Presidential Election of 1928

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION of 1928 took place at the height of 1920s Republican hegemony, and who better to continue the Republican ascendancy than President Coolidge's successful secretary of commerce, Herbert Hoover. In opposition to this continued Republican dominance was the Democratic hopeful, Alfred E. Smith, a popular figure in New York politics.

America was in the midst of a boom with the stock market making ever-higher advances. Worker productivity was also staggeringly efficient. The result of this economic success was that the American standard of living had become the envy of the world. Many thought that the American system had permanently triumphed over poverty and unemployment, making consumer goods and wealth available to the masses in ways that were inconceivable only a few years before. This backdrop of triumph gave the Republicans huge advantages among the population at large, although Democratic appeal could still be guaranteed in the deep south.

The Republican nomination process was open in 1928, because President Calvin Coolidge chose not to seek another term. When the convention met in Kansas City between June 12 and June 15, there were no clear favorites, although old party stalwarts such as Governor Frank O. Lowden of Illinois and Senate Majority Leader Charles Curtis were possibilities. There was also talk of promoting Vice President Charles Dawes to the presidency, but President Coolidge, who disliked Dawes intensely, stifled this. Although not particularly popular within the party or with Coolidge, Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover was well known and seemed an able candidate and modernizer who could bridge party divides. Suggestions to have Dawes serve a second term as vice president were also squashed by Coolidge's disdain. Instead, Senator Curtis was nominated to be the running mate. Hoover was overwhelmingly endorsed on the first ballot and the Republican ticket was set.

The Democratic convention occurred between June 26 and June 28 in Houston, Texas. In the midst of Republican-led prosperity, many leading Democrats saw the nomination as a poisoned chalice that would lead to sure defeat. However, Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York was willing to accept the steep challenge and he was nominated on the first ballot with Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas as his vice presidential [Page 621]running mate. Smith became the first Roman Catholic to be nominated for the presidency, with John E Kennedy becoming only the second in 1960. Smith had wanted the nomination in 1924, but had failed to get the party's support, and now he saw his chance to bring change to the White House.

In other political parties, the Prohibitionists were divided as to whether they should simply endorse Hoover and the Republicans, but they ultimately fielded William E Varney and James A. Edgerton as presidential and vice presidential candidates. The Socialist Party nominated Norman Thomas for president (their old standard bearer Eugene Debs had died in 1926) and James H. Maurer as vice presidential candidate. The Communist Party also participated in 1928 with William Z. Foster and Benjamin Gitlow as presidential and vice presidential selections, respectively.

Herbert Hoover was born in 1874 in West Branch, Iowa, of Quaker parents, but following their death, he was raised in Oregon by an uncle. Hoover was to become the first American president born west of the Mississippi. Following various office jobs and a night-school education, Hoover entered Stanford University, and while there met his future wife, Lou Henry, a fellow geology student. He graduated with a degree in geology in 1895 and built himself a successful international career as a mining engineer and consultant. Upon the outbreak of World War I, he became head of the Committee for Relief in Belgium, which brought food relief to the occupied Belgians. Following America's entry into the war, he was appointed by President Wilson to head the nation's Food Administration. After the war, he supervised the American Relief Administration and gained a reputation as a capable and devoted humanitarian.

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