1928 Democratic National Convention
The 1928 Democratic National Convention was held at Sam Houston Hall in Houston, Texas, June 26–28, 1928. The keynote speaker was Claude G. Bowers. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York for president and Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas for vice president.
| 1928 presidential election | |
| Nominees Smith and Robinson | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | June 26–28, 1928 |
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Venue | Sam Houston Hall |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Alfred E. Smith of New York |
| Vice presidential nominee | Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas |
The convention was the first held by either party in the South since the Civil War. It was also the first to nominate a Roman Catholic for president, Al Smith. The Texas delegation, led by Governor Dan Moody, was vehemently opposed to Smith. Therefore, when Smith was nominated, they rallied against his anti-prohibition sentiment by fighting for a "dry", prohibitionist platform. Ultimately, the convention pledged "honest enforcement of the Constitution".
Smith became the first Democrat since Reconstruction to lose more than one southern state in the general election, due to his "wet" stance, his opposition to the Ku Klux Klan, and his Catholicism.
The election was held in very hot summer weather in a venue without air conditioning.