 This left the question of the vice presidential candidate . McKinley had offered the second place on the ticket to Reed , who had refused it . Platt wanted Morton , who had been vice president under Harrison ; the New York governor did not want it , and McKinley did not want him . It was usual at that time for major @-@ party tickets to have one candidate from Ohio or Indiana , and the other from New York , but with that state having supported Morton for the nomination , putting a New Yorker on the ticket would be an unmerited reward . RNC vice chairman Garret Hobart was from Paterson , New Jersey , near to New York City . He was a businessman , lawyer , and former state legislator , and was acceptable to Hanna and other Republican backers while being popular among party activists . Several days before the convention , McKinley chose him as running mate , though no announcement was made . At the convention , Hobart expressed surprise in a letter to his wife , but his selection had been strongly rumored and buttons with his name and McKinley 's seen in St. Louis . Delegates ratified the selection of Hobart , nominating him on the first ballot . 
