June 25, 1963 - The Democrats decided today to hold their 1964 Presidential convention in Atlantic City, N.J. The convention will begin Monday, Aug. 24, six weeks after the Republican nominees are chosen in San Francisco. It will be the first time a Presidential convention has been held in the boardwalk resort city or anywhere in New Jersey. It will also be the first time the Democrats have held their convention on the East Coast since they chose Harry S. Truman for his first full term in Philadelphia in 1948. The choice of Atlantic City represented a considerable achievement for Governor Richard J. Hughes of New Jersey (pictured with President Kennedy in 1961), who had waged a strenuous campaign to bring the money-making and tourist-attracting event to his state. Some members of the site committee preferred Chicago, but its facilities were not available for the late August date that party strategists believed was most desirable. The Democrats feel they can obtain the most political advantage in 1964 if President Kennedy spends more of the summer as the nation’s leader and less of it as a partisan candidate required to pay some attention to his opponent. This is the reason strategists preferred a later date in the summer.
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