Lincoln’s Legacy: Historic Americana from the Life of Abraham Lincoln

Printed broadside; 20 3/4 x 14 3/8 in. (527 x 368 mm). Creasing from old folds, scattered very small separations along same; edges toned with scattered small chipping; two-inch closed tear in bottom left edge, repaired on verso with sello-tape. Docketed on verso: "Members of Chicago Convention / AD. 1860."

Listed here are the officers and delegates comprising the roll of the National Republican Convention held in Chicago, Illinois, on 16 May 1860, including representatives from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The name of each state is followed by the number of votes allocated to that state, for example, "New York—Thirty-Five Votes."

Listed as an officer from Illinois is Judge David Davis (1815-1886), who was Lincoln's close friend and his campaign manager at this legendary convention. Part of Davis's strategy was to secure at least 100 first-round votes for Lincoln, placing him second behind popular front-runner William H. Seward on the first ballot, and to make him the second choice of as many delegates supporting other candidates (for example, Ohio's Salmon P. Chase) as he could. That way, Lincoln would gain crucial momentum in the subsequent rounds of voting.

This strategy proved successful, as Lincoln emerged as the presidential nominee, beating out Seward on the third ballot. While many regarded Seward as the Republican Party's truest and best representative, Lincoln was recognized as the candidate who could appeal broadly to voters across the moderate-radical spectrum. "Seward's defeat at Chicago, as [Horace] Greeley remarked some time afterwards, turned upon one essential question—which candidate could obtain more electoral votes than any of his competitors.'" (Shaw, Abraham Lincoln: The Year of His Election, Vol. II, p. 56).

RARE: The last copy we can locate appeared at auction sold at Christie's in 2004. Not in Monaghan.

[With:] a complimentary ticket to the 1860 Republican National Convention, printed on heavy green paper stock, signed in print by the committee chair E.D. Morgan; corner clipped; some soiling.

Provenance:

Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California