July 23, 1960: The Compact of Fifth Avenue

July 23, 1960: Vice President Richard Nixon and Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York conclude a late-night meeting at Rockefeller's penthouse at 810 5th Avenue, at 62nd Street, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, with an agreement on a platform for the upcoming Republican National Convention. A newspaper headline writer called it "The Compact of Fifth Avenue," although it has also been called "The Treaty of Fifth Avenue."

810 Fifth Avenue

Two days later, on July 25, the Republican Convention convened, at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago. Dwight D. Eisenhower is the 1st President limited to 2 terms by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, something the Republicans wanted as a swipe at the memory of Franklin Roosevelt, and now, it comes back to bite them. Though "Ike" might not have wanted to run for a 3rd term anyway.

With Rockefeller out of the way, the path for Nixon to be nominated for President was clear. For Vice President, the Party nominated the U.S.' Ambassador to the United Nations, Henry Cabot Lodge – who had been defeated for re-election to the Senate from Massachusetts in 1952 by the man the Democratic Party just nominated for President, John F. Kennedy.

The conservative wing of the Republican Party wasn't happy over Nixon's nomination, any more than they were about Wendell Willkie's in 1940, Thomas Dewey's in 1944 and 1948, and Eisenhower's in 1952. They wanted one of their own nominated. Never mind that conservatism was still identified with Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona was the only other Presidential candidate to get any Delegates: 10, all of them from Louisiana, to Nixon's 1,321.

Before the vote tally, Goldwater spoke, and asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration, as a gesture of unity. He told his supporters, and any others who opposed Nixon's nomination, "We've had our chance. We've fought our battles. Now, let's put our shoulders to the wheel of Dick Nixon and push him across the line... Let's grow up, conservatives. If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let's get to work." He had just published a political manifesto, The Conscience of a Conservative, and it became one of the defining texts of the movement.

Following Kennedy's win over Nixon, the Republican Party would follow Goldwater's lead in the next election. Rockefeller ran again in 1964, but the conservative wing never forgave him for getting in their way, and they treated him shabbily. Goldwater was nominated, but lost badly.

Rockefeller ran again in 1968, but so did Nixon, and there was no true conservative alternative. There wouldn't be until 1976, when Ronald Reagan nearly beat out incumbent President Gerald Ford, and Rockefeller, by then Ford's Vice President, was hounded off the ticket. In 1980, Reagan won, to the delight of Goldwater and the conservatives.

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July 23, 1960 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 at Yankee Stadium. Bob Shaw outpitched Whitey Ford. Minnie Miñoso went 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Bill "Moose" Skowron hit a home run, Yogi Berra went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Roger Maris went 0-for-4, and Mickey Mantle only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 4-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ted Williams, in his final season, hit his 508th career home run.

* A doubleheader was split at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The Detroit Tigers won the opener, 4-1. The Baltimore Orioles won the nightcap, 4-3. Al Kaline sat it out, after going 1-for-4 in the opener. Over the 2 games, Brooks Robinson went 4-for-8 with an RBI.

* The Washington Senators beat the Kansas City Athletics, 8-3 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-5 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Each team scored 2 runs in the 9th inning, but Walt "Moose" Moryn hit a home run in the top of the 10th inning to win it. Stan Musial appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base. Frank Robinson and Wally Post hit home runs for the Reds.

* The Milwaukee Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Juan Pizarro took a shutout into the 9th inning, striking out 12, but allowed 8 hits and 3 walks, and Ron Piché had to get the last 2 outs and preserve the shutout. Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews both hit home runs. Ernie Banks went 0-for-4.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Roger Craig pitched a 3-hit shutout. Dallas Green went the distance for the Phils. Each man would go on to become a rare thing, a former pitcher who managed a team to a Pennant.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Juan Marichal outpitched Harvey Haddix. Willie Mays went 3-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Roberto Clemente went 0-for-2 with a walk.