ABSTRACT
The nominating conventions of both the Republican and the Democratic parties, from 1876 to beyond World War I, present a neat block for a study of practices of party professionals, leaders, or bosses, which can help in assessing the best path for additional reform or refinement in nominating process. The party professionals and bosses were active at the beginning of that period and still dominant at the end of the period. The 1876 Republican Convention could also be considered an open convention because a lot of independent delegates were a part of it. The resurrected Democrats in 1876 carried on a campaign and conducted a convention in an open manner without deals and trading by bosses. The bosses of the various delegations were mostly arrayed for Grant or Blaine, but there were always enough bosses to go around so Garfield himself were favored by a few who were working and ready.
