1839 Whig National Convention

The 1839 Whig National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in December 1839. This was the first national convention of the Whig Party of the United States.

Three years after Democrat Martin Van Buren was elected President in the election of 1836 over three Whig candidates, the Whigs met in national convention determined to unite behind a single candidate. The convention was chaired by Isaac C. Bates of Massachusetts and James Barbour of Virginia presided over the convention. The party nominated the popular former general William Henry Harrison, the most successful of the three Whig candidates from the previous election. Harrison, though a slave-owner and aristocrat, was perceived as being simple and a commoner. The convention nominated John Tyler for Vice-President. The two would go on to win the 1840 presidential election.

The Whig Ticket

President: William Henry Harrison (Ohio) - former general and presidential candidate

Vice-President: John Tyler (Virginia) - former Senator

References

• Proceedings of the Democratic Whig National Convention: Which Assembled at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the Fourth of December, 1839