Voz media US Voz.us

Facts and trivia on the history of the Republican National Convention

From Donald Trump, who is the oldest GOP candidate, to Milwaukee, which will host the convention for the first time, to the 17 hopefuls who succeeded in becoming president.

Donald Trump and Mike Pence at the 2020 Republican National Convention.Cordon Press

Published by

Milwaukee will once again host the convention in which one of the presidential candidates will be decided. While in 2020 it was the Democrats who designated Joe Biden as their candidate there, this time it will be the Republicans who will hold their national convention in Wisconsin's most populous city.

Since the first Republican National Convention was held in 1856 (John C. Fremont was the nominee), the GOP convention has accumulated many facts and curiosities that we review below:

- The 2024 Republican National Convention will be the 43rd.

- It will be the first time in history that Milwaukee and Wisconsin will hold the Republican National Convention.

- In all, 20 cities in 14 different states have hosted the Republican National Convention. Chicago leads the list, having hosted 14 times, followed by Philadelphia six times and Cleveland three times.

- The earliest Republican National Convention held was in 1860 (May 16-18). The latest was 2008 (September 1 to 4).

- After holding the 42 previous editions, the GOP succeeded in winning the election 24 times.

- 17 Republican nominees managed to become president. Some of them, for two terms: Abraham Lincoln (2), Ulysses S. Grant (2), Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley (2), Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower (2), Richard Nixon (2), Ronald Reagan (2), George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

- Throughout the history of the Republican National Convention, several hopefuls have been nominated as presidential candidates twice: Abraham Lincoln (2), Ulysses S. Grant (2), Benjamin Harrison (2), William McKinley (2), William Howard Taft (2), Herbert Hoover (2), Thomas E. Dewey (2), Dwight D. Eisenhower (2), Ronald Reagan (2), George H.W. Bush (2), George W. Bush (2) and Donald Trump (2). The latter, predictably, will earn his third nomination in 2024. Richard Nixon, with three, is the candidate who has been chosen the most times to represent the GOP.

- The Republican National Convention with the highest number of nominee names and official candidates was that of 1880, with 14; followed by 1920, 1940 and 1948, with 12 each. In those of 1872, 1900, 1904, 1956, 1972, 1984, 1988, 2004 and 2020 there was only one.

- Donald Trump is the oldest Republican candidate: at the Republican National Convention. In 2020, he ran at 74. In the November election, he will be 78. After him, Bob Dole and Ronald Reagan were each 73. On the other side, the youngest to be a presidential hopeful was John C. Fremont (43), followed by Theodore Roosevelt (46) and Thomas E. Dewey (46).

tracking