 | |
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | June 26–28, 1947 |
| City | Winona Lake, Indiana |
| Venue | Billy Sunday Tabernacle |
| Keynote speaker | Edward E. Blake |
| Candidates | |
| Presidential nominee | Claude A. Watson of California |
| Vice-presidential nominee | Dale H. Learn of Pennsylvania |
| Voting | |
| Total delegates | 715 (allocated) |
The 1947 Prohibition National Convention was held June 26–28, 1947, in Winona Lake, Indiana. It saw the Prohibition Party nominate Claude A. Watson for president and Dale H. Learn for vice president in the 1948 United States presidential election.
Logistics
[edit]The convention was held in at the Billy Sunday Tabernacle in Winona Lake, Indiana,[1][2] behind held June 26–28, 1947.[3] Convention organizers expected attendance by 715 delegates.[2]
The state of Indiana was a regular location for the party's conventions. Indianapolis had been the site of the 1888, 1904, 1932; and was soon after the site of its 1951 convention. Winona Lake soon after hosted the party's convention again in 1959, while nearby Milford, hosted its convention in 1955.[4][5]
Winona Lake had been a hub for prohibitionist movements, ever since Billy Sunday moved to the town in 1911.[4]
An keynote address was delivered by Party Chairman Edward E. Blake at the opening of the convention. The party's platform was adopted on the second day of the convention, and its ticket was nominated on the third.[2] Additionally, Enoch A. Holtwick served as presiding officer during the convention.[6]
Presidential nomination
[edit]Ahead of the convention, four individuals put themselves forward as candidates for the presidential nomination:[2]
- D. Leigh Colvin of New York, 1936 presidential nominee of the party[2]
- Dale H. Learn, Pennsylvania favorite son,[2] and past nominee in the 1942 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election.[1]
- Sam Morris of Texas, candidate at the 1944 convention[2]
- Claude A. Watson of California, 1944 presidential nominee of the party[2]
At the convention, delegates unanimously nominated Claude A. Watson of California for president.[1]
Vice presidential nomination
[edit]The convention unanimously nominated Dale H. Learn of Pennsylvania for vice president.[1]
Hearn accepted the nomination months later on November 20, 1947, before a crowd of 175 people at The Inn at Buck Hill Falls[1] in Barrett Township, Pennsylvania.[7]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Leiser, Amy (October 24, 2015). "Monroe County man ran for vice president in 1948 election". Pocono Record. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Prohibition Party Plans Convention". The Tipton Daily Tribune. INS. June 23, 1947. p. 5. Retrieved June 29, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "1948 Prohibition Party Platform". Prohibitionists.org. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- 1 2 White, Terry (April 5, 2026). "Winona Lake And The Anti-Liquor Movement". Times-Union. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Prohibition Party National Convention Sites". Prohibitionists.org. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Greenville Man Considered Nominee for President". Herald and Review. August 27, 1963. p. 6. Retrieved July 4, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "From the archive: Inn at Buck Hill Falls now sits abandoned". Pocono Record. Retrieved June 29, 2026.