The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre from July 7 to July 11, 1952. The Republicans nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower for president. The former general was still immensely popular. As his running mate, they named the anti-communist crusading Senator from California, Richard Milhous Nixon.
The Republicans were united on one pressing issue: ending the unpopular war in Korea. Their platform that year also promised to fire all "the loafers, incompetents and unnecessary employees" at the State Department, and pledged to bring an end to "Communist Subversion" in the United States.
The Brooklyn Dodgers were in town the same week as the Republicans. The Dodgers were the best team in the National League, and brought in big box office draws like Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider, not to mention long-time Cubs favorite Andy Pafko, who was now their starting left fielder.
Fans in the left field bleachers those two days got quite a treat. They were within screaming distance of their former favorite Pafko, and their current favorite, the MVP of the league that year—Hank Sauer.
The teams split the two games, and hopefully the fans in the bleachers didn’t engage in their usual favorite pastime—-betting--because the Cubs beat the ace of the Dodgers staff (Erskine), and lost to journeyman Clem Labine. Johnny Klippstein won the first game in relief of Bob Rush for the Cubs.
The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre just a few weeks later (July 21 to July 26, 1952). There was a lot more drama in the Democratic race because the outgoing President Truman was extremely unpopular, and nobody was the obvious candidate to replace him.
There were four major candidates: Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, Senator Richard Russell of Georgia and Averell Harriman of New York.
Governor Stevenson was asked to give the welcoming address to the delegates. He did so only with the agreement that he wasn't considered to be the candidate. His speech, however, stirred the crowd, and the behind-the-scenes players in the stereotypical smoke-filled room tried to figure out how to recruit him.
After meeting with Jack Arvey, the "boss" of the Illinois delegation, Stevenson finally agreed to enter his name as a candidate for the nomination. The party bosses from other large Northern and Midwestern states quickly joined in support. The convention then chose Senator John Sparkman of Alabama, a conservative and segregationist, as Stevenson's running mate.
While the Democrats are in town nominating Illinois’ own Adlai Stevenson, however, the Cubs are in Boston splitting a pair against the Braves and in Philadelphia, splitting a pair against the Phillies.
It’s just the beginning of their longest road trip of the year. They won’t return to Chicago until August 11th. They play 20 games on the road trip, going 9-11. That road trip is a fair representation of the whole 1952 season.They finished the year at 77-77, in 5th place, 19 ½ games behind the pennant winning Dodgers.
