Roll of Delegates

Delegate rolls were important documents of convention procedure and national representation. A lively debate ensued at the 1843 convention about admitting honorary members and “gentleman” attendees as delegates with full voting rights. Delegates were usually elected in their home states and affirmed representation prior to proceedings. At the 1843 convention, some delegates supported a motion to expand the delegation by including men who had not previously been elected in their home states. In a discussion led by Charles B. Ray, Henry Highland Garnet and Amos Beman, delegates debated the ways rolls affirmed formal election processes and could favor local issues of the host state. Despite resistance, the convention adopted a resolution to admit as delegates “gentlemen present, who have come from places which there is no regularly appointed delegation to the Convention…and that all other gentleman be requested to take seats as honorary members.” The body failed to extend this courtesy to attending Black women.

The Committee on Delegates included Robert Banks, Nimrod W. Jones, and William Wells Brown. Members collected information on delegates for printing purposes. They submitted the list for a vote of approval. Members also called roll at the start of each convention session. 

Click the tabs below to explore the roll from the 1843 convention minutes.  Please note that punctuation and spelling reflect delegate roll printed in minutes.

The graph below charts rates of delegate attendance at known national conventions in the northeastern United States between 1830 and 1864.