Reply #9: actually 1924 was even worse [View All]

[jacksonian]

A standoff between Al Smith, anti-prohibition canidate from NY, and William McAdoo, a William Jennings Bryan deciple, went 103 ballots before Davis of West Virginia was chosen.

Took 9 days of balloting. A funny story is that during his speech the inital speaker released hundreds of doves as a symbol of peace. With no way out of Madison Square Garden, the birds spent the whole 9 days flying around the rafters doing what birds do when they have to crap.

A fairly significant convention in Dem history, as it marked the final gasp of Bryan's political influence and, because he was instrumental in forging the compromise, the cementing of FDR's control.

http://www.historycentral.com/elections/Conventions/1924DEM.html