The 1904 Democratic National Convention was held in July in St. Louis , Missouri , then also hosting the 1904 World 's Fair and the 1904 Summer Olympics . Parker 's mentor David B. Hill — having attempted and failed to capture the nomination himself at the 1892 convention — now led the campaign for his protege 's nomination . William Jennings Bryan , who had been nominated but defeated by William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900 , was no longer considered by delegates to be a viable alternative . Radicals in the party supported publisher William Randolph Hearst but lacked sufficient numbers to secure the nomination due to opposition from Bryan and Tammany Hall , a powerful New York political machine . Small clusters of delegates pledged support to other candidates , including Missouri Senator Francis Cockrell ; Richard Olney , Grover Cleveland 's Secretary of State ; Edward C. Wall , a former Wisconsin State Representative ; and George Gray , a former Senator from Delaware . Other delegates spoke of nominating Cleveland , who had already served two nonconsecutive terms , but Cleveland was no longer popular outside the party or even within it , due to his rift with Bryan
the 1892 convention
1892 Democratic National Convention
Alton B. Parker