National Convention 1972
| 1972 Libertarian National Convention | |||
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| Convention | |||
| Dates: | June 15—18, 1972 | ||
| Location: | Denver, Colorado | ||
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The first Libertarian Party National Convention was held June 15–18, 1972 in Denver, Colorado. The original dates selected had tentatively been June 4–7, 1972. The convention was open to all Libertarian Party members at a cost of $25. There were 89 delegates in attendance representing 23 states. The original Statement of Principles was adopted unanimously at this convention.
Presidential and Vice-Presidential Nomination
John Hospers was chosen as the Presidential nominee on the first ballot by a three-to-one margin over his only competitor, James Bryan of Oregon. Other candidates were nominated, but declined.
Tonie Nathan was chosen as the Vice-Presidential nominee with a large margin over her only competitor, Diana Amsden, the temporary chair of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico.
Following the nominations, a motion was made to make them unanimous, which failed. However, a resolution was later brought by those that voted against this motion expressing their support for the ticket. This resolution passed unanimously.[1]
The ticket went one to receive an electoral college vote cast by faithless elector Roger MacBride of Virginia making Tonie Nathan the first woman and the first Jewish person to ever receive an electoral college vote.
Tentative Agenda
Using the previously scheduled dates. The actual convention happened later in the month.
- Sunday, June 4 -- Open hearings by platform and constitution committees.
- Monday, June 5 -- Closed committee sessions, workshops, first session of the convention (to vote on rules, constitution and by-laws). Evening open for caucuses of various groups who wish to hold them.
- Tuesday, June 6 -- Second session of the convention (to vote on platform).
- Wednesday, June 7 -- Third and final convention session (to elect Party's officers for 1972–1974, and to nominate a President and Vice-President of the United States). Big bash in the evening.
- Thursday, June 8 -- Brief open session of the newly-elected Executive Committee, to deal with such matters are necessary.
Guest Speakers
- Willis Stone, National Chairman of the Liberty Amendment Committee
Important Party Events
Adoption of the Statement of Principles on the afternoon of Saturday, June 17, 1972, by a unanimous vote.
Election of Officers
- Susan Nolan was elected as National Chair.
- Ed Clark was elected as National Vice-Chair.
- Diana Amsden was elected as National Secretary.
- Pipp Boyls was elected as National Treasurer.
- David Nolan, James Bryan, D Frank Robinson, and Pat Lowrie were elected as At-Large members.
Election of Representatives At-Large
- James Bryan, Oregon
- David Nolan, Colorado
- D Frank Robinson, Oklahoma
- Pat Lowrie, Colorado
Election of the four Executive Committee Members at Large took four ballots. Some twelve people were nominated, and on the first ballot, only two people received a majority—former Temporary Chairman David F. Nolan, who received votes from 70% of the delegates, and Oregon's Temporary Chairman, James Bryan, with 60%. On the second ballot, none of the remaining nominees received a majority, but on the third ballot, a majority was received by D Frank Robinson, temporary Oklahoma Chairman and Parliamentarian at the Convention. On the fourth ballot, Pat Lowrie of Colorado was chosen to fill the remaining At-Large spot.
Election of Regional Representatives
TBD
- Region 1
- Region 2
- Region 3
- Region 4
- Region 5
- Region 6
- Region 7
- Region 8
Only Regions 1,2, 3 and 8 had permanent elections at the convention; the four remaining regions will hold regional caucuses to choose permanent ExecComm reps, as there were not enough delegates present to hold valid elections at the convention.
Election Officials
- Susan Nolan served as the Convention Chair.
- D Frank Robinson served as the convention parliamentarian.
- Eric Westling took convention photographs.
Committees
Convention Materials
Buttons
Advertisements
Reservation Form
Handouts
- Hospers Handwritten Statement of Principles with delegate notes (info)
- Hospers Handwritten Statement of Principles with delegate notes (info)
- Hodgson Handwritten Statement of Principles with delegate notes (info)
Audio Recordings
Recollections
First-person accounts provided by convention participants.
- Mickey, Me and the LP D Frank Robinson's personal account
- Reason Column by Bill Susel with Recollections