When the convention opened, Governor Dewey was the front-runner for the nomination. Former presidential candidate Wendell Wilkie again vied for the nomination, but when he lost the Wisconsin primary, the lack of support from the Republican Party became evident. Dewey was nominated on the first ballot. He became the first Republican candidate to accept his party's nomination in-person at the convention. Franklin Roosevelt had become the first of either party to do so in 1932.
During the convention, Chicago's Billy Goat Tavern gained notoriety for posting a notice saying "No Republicans Allowed," which caused the place to be packed with Republican conventioneers demanding to be served and led to increased publicity for the Tavern.1
