The 103rd Ballot

“A cool history of Democratic politics from the fall of Woodrow Wilson in 1920 to the rise of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.” —The New York Times

Divided over the contentious issues of Prohibition and the Ku Klux Klan, a fractured Democratic Party met in the summer of 1924 to elect a presidential nominee. With drastically opposing views between front-runners William Gibbs McAdoo of California and Governor Al Smith of New York, and the “favorite sons” —candidates running without national support—rigid division amongst the party led to the need for a 103rd ballot.

Robert Keith Murray expertly captures the upheaval of the convention and the detrimental impact it had on the party long after a candidate had been officially selected. This riveting narrative and exceptional analysis provide a captivating look at one of the most controversial presidential conventions in American history, one that will highly resonate with readers given the state of political dissonance today.

“Follows the course of the Democratic party through the low point in its history . . . engaging style and rich detail.” —Political Science Quarterly

“The book is, and the period was, filled with the ironies and touches that make politics fun, funny and appalling.” —The New York Times