By February 1856 Morton had made his way to the newly formed Republican party at the national level as a member of the resolutions committee to the preliminary national convention that met in Pittsburgh . He also served as a delegate to the 1856 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia . Thirty-two-year-old Morton became the People 's / Republican candidate for governor of Indiana in 1856 . His Democratic opponent was Ashbel P. Willard , a popular state senator . Despite a hard-fought campaign that for the first time brought Morton to the attention of voters around the state , Willard defeated him in the general election by fewer than 6,000 votes , amid charges on both sides of fraudulent voting . Radical Republican George W. Julian , who detested Morton , contended that Morton did not take a strong enough position against slavery , and , as conservative former Whigs claimed , he had been too lenient on the issue in a state where southern-born residents wanted nothing to do with blacks or abolitionism . Despite these criticisms , Morton 's anti-slavery speeches made him popular among the Republicans in Indiana . Noted for his " plain and convincing " manner of speaking , Morton 's contemporaries said he was not " eloquent or witty " , but rather " logical and reasonable "
1856 Republican National Convention
1856 Republican National Convention
Oliver P. Morton