A quiz on Chicago political conventions

A quiz on Chicago political conventions

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An anti-war march downtown as Chicago was preparing to host the Democratic National Convention in 1968. (Flickr/David Wilson)

Two of public radio’s great scholars of political ephemera, NPR’s Ken Rudin and WBEZ history blogger John Schmidt, quiz listeners on political conventions in Chicago on Wednesday’s Eight Forty-Eight. To play live, call 312.923.9239. Or, try your hand below.

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ANSWERS:

(A) Will Rogers.
He was a “favorite son” candidate and received 22 votes from his state of Oklahoma. Today he’s the only comedian with a statue in the U.S. Capitol—unless you count some of the politicians there.

(B) A Supreme Court justice
Hughes had been Governor of New York before his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1910. He resigned from the court when he was nominated for president, but lost the election anyway. In 1921 he was reappointed to the Supreme Court, this time as Chief Justice.

(B) 1952 Democratic Convention.
It took three ballots to nominate Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois for President. The problem was—Stevenson didn’t really want the nomination, but was talked into it by party leaders. He had good instincts, since he lost the presidential election in a landslide to Eisenhower.

(A) 1864.
The Democrats met in a building called the Amphitheatre and nominated General George B. McClellan. He was supported by anti-war Democrats, who wanted to end the Civil War and allow the Confederates to secede. Lincoln beat McClellan in the election.

(D) United Center.
Bill Clinton was nominated for his second term there in 1996.