While the Prohibition Party gained votes in the 1876 election over 1872, its vote total was still miniscule. The party worked to organize state affiliates during the Hayes presidency, and in the midterm election of 1878 the party offered 56 candidates (17 in NY and 13 in OH, 26 in 7 other states). The party did not exist at the time in the former Confederate States and was weak in New England.

In the spring of 1880, party leaders in several northern states held state conventions to choose delegates to the national convention. State conventions were held in MA on 4/20 [NYT 4/21], NY on 4/20 [NYT 4/13], CT on 4/21 [NYT 4/22], and PA on 5/20 [NYT 5/21]. In these conventions, the party's initial constituency was clear: religious leaders and women. A local convention in Middletown NY nominated a slate of women to run for school board, and the minority Democrats endorsed them rather than running their own slate [NYT 3/9/1880].

3d Prohibition National Convention, 1880
Chairman	Presidential Nominee	Vice Presidential Nominee
A.A. Miner MA	Neal Dow ME	Henry A. Thompson OH

3d Prohibition Party National Convention

The 3d Prohibition Party National Convention was held in Halle's Hall in Cleveland OH. There were 142 delegates present from eleven states; OH, MA, and PA were fully represented, and partial delegations appeared from AR, CT, IA, MI, MN, NJ, NY, WV, and WI. The Arkansas delegation represented the first Southern state party to be organized.

The convention heard many speeches, the most important of which were delivered by A.A. Miner, the convention chairman, and James Black, the 1872 presidential nominee.

The platform mainly set forth the argument for the abolition of the sale of alcoholic beverages. It stated "it is an accepted truth that alcoholic drinks are poisonous and hurtful, increasing disease, deranging the intellect, and producing baneful effects on posterity." The party sought congressional action first in the territories and in DC. It charged the Republican Party with "permitting an annual waste to the Nation of $1,500,000,000 and the sacrifice of 100,000 lives through the liquor traffic." The Democratic Party was cited for its plank of 1876 against national prohibition. The platform also called for women's suffrage.

The convention unanimously nominated Neal Dow for president and Henry A. Thompson for vice president [NYT 6/18/1880].

The Campaign of 1880

Dow, who had not attended the convention, wrote a letter accepting the nomination on 7/20. In this letter, printed in the New York times on 7/21/1880, Dow said "I consider the objects of the Prohibitionists of this country to be of supreme importance to the interests of the Nation and the people. Aside from its bearing upon the moral and religious welfare of the people, I consider the suppression of the liquor traffic to be an object of far greater political importance than any other now claiming the attention of the country."

State parties met in the summer to nominate their local candidates. The Massachusetts convention on 9/8 was the first in history to have an equal number of men and women delegates [NYT 9/9/1880]. The Prohibition Party worked to recruit candidates for all levels in 1880. While it only sponsored 50 candidates for US House, the party contested 11 states and had full slates in CT, MN, and NH.

Just before the election took place, Republican newspapers ran an article stating that Dow planned to vote for Garfield. They had discussed for months that the Prohibition vote came primarily from the ranks of the Republican Party, and in a close race such as that of 1880, even a small number of votes could make a difference. So when Dow told a friend that he "most earnestly wish success to General Garfield," the Republican press ran with the story that Dow was effectively out of the race [NYT 10/29/1880].

The 1880 Election

Dow's supposed endorsement of Garfield just five days before the election was a severe blow to the Prohibition Party. He improved upon G.C. Smith's 6,743, receiving 9,674 votes, a 40% increase. Though the congressional candidates were all defeated, none of them had been expected to win.

2d Prohibition National Convention (1876)

4th Prohibition National Convention (1884)

Popular Vote of 1880

Electoral Vote of 1880