| 1972 presidential election | |
  Nominees McGovern and Eagleton | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | July 10–13, 1972 |
| City | Miami Beach, Florida |
| Venue | Miami Beach Convention Center |
| Keynote speaker | Reubin Askew[1] |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | George McGovern of South Dakota |
| Vice presidential nominee | Thomas Eagleton of Missouri |
The 1972 Democratic National Convention was the presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party for the 1972 presidential election. It was held at Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, also the host city of the Republican National Convention that year, on July 10–13, 1972. Lawrence F. O'Brien served as permanent chairman of the convention, while Yvonne Braithwaite Burke served as vice-chair, becoming the first African American and the first woman of color to hold that position.[2][3] On the last day of the convention, Lawrence F. O'Brien departed and Burke was left to preside for about fourteen hours.[3][2]
The convention nominated Senator George McGovern of South Dakota for president and Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri for vice president. Eagleton withdrew from the race just 19 days later after it was disclosed that he had previously undergone mental health treatment, including electroshock therapy, and he was replaced on the ballot by Sargent Shriver of Maryland, a Kennedy in-law.
The convention, which has been described as "a disastrous start to the general election campaign",[4] was one of the most unusual—perhaps the most contentious in the history of the Democratic Party since 1924—with sessions beginning in the early evening and lasting until sunrise the next morning. Previously excluded political activists gained influence at the expense of elected officials and traditional core Democratic constituencies such as organized labor. A protracted vice presidential nominating process delayed McGovern's acceptance speech (which he considered "the best speech of his life") until 2:48 a.m.—after most television viewers had gone to bed.[4][5][6]
- ^ "The extravaganza's cast arrives on stage...: SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN". Boston Globe. July 1972.
- ^ a b Visionary Project
- ^ a b Terkel, Amanda (August 14, 2017). "The Long, Hard Fight To Finally Get A Woman At The Top Of The Ticket | HuffPost". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Rosenbaum, David E. (October 21, 2012). "George McGovern Dies at 90, a Liberal Trounced but Never Silenced". New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
- ^ Macinnes, Gordon (1996). Wrong for All the Right Reasons: How White Liberals Have Been Undone by Race. New York: NYU Press. pp. 84–88. ISBN 9780814796382.
- ^ See the video from the C-SPAN Video Library: "1972 McGovern Acceptance Speech", July 10, 1972.
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