1940 Democratic Convention

Chicago Stadium Chicago, Cook County, Illinois July 15 to 18, 1940 Nominated:Franklin D Roosevelt of New York for President Nominated: Henry Wallace of Iowa for Vice President For much of the time leading up to the convention Roosevelt had play it cool as to whether he was planning to break the two term tradition established by Washington and run again. A week before the convention he made it known that the worsening war situation-France had just been overrun, made him feel that he should run again. At the convention a seemingly spontaneous demonstration in support of Roosevelt made him nomination inevitable and he was nominated on the first ballot with 946 votes. The Vice Presidential nomination was more contested. Roosevelt made in known that he wished to have Henry Wallace nominated as his Vice President. There was a great deal of opposition to Wallace, some of it clearly a reaction to the feeling that Roosevelt had manipulated his renomination. Eleanor Roosevelt flew to the convention and gave a strong speech in favor of Wallace and ultimately he was nominated with 626 votes.