–29.
Holmquist, June Drenning. "Convention City: The Republicans in Minneapolis, 1892." Minnesota History 35, no. 2 (June 1956): 64–76.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/35/v35i02p064-076.pdf
Knoles, George Harmon. The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1892. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1942.
"Looks Like a Bluff." Minneapolis Journal, June 9, 1892.
"The Minneapolis Convention." Harper's Weekly 36 no. 1852 (June 18, 1892): 580–582.
Nathanson, Iric. "The Ballot Has Been Fought and Won: The 1892 Republican Convention." Hennepin History 65, no. 3 (Fall 2006): 16–29.
Staples, Loring M. The West Hotel Story. Minneapolis: Carlson Printing Company, 1979.
"These Don't Lie." St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 10, 1892.
"They Want to Vote." Minneapolis Journal, June 9, 1892.
Related Resources
Primary
P1547
George A. Brackett Papers, 1858–1920
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: George Brackett was head of the Minnesota committee responsible for planning the 1892 Republican National Convention.
P1598
William S. King Papers, 1848–1906
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: William King was a prominent businessman and politician involved in planning the 1892 Republican National Convention.
I.227
Sound and Visual Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Six reproductions of photographs from the 1892 Republican National Convention (originals in the Library of Congress).
"Blaine Enthusiasm." Minneapolis Journal, June 9, 1892.
"Called to Order." The Appeal, June 11, 1892.
Convention Manual and Visitors' Guide for Delegates, Alternates and Visitors. Minneapolis, 1892.
Directory of Delegates and Alternates, Republican National Convention, Minneapolis, 1892, with Plan of Hall. Minneapolis: Tribune Job Printing Co., 1892.
"From Each State." St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 4, 1892.
"How it Was Done." Minneapolis Journal, June 11, 1892.
Official Guide Book to Lake Minnetonka. Minneapolis: Beard-Hudson Print Co., 1892. (Published for the convention committee, Republican National Convention.)
Proceedings of the Tenth Republican National Convention. Minneapolis: Harrison and Smith, Printers, 1892.
"Where the Delegates Will be Seated." Minneapolis Journal, June 4, 1892.
Secondary
Atwater, Isaac, ed. History of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. vol. 2. New York: Munsell and Company, Publishers, 1893.
Depew, Chauncey M. My Memories of Eighty Years. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1922.
Nathanson, Iric. "African Americans and the 1892 Republican National Convention, Minneapolis." Minnesota History 61, no. 2 (Summer 2008): 76–82.
Web
The Minnesota Historical Society. History Topics, 1892 Republican National Convention.
http://libguides.mnhs.org/rnc1892