| 1840 presidential election | |
  Nominees Harrison and Tyler | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | December 4–8, 1839 |
| City | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Venue | Zion Lutheran Church[1] |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | William H. Harrison of Ohio |
| Vice-presidential nominee | John Tyler of Virginia |
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Military service
9th President of the United States
Appointments
 |
||
The 1839 Whig National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held from December 4 to December 8 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was the first national convention ever held by the Whig Party, and was organized to select the party's nominee in the 1840 presidential election. The convention nominated former Senator William Henry Harrison of Ohio for president and former Senator John Tyler of Virginia for vice president.
After Daniel Webster dropped out of the race, the three leading candidates for the Whig nomination were General Harrison, who had been the most successful Whig candidate in the 1836 presidential election; General Winfield Scott, a hero of the War of 1812; and Senator Henry Clay, the Whigs' congressional and philosophical leader. With Southern delegates united behind him, Clay led on the first presidential ballot, but failed to win a majority. Harrison won the nomination on the fifth ballot after several delegates switched from supporting Clay or Scott. The convention chose Tyler, a Southerner and Clay supporter, to serve as Harrison's running mate. The Whig ticket went on to win the 1840 election, defeating incumbent Democratic President Martin Van Buren.
- ^ Buell, Emmett H.; Morison, Samuel Eliot (29 August 2004). "The First National Nominating Convention". Enduring Controversies in Presidential Nominating Politics. University of Pittsburgh Press: 111–124.