Aaron Sherman Watkins, November 29, 1863 (Rushsylvania, Ohio) – February 9, 1941 (Rushsylvania, Ohio)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (1908, 1912)
Running mate with nominee (1908, 1912): Eugene W. Chafin (1852-1920)
Popular vote (1908): 254,087 (1.71%)
Popular vote (1912): 208,156 (1.38%)
Electoral vote (1908): 0/483
Electoral vote (1912): 0/531
The campaign (1908):
Legal prohibition of alcohol across state and local jurisdictions had taken a dramatic rise since the 1904 election.
CSA Army veteran Rev. William B. Palmore who had failed to gain the presidential nomination was given the VP nod, but he declined, opening the way for Aaron S. Watkins.
The first two planks of the 11-point party platform dealt with alcohol, but among the remaining policies were: The election of United States Senators by direct vote of the people, Equitable graduated income and inheritance taxes, The strict enforcement of laws instead of official tolerance and practical license of the social evil which prevails in many of our cities with its unspeakable traffic in girls, The prohibition of child labor in mines, workshops, and factories, and finally most interesting and curious of all-- Legislation basing suffrage only upon intelligence and ability to read and write the English language.
The 1908 election had a funny symmetry that perhaps only those of us who enjoy trivia would notice. In a way there were three contests taking place. 1-- The two Williams, Taft vs. Bryan. 2-- The two Eugenes, Debs vs. Chafin. 3-- The two guys named Thomas, Hisgen vs. Watson.
The Prohibition Party placed 4th nationally in a race with up to seven parties on the presidential ballot.
Presented as an option in all but six states, the Chafin/Watson ticket had their best showing in South Dakota where they placed third with 3.52%. They also made third place in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, Iowa, Nebraska, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky. This would be their 4th best presidential election.
The campaign (1912):
The Chafin/Watkins ticket was offered a second time, a testimony to the leadership abilities of both gentlemen within the Party. But 1912 would be one of the wildest presidential elections, making it more difficult for the Prohibition Party to fight for attention.
The introduction to the 1912 platform demonstrated the Prohibition Party's view of the role of alcohol being the cause of many social problems.
"The alcoholic drink traffic is wrong; is the most serious drain on the wealth and resources of the nation; is detrimental to the general welfare and destructive of the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All laws taxing or licensing a traffic which produces crime, poverty and political corruption, and spreads disease and death should be repealed. To destroy such a traffic there must be elected to power a political party which will administer the government from the standpoint that the alcoholic drink traffic is a crime and not a business, and we pledge that the manufacture, importation, exportation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages shall be prohibited."
The remainder of the 1912 platform was similar to the 1908 version except the literary test for suffrage was deleted. Added to the revised document was: Suffrage for women on the same terms as for men, and, A presidential term of six years, and one term only.
The Party placed 5th nationally, with their tally recorded in all but 8 states their best showings were in Florida (3.65%) and California (3.45%). Vermont and Delaware were the only two states where they outpolled the Socialists.
Election history:
1904 - US House of Representative (Ohio) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1905 - Governor of Ohio (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1916 - US Senate (Ohio) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1920 - President of the United States (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1922 - Governor of Ohio (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1928 - Prohibition Party nomination for US President - defeated
1932 - Governor of Ohio (Prohibition Party) - defeated
Other occupations: President of Asbury College 1909-1910, Methodist minister, attorney, teacher,
Buried: Equality Cemetery (Rushsylvania, Ohio)
Notes:
The second time a third party ran the same ticket two elections in a row, the first being Debs-Hanford
(Socialist) 1904-1908.
Grandfather of 2000 Prohibition Party VP nominee Willard Dean Watkins.
Held the rank of Captain during WWI while an instructor at Miami Military Institute (Germantown,
Ohio)
Was preparing to run for Governor of Ohio when nominated as VP in 1908, so he withdrew from the
gubernatorial campaign.
Debated Clarence Darrow on the subject of prohibition of alcohol in Oshkosh, Wis. on Aug. 30,
1909.
