For decades, MenB has been the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK and Ireland. Today, meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia remain the leading infectious cause of death for children under five in the UK.
The first political party to hold a national convention for this purpose was the Republican Party.
Former governor Elisha M. Pease chaired the convention, and Col. John L. Haynes, the popular commander of the First Texas Cavalry, USA, became the party's first executive-committee chairman. In its first platform, the party advanced an appeal based upon loyalty to the Union and the interests of race and class.