1864 Democratic National Convention

• 
  Major General
  George B. McClellan
  of New Jersey
• 
  Former Governor Thomas H. Seymour
  of Connecticut

• 
  Senator
  Lazarus W. Powell
  of Kentucky
• 
  Former President
  Franklin Pierce
  from New Hampshire
• 
  Governor
  Horatio Seymour
  of New York

General George B. McClellan and former Connecticut Governor Thomas H. Seymour vied for the presidential nomination. In addition, friends of Horatio Seymour insisted on placing his name before the Convention. But on the day before the convention commenced, Horatio Seymour announced positively that he would not be a candidate.[6] Nonetheless, a portion of the Illinois delegation placed Seymour's name in nomination during the convention. Seymour, the permanent chairman at the Democratic National Convention, declared that the Illinois delegate was "not in order" since a different motion was already under discussion.[7]

Other candidates were placed in nomination before eventually being withdrawn. Senator Lazarus W. Powell was placed in nomination by the Delaware delegation, but Mr. Powell personally asked that his name be withdrawn since he believed the eventual Democratic presidential candidate "should come from one of the non-slaveholding States."[8] Amid "great applause", a portion of the Kentucky delegation placed the name of Former President Franklin Pierce before the convention.[9] But Pierce's name was withdrawn from consideration when a delegate revealed that he had received both written and verbal instructions from the former president stating that he did not wish to be presented as a candidate.[10]

After a revised first ballot, McClellan, a War Democrat, was nominated over the Copperhead Thomas H. Seymour. The motion to have McClellan's nomination be declared unanimous was carried.

• 
  1st Presidential Ballot
• 
  1st Presidential Ballot (Revised)

• 
  Representative
  George H. Pendleton
  of Ohio
• 
  Railroad President George W. Cass
  of Pennsylvania
• 
  Representative
  Daniel W. Voorhees
  of Indiana
• 
  Former Senator Augustus C. Dodge
  of Iowa

• 
  Former Treasury Secretary James Guthrie of Kentucky
• 
  Senator
  Lazarus W. Powell
  of Kentucky
• 
  Former Chief Justice John D. Caton
  of Illinois
• 
  Former Representative John S. Phelps
  of Missouri

McClellan/Pendleton campaign poster

Eight names were placed in nomination: George H. Pendleton, James Guthrie, Lazarus W. Powell, George W. Cass, John D. Caton, Daniel W. Voorhees, Augustus C. Dodge, and John S. Phelps. Following the first ballot roll call, the names of Guthrie, Powell, Caton, and Phelps were withdrawn from consideration when it was revealed none of them desired the nomination. Before the first ballot could be finalized, 70 delegates who had supported one of the withdrawn candidates shifted their votes to Pendleton. As a result, Pendleton was supported by a majority of the delegates when the vote for the first ballot was finalized. With the exception of Pendleton, the remaining contenders were favorite son candidates who only had the support of their home states. During the second ballot roll call, each state recorded its vote for Pendleton.

Pendleton, a close associate of the Copperhead Clement Vallandigham, was an anti-war representative from the electoral rich state of Ohio. Since the Democrats were divided by issues of war and peace, Pendleton's well-known and vehement opposition to the Union war effort balanced the ticket.[11]

• 
  1st Presidential Ballot (Before Shifts)
• 
  1st Presidential Ballot (After Shifts)
• 
  2nd Presidential Ballot

• Official proceedings of the Democratic national convention, held in 1864 at Chicago