On This Day

First US Democratic National Convention is held in Baltimore

The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland. In the first presidential nominating convention ever held by the Democratic Party, incumbent President Andrew Jackson was nominated for a second term, while former Secretary of State Martin Van Buren was nominated for vice president.

The Anti-Masonic Party and the National Republican Party had held the first presidential nominating conventions in 1831, and Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet" helped organize a Democratic convention in 1832.

As the party leaders assumed that Jackson would be nominated for president, the primary purpose of the convention was to find a new running mate: Vice President John C.

Historical Significance

The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Events Before

  1. Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

    Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

  2. Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virgini

    Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virginia

  3. "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith has its first public performance at Park Street

    "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith has its first public performance at Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts

  4. Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Head of State of modern Greece, is assassinated in Nafplion

    Count Ioannis Antoniou Kapodistrias, sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century...

  5. Michael Faraday demonstrates his dynamo invention, an electric generator

    Michael Faraday (22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism.

Events After

  1. Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

    Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

  2. French composer Hector Berlioz (29) weds Irish actress Harriet Smithson (30) at the British Embassy in Paris, France

    French composer Hector Berlioz (29) weds Irish actress Harriet Smithson (30) at the British Embassy in Paris, France

  3. The British Royal Navy arrives at the Falkland Islands and reasserts sovereignty

    In December 1832, the United Kingdom sent two naval vessels to re-assert British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), after the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata...

  4. Britain seizes control of Falkland Islands in South Atlantic

    The occupation of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands was the short-lived Argentine occupation of a group of British islands in the South Atlantic whose sovereignty...

  5. Boston Academy of Music, first US music school, is established

    Boston Academy of Music, first US music school, is established

More from the 1830s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on May 21, 1832?
The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland. In the first presidential nominating convention ever held by the Democratic Party, incumbent President Andrew Jackson was nominated for a second term, while former Secretary of State Martin Van Buren was nominated for vice president. The Anti-Masonic Party and the National Republican Party had held the first presidential nominating conventions in 1831, and Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet" helped organize a Democratic convention in 1832.
Why is First US Democratic National Convention is held in Baltimore significant?
The 1832 Democratic National Convention was held from May 21 to May 23, 1832, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Explore More