Atlantic City's Summer of '64: Hosting Democratic convention turned into referendum on resort's decline - nj.com That profoundly negative publicity would haunt the resort’s reputation for a very long time. 'National media had a field day reporting on how rundown and shoddy Atlantic City had become. The poor state of the City's hotels was perhaps made most striking when the 1964 Democratic National Convention was held in the City, with George Meany, president of the AFL-CIO and a plumber by trade, shortly after checking in to his hotel, returned to the reception desk to report that the handle on his bathroom sink had come off in his hand as he tried to turn on the water. Over time, however, the City's appeal to visitors declined as newer resorts, particularly those in the south and west accessible by affordable air travel, grew in popularity as the City's hotels and other visitor amenities deteriorated.

If the majority of the people didn’t want them, they wouldn’t be profitable and they would not exist.” As Johnson suggested, gambling was one of the key attractions boosting the City's popularity, fueling the profits of hotels and taverns, as well as bribes and kickbacks to local police and politicians. I won’t deny it and I won’t apologize for it. By the 1930s, Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson, Its famous long-time political boss, defended its reputation: “We have whisky, wine, women, song and slot machines. Through much of its history following its incorporation as a city in 1854, Atlantic City was known not only as a 'family' resort, but also for its tolerance of vice.

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