Friday, May 24, 2019

Gideon Tabor Stewart


Gideon Tabor Stewart, August 7, 1824 (Johnstown, NY) - June 10, 1909 (Pasadena, Calif.)

VP candidate for Prohibition Party (1876)

Running mate with nominee: Green Clay Smith (1826-1895)
Popular vote: 9522 (0.08%)                      
Electoral vote: 0/369

The campaign:

In addition to prohibition of alcohol, the Party also extended the concept into other areas in their platform such as gambling and polygamy. They supported an official "national observance of the Christian Sabbath." The platform called for using the Bible in public schools. They also called for a separation of Church and State which seems at odds with some of their other platform statements.

The popular vote total appears to vary according to the source. They were on the ballot in 18 states, with their best showing by far apparently in Nebraska with 2.99%, the only state where they polled above 1%.

Election history:
1850-1856 - Auditor of Huron County, Ohio (Whig)
1869 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated
1870 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated 
1871 - Governor of Ohio (Prohibition) - defeated
1872 - US House of Representatives (Straight-Out Democratic) - defeated
1873 - Governor of Ohio (Prohibition) - defeated
1874 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated
1879 - Governor of Ohio (Prohibition) - defeated
1881 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated
1886 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated
1889 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated 
1892 - Prohibition Party nominee for US President - defeated
1893 - Prohibition Party nomination for Governor of Ohio - defeated 
1896 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated
1899 - Ohio Supreme Court - defeated

Other occupations: attorney, newspaper publisher, author

Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery (Norwalk, Ohio)

Notes:
Head of the Good Templars of Ohio in the 1850s
Was a delegate at the formation of the Prohibition Party 1869
Declined the Prohibition Party presidential nomination 1876, 1880, 1884.
Was a Republican during the Civil War.
May have run for Congress under the Straight-Out Democratic Party label in 1872 but was already a member of the Prohibition Party by then.