The Fugitive Slave Convention was held in Cazenovia, New York, on August 21 and 22, 1850. It was a fugitive slave meeting, the biggest ever held in the United States. Madison County, New York, was the abolition headquarters of the country, because of philanthropist and activist Gerrit Smith, who lived in neighboring Peterboro, New York, and called the meeting "in behalf of the New York State Vigilance Committee." Hostile newspaper reports refer to the meeting as "Gerrit Smith's Convention". Nearly fifty fugitives attended—the largest gathering of fugitive slaves in the nation's history.

Cazenovia is a village located in the Town of Cazenovia in Madison County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village had a population of 2,835. The village lies on the southeastern shore of Cazenovia Lake, which is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long and .5 mile across. Cazenovia is within a half hour of Syracuse, New York. The village is located on US Route 20 and New York State Route 13, and was home to Cazenovia College.