VP candidate for Greenback Party 1880
Running mate with nominee: James B. Weaver (1833-1912)
Popular vote: 308,649 (3.35%)
Electoral vote: 0/369
The campaign:
By 1880 the Greenbacks had widened their appeal, adding urban and industrial laborers to their ranks. Weaver and Chambers set out to actively campaign but shortly after the convention the 62-year old Chambers fell from a train in Kosse, Tex., broke some ribs, and had to curtail his political activities as he was bedridden for some weeks.
Chambers represented a more extreme wing of the party, a faction that had already held their own convention (Union Greenback Party) nominating him for VP. When re-unification took place with the regular Greenback Party, Chambers retained the second-place spot. Members of the Socialist Labor Party also came on board.
Along with their historical single-issue monetary policy, the Greenbackers also supported Chinese labor exclusion, women's suffrage, a graduated income tax, and the 8-hour workday. The Party was listed under slightly different names state by state.
Although the Garfield-Hancock popular vote was incredibly close, the vote was more lopsided in the Electoral College. The Greenbacks did not appear to be spoilers in the outcome. On the ballot in all but 4 states, the Greenbackers polled the strongest in Texas (11.34%), Iowa (10.11%), Michigan (9.89%), Kansas (9.87%), Missouri (8.84%) and West Virginia (8.05%)
Election history:
1847 - District Surveyor of the Robertson Land District (Tex.)
1871? - Alderman (Cleburne, Tex.) (Democratic)
1876 - Texas State Legislature (Democratic) - defeated
1878 - Texas State Legislature (Greenback Party) - defeated
Other occupations: Captain in Texas War of Independence, surveyor, attorney, soldier in Confederate Army (Tex.), delegate to the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875, newspaper publisher, chairman of the Texas Greenback Party 1882,
Buried: Cleburne Memorial Cemetery (Cleburne, Tex.)
Notes:
Joined the Greenback Party in 1877.
Was a Freemason.
Belonged to the Christian Church.
Sometimes listed as "Benjamin J. Chambers"
