The Congressional nominating caucus is the name for informal meetings in which American congressmen would agree on who to nominate for the Presidency and Vice Presidency from their political party. This system started in 1796 after George Washington stepped down as President. The first such meeting was by the Jeffersonian Republicans to decide on who should run for Vice President with Thomas Jefferson. The system ended in 1824 as existing political parties began to decentralize as a result of the westward expansion of America. The system had come to be known as "King Caucus", because of the power that these caucuses had to nominate a president was seen as undemocratic. The failure of the Republican nominee, William H. Crawford to become elected resulted in no candidate achieving a majority and John Quincy Adams finally being elected in the House of Representatives. These informal meetings were replaced with presidential nominating conventions from 1832 onwards. A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the successful Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and later became the first President of the United States, an office to which he was elected twice (1789-1797). ... The Democratic-Republican party was a United States political party, which evolved early in the history of the United States. ... Thomas Jefferson (April 13 (April 2 Old Style), 1743 – July 4, 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–1809), author of the United States Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founders of the United States. ... 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Portrait of U.S. politician William H. Crawford William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an important American politician during the early 19th century. ... John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth (1825-1829) President of the United States. ... Speeches by important party figures are key features of the convention; here, former President Jimmy Carter speaks at the 2004 Democratic National Convention A U.S. presidential nominating convention is held every four years in the United States by the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming...

References

American encyclopedia entry