The People's Party National Convention

The People's Party National Convention. Cathedral Historic District. Near this site in a giant tent on May 9, 1900, the People's Party held its national convention in Sioux Falls to select its second presidential candidate. The Populist Party, as it was also known, was primarily a political party of Westerners and Southerners. It was born out of the struggle to make a living from the land during a time of shrinking incomes and rising prices. Among its membership were farmers, small business owners, laborers, advocates of free coinage of silver, assorted radicals, and a large number of women. In 1896 the People's Party had a major impact on American politics, winning seats in Congress and many governorships and making a strong showing in the presidential race., Hosting a national political convention was a first for Sioux Falls, an isolated prairie town of 12,000. Excited merchants predicted the convention would bring the young city into unaccustomed prominence, and they prepared for an estimated 25,000 visitors. As hotels were expected to be filled to capacity, residents offered rooms in private homes., The convention attendance was a disappointment and merchants were bewildered. Few politicians of stature made the trip to Sioux Falls. Even William Jennings Bryan, the party standard bearer in 1896 and the front-runner for nomination, failed to appear. Many states were not represented and the planned-for great crowd fell far short of expectations., Nevertheless, while many concluded that the Populist movement was weakening, the convention crowd was enthusiastic about the party's future. Delegates and reporters from major national newspapers heard numerous fiery speeches. Sioux Falls' own United States Senator Richard F. Pettigrew, who had bolted the Republican Party in 1896, played a prominent role in the proceedings. Amid great cheering, the delegates selected William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska as their candidate for president and debated the major issues of the day: free silver, imperialism, and public ownership of utilities. The party platform contained many concepts that have since become law and policy., Although the low turnout disappointed Pettigrew and the convention committee, they all rallied behind Bryan as their choice for president. Delegates returned to their respective states to engage in the great political struggle that lay ahead against the Republican ticket of William F. McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Bryan lost the election and the People's Party soon languished, but Populism has remained as a political thread in Northern Plains politics.