the Vatican on 18 February 1878. Going into the conclave, Cardinal Pecci was the one candidate favored to be elected, in part because many of the cardinals who headed to Rome had already decided to elect him. In addition to Pecci's competent administration as Camerlengo during the brief sede vacante period up to the conclave, Pecci was seen as the opposite of Pope Pius IX in terms of manner and temperament, and had also had a successful diplomatic career prior to being Archbishop-Bishop of Perugia. Pecci's election was also facilitated in that Alessandro Franchi, the candidate favored by the conservatives, urged his supporters to switch their support to the Camerlengo. One account reported the voting tabulations without providing its source. Ballot 1 (morning 19 February) On the first ballot, held on the morning of 19 February the votes were Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci 19 votes Luigi Bilio 6 votes Alessandro Franchi 4 votes This ballot was ruled invalid because at least one cardinal did not mark his ballot properly. Ballot 2 (afternoon 19 February) Pecci 26 Bilio 7 Franchi 2 Ballot 3 (morning 20 February) Pecci 44 – elected Result, implications, and aftermath The election of Cardinal Pecci, who took the name of Leo XIII, was a victory for the liberals. Pecci had been an effective bishop whose diocese had moved from the Papal States to the Kingdom of Italy successfully, without Church problems. He was seen as a diplomatic pragmatist with the tact and flexibility opponents of the previous pope believed Pius IX lacked. At 68 Leo was also young enough to do the job without hindrance of health problems, but old enough to offer the prospect of a relatively short reign of ten to fifteen years. Whereas Pius IX was seen as having isolated the Church from international opinion (his confining Jews in ghettos and his treatment of minorities had been condemned by world leaders such as Gladstone), Leo was seen as an "internationalist" who could earn back the Vatican some international respect. Though always seemingly in poor health and delicate condition, Leo reigned for 25 years. He had the third longest reign of any pope until that time. When he died on 20 July 1903 at the age of 93 he had lived to be older than any of his known predecessors. Participants Arrived too late to participate Paul Cullen, Archbishop of Dublin (Primate of Ireland)