In 1961 , a group of twenty-two conservatives including Congressman John M. Ashbrook of Ohio , lawyer William A. Rusher and scholar F. Clifton White met privately in Chicago to discuss the formation of a grassroots organization to secure the nomination of a conservative at the 1964 Republican National Convention . They budgeted $ 65,000 for the first year of activities and split the U.S. into nine geographic regions , appointing a director for each to build an organization and influence the local Republican Party . The main headquarters for the organization were established at Suite 3505 of the Chanin Building in New York City , leading members to refer to themselves as the " Suite 3505 Committee " . They decided to wait until after the 1962 mid-term elections to choose a favored candidate . Following the election , they formally backed Goldwater , who upon hearing the news after a leak in January 1963 , notified the group that he did not wish to begin a campaign . As a result , three months later , they established the " Draft Goldwater Committee " headed by Texas Republican Party Chairman Peter O'Donnell of Dallas . The committee helped to win over state delegations by filling caucuses with supporters in the American West and negotiating with party leaders in the Midwest . The group also laid the foundation for the Southern strategy by essentially creating the Republican parties of the Deep South and overthrowing the Democratic patronage system . John Grenier , the former Alabama Republican Party chairman and the committee 's southern regional coordinator , was responsible for the Republican organization in the South
1964 Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
Barry Goldwater 1964 presidential campaign