There were two meetings held in Ripon which led to the naming of the Republican Party. The
first held at the Congregational Church on February 28, 1854 included women. At that meeting
it was agreed that in the event that the Kansas-Nebraska Bill was adopted, old political parties
should be cast aside, and an entirely new organization should be established.
A committee was formed consisting of Alvan Bovay, Amos Loper, Abram Thomas, Jehdeiah Bowen, and Jacob Woodruff. Amos Loper’s son, A.A. Loper, attended the meeting out of curiosity and years later summarized it: “The predominant idea existing at that time in the minds of the prime movers was to prevent the further extension of slavery.
