1952 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

1952 Democratic vice presidential nomination
← 1948 July 10, 1952 (1952-07-10) 1956 →
 
Nominee John Sparkman
Home state Alabama
Previous Vice Presidential nominee

Alben W. Barkley

 Vice Presidential nominee

John Sparkman

This article lists those who were potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 1952 election. After winning the presidential nomination on the third ballot of the 1952 Democratic National Convention, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson consulted with Democratic Party leaders such as President Harry S. Truman and Speaker Sam Rayburn.[1] Stevenson chose Alabama Senator John Sparkman, a Southern centrist, as his running mate.[2] Sparkman won the vice presidential nomination on the first ballot as no serious rival tried to displace Stevenson's choice.[1] However, many Northerners were not enthused with the choice of Sparkman due to Sparkman's stance on civil rights.[1] During the 1952 convention, Sparkman, who had supported Senator Richard Russell for president, played a part in watering down the party's platform on civil rights.[3] New York Representative Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and others walked out of the convention after the choice of Sparkman was announced.[1] The Democratic ticket lost the 1952 election to the Republican ticket of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.

  1. ^ a b c d White, William (27 July 1952). "Sparkman Chosen by Democrats as Running Mate for Stevenson; Senator Hails Party Solidarity". New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  2. ^ Gore, Leada (7 July 2014). "Wallace, Sparkman and Underwood (who?): 3 Alabamians came out on losing end of presidential races". AL.com. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  3. ^ "John Sparkman, 85, Ex-Senator, Dies". The New York Times. 1985-11-17. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-05-04.